Everything That Rises Must Converge - Book Report/Review Example

Convergence of Ideas in Everything That Rises Must Converge Everything That Rises Must Converge is a short story by Flannery O’Connor that captures an ongoing conflict between a mother and her son which is framed by the social changes that took place in the American society in the 1960s. The author of the short story explores the changing social dynamics represented through the abolition of segregation and emergence of the new generation of those who accept the difference as well as the newly established norms. In other words, in her piece O’Connor explores racial issues and boundaries between social classes as well as the society’s attitude and acceptance of desegregation alongside with cultural aspects of these changes. One of the major themes in Everything That Rises Must Converge is the theme of race as one of the key social and cultural concerns in the American society in 1960s, and it is addressed and analyzed in many ways in the piece. As it is follows from the short story, there are two views on the situation that took place in the society, and they depended on people’s belonging to a particular generation. Specifically, Julian’s mother as a representative on an older generation adheres to old cultural norms of the society, meaning she does not accept any changes regarding race and social classes. In fact, she grips hold of her old-fashioned views and wants to impose them upon her son. In particular, at first convenience she tries to remind her son and, perhaps, even herself that they come from a good and respected southern family and that their ancestors were wealthy and powerful: “Your great-grandfather was a former governor of this state”, “Your great-grandfather had a plantation and two hundred slaves” (O’Connor). That is to say Julian’s mother chooses to live on her family’s greatness, which is now gone, because that gives her a sense of being as powerful and renowned as her family used to be in the past. Her behavior and overtly racist attitudes show narrow-mindedness of her generation when it comes to changes and new social norms. Overall, from how O’Connor depicts it, it follows that for Julian’s mother there is a great necessity to separate herself from African Americans who have suddenly become the equal part of the society she lives in. this is one more reason why she is used to reminding about her roots and social standing of her ancestors. She separates herself and her son from those who is different from them, and this kind of separation suggests her attitude towards African Americans is of a discriminatory character. Julian’s mother is a product on the times she lives as well as the society. She is an old woman and her attitude to African Americans is a reflection of her fear of changes and of “mess” she faces in buses. Another point of view on the abolition of segregation is the one Julian himself sticks to. His value system is different from his mother’s and, in reality, it is opposite. Such a great difference between Julian’s and his mother’s attitude towards changes in the American society can be explained by the generation gap. Unlike his mother, Julian accepts the changes and supports them. In addition to this, he does not agree with his mother’s idea that true culture is in “how you do things and how you do things is because of who you are” (O’Connor). In other words, he does not agree that one’s roots, race and / or social class define one’s place in the world and, consequently, other people’s attitude. He also does not think that a person’s origin is important these days and that anybody pays attention to it: “Nobody in the damn bus cares who you are” (O’Connor). His position is quite clear: social status is not defined by family bounds. Just like his mother reminds him of their family’s past glory, he is used to saying that they no longer live in that society and that there are no more plantations and slaves. Julian seems to understand that their history undermines the current state of things. Julian is disgusted with his mother ideas and her reminders of the glorious past of their ancestors. He does not agree that African Americans “should rise, yes, but on their side of the fence” (O’Connor). Also, he does not want to be associated with his mother’s ideas on segregation, and that is why he tries to befriend black people he meets in the bus. He also wants to talk to them and put in touch them with his mother so that she agrees she is wrong. This may seem as a manifestation of maximalism Julian is inclined to but his motives are not mean in any case. In the short story, there is also a third party represented by African American themselves. Perhaps, the best example of social and cultural changes described in Everything That Rises Must Converge is the episode when Julian’s mother wants to give a penny to Carver, an African American boy she meets in the bus. This episode is really symbolic due to the fact that it reflects both the ongoing changes as well as the society’s attitudes to them. What is more, this episode shows that violent collision of two races living in one society takes place: Carver’s mother boils with anger and, in fact, enters the true convergence of races as she hits Julian’s mother with a purse. This action is Carver’s mother desire to establish the truth and her status as an independent person who does not need patronage and, even more importantly, condescension on the part of those who denied her people dignified life. The fact that Julian’s mother wants to give the boy a penny reflects her patronizing attitude towards him, his mother, and, of course, all African Americans, even though it may seems that the woman wants to do this because she likes the little boy. While Julian’s mother romanticizes the past times when her family lived on a plantation and sometimes even daydreams about her childhood and a huge house they all lived in, Carver’s mother dwells on the present times when she declares that “he [her son] don’t take nobody’s pennies” (O’Connor). Changing social dynamics as well as changes in cultural norms is a complex notion represented by the convergence of two races. In her short story titled Everything That Rises Must Converge, Flannery O’Connor describes this very notion on the example of the ongoing conflict between a mother and her son. More specifically, she shows that in this particular period generation gap is what nourishes this conflict and, at the same time, is the reason of rejection of the changes. Julian’s mother continuously reminds about her roots, and this is what has a negative influence on their relationship. In addition to this, her memory appears to be the perfect example of how white population of America reacts to the changes in the social status of African Americans. Julian, in his turn, is a representative of a young generation, the one that supports social and cultural changes and rejects the racist practices. In the center of this conflict is African Americans who are on the forefront of the battle for equality. Using an example of Julian and his mother and the conflict between them, Flannery O’Connor describes a very complex process which took place in the American society in 1960s. Work Cited OConnor. "Everything That Rises Must Converge."Thomasaquinas.edu. N. p. Web. 2 Jul 2015. . Read More