‘Everything that rises must converge’ is a story that revolves around a generational conflict between a young man from college, Julian, and his mother who is a typical southern woman. It is set during the era when integration begins. The whole story appears comical but is serious in nature, it depicts a stifling mother-son relationship where conflict takes center stage but is not resolved nor acknowledged. The story finds a witty way of telling us about all the differences in opinions that divide Julian and his mother alongside generational, social and political lines. In this essay, I will discuss the major conflicts in the story as Flannery O’Connor intended to convey in her book.
The story begins with a conflict between Julian and his mother with an intense argument over a hat that is symbolic of the conflict that existed between them. The conflict between then is pushed further when they take a bus ride to the YMCA and Julian looks for an African-American seat so as to intentionally upset his mother knowing very well how uncomfortable she would feel. Racism was the major conflict issues between the whites and the blacks and was more prevalent in this era of integration where the book setting lies. When Julian’s mother offers a coin to a little black boy, the black boy's mother is angered by the shallow act, shouts at Julian’s mother, and knocks her with a purse. She suffered a heart attack and died. Despite the numerous conflicts that existed between Julian and his mother, ranging from racism, religion and lack of a good fortune even after going through college, the feelings of guilt and sorrow was eating up Julian, he is quoted in the book shouting in pain for help after his mother died, “‘Help, help!’ he shouted, but his voice was thin, scarcely a thread of sound. The tide of darkness seemed to sweep him back to her, postponing from moment to moment his entry into the world of guilt and sorrow”( O’Connor, p348)
In conclusion, it becomes very clear that the sole cause of the deaths in this book is the conflict which subsequently emanates from acts of selfishness, and individual's inability to let go of the past. The consequences of these conflicts are grave and lead to remorse, sorrow and guilt as it occurred to Julian.
Works cited
O'Connor, Flannery. Everything That Rises Must Converge.London. Farrar, Straus and
Giroux, 1965.print
