Conversation Response to "Everything That Rises Must Converge"

Flannery O’Connor’s Everything That Rises Must Converge reads like a case study for a familiar dynamic: The resentful child and the martyred mother. As the daughter of a single mother myself, I have a sharp recollection of how it feels being continually reminded of the sacrifices that were made on your behalf, and the dichotomous feelings of guilt and gratitude that accompany them. This made me identify with Julian at the beginning of the story, despite his contemptuous disposition. I found it interesting the way that O’Connor used the implications of this dynamic as a segue into the issues of racial tensions and generational differences that are present in the story.

Both Julian and his mother are products of their time - Mrs. Chestny firmly remaining in her world of former family splendor and slavery, while her son attempts to bring her into his world, of progress and realism and integration. Neither one is willing to compromise, as both feel they have the moral high ground. Julian’s frustrations with his mother come to an apex when she tries to hand the young black boy a penny, which she views as a charitable, kind act, but Julian believes is condescending and humiliating. He identifies with the anger at this act, and feels vindicated when his mother receives the “lesson” that he wishes he could teach her. Of course, this feeling (as it often is) is short-lived, and I finished the story with a sense of moral ambiguity and sadness.