Everything That Rises Must Converge By Flannery O Connor Short Story

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Recommended: Dealing with forms of oppression

Everything That Rises Must Converge
Flannery O’Connor’s short story deals with issues of racism and the treatment of black Americans in the South during the 1960s, as well as discussing the differences in the belief systems of two generations. The reader also discovers issues of narcissism and self-serving actions through the development of the main character, Julian, and his personality, as well as through the juxtaposition of Julian and his mother. It is important to understand when reading this story how the author uses point of view to demonstrate that despite his own opinions, Julian does not truly believe in civil equality for black Americans, but rather his belief system is based in his desire to anger his mother.
The point of view that is established in this story is third person subjective. This means that the audience gains understanding of the characters through dialogue and actions, but also through omniscience. Readers get to hear Julian’s thoughts in addition to the commentary from the narrator. The audience learns a lot about Julian’s character through his inner …show more content…

But since we receive everything secondhand, there is a disconnect between what we see as observers and what Julian actually feels and experiences. For example, near the end of the story, Julian’s mother is dying in front of him, and he had to fight off “his entry into the world of guilt and sorrow” (p. 1016). Because of the way in which Julian has been described to the audience - harsh, cynical, independent - it is harder to understand his grief, or to relate to his situation empathetically. However, had Julian been described in another way, or if the readers were able to hear his thoughts first hand, the perspective and understanding of his situation would change and it would be easier for the audience to feel

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