Everything That Rises Must Converge: Flannery O 'Connor
Often people think that knowledge equals power. However, in the short story, "Everything That Rises Must Converge," by Flannery O 'Connor, the author shows that knowledge does not always equal power when that knowledge is used for the wrong reasons. The character Julian in "Everything That Rises Must Converge," serves as an example of how someone cannot become successful solely off of being educated but through the choices that are made with one 's education. Such choices are effected by one 's culture, upbringing, and willingness to move forward.
To begin, the character Julian was able to go to college and acquire a changed mindset about the society he was raised in. Yet, his …show more content…
If Julian would have chosen to focus on bringing his mother out of her dated ways of thinking, she would have been able to realize that giving the little black boy a new fermented penny was wrong. This penny represents the, "[H]istorical rise of Southern blacks" as said in "The Penny and the Nickel in Everything That Rises Must Converge" by John Ower. She willfully wanted, "to give the little boy a nickel"(Kirszner and Mandell 617). but all she could find was a penny. Julian did not intend or have any motivation to teach his mom that the world she grew up in is no more."The frustration of having to wait on the bus as well as ride on it began to creep up his neck like a hot hand"(Kirszner and Mandell 611). Throughout the entire story Julian and his mom disagreed on many occasions, for they are one in the same only Julian has education that can take him far. Despite the fact that he chooses to ignore that and steadily mocks his mom by pretending to want to have a relationship with the blacks. One might say Julian lacks motivation because of the comparison O 'Connor makes with Julian and Saint Sebastian. According to Flanner O 'Connor 's Inverted Saint 's Legend, Saint Sebastian was" waiting...for the arrows to begin piercing him" Jauss believes " he is not waiting to give his life for his faith" as Saint Sebastian …show more content…
It is a huge cultural shift from previous decades. Having someone be educated in such category and seem to have an understanding of this new culture shift, one might think they would help others to understand as well. Being knowledgeable and not sharing that knowledge only looking down on the people who do not posses that same knowledge is not only hurting themselves but the educated person as well. Julian hurt himself and his mother when Julian drove his mother into a stroke after making this statement,"[f]rom now on you 've got to live in a new world and face a few realities for a change. Buck up, 'it won 't kill you '""(Kirszner and Mandell 618). His insensitivity lead to her death and the death of his
Often people think that knowledge equals power. However, in the short story, "Everything That Rises Must Converge," by Flannery O 'Connor, the author shows that knowledge does not always equal power when that knowledge is used for the wrong reasons. The character Julian in "Everything That Rises Must Converge," serves as an example of how someone cannot become successful solely off of being educated but through the choices that are made with one 's education. Such choices are effected by one 's culture, upbringing, and willingness to move forward.
To begin, the character Julian was able to go to college and acquire a changed mindset about the society he was raised in. Yet, his …show more content…
If Julian would have chosen to focus on bringing his mother out of her dated ways of thinking, she would have been able to realize that giving the little black boy a new fermented penny was wrong. This penny represents the, "[H]istorical rise of Southern blacks" as said in "The Penny and the Nickel in Everything That Rises Must Converge" by John Ower. She willfully wanted, "to give the little boy a nickel"(Kirszner and Mandell 617). but all she could find was a penny. Julian did not intend or have any motivation to teach his mom that the world she grew up in is no more."The frustration of having to wait on the bus as well as ride on it began to creep up his neck like a hot hand"(Kirszner and Mandell 611). Throughout the entire story Julian and his mom disagreed on many occasions, for they are one in the same only Julian has education that can take him far. Despite the fact that he chooses to ignore that and steadily mocks his mom by pretending to want to have a relationship with the blacks. One might say Julian lacks motivation because of the comparison O 'Connor makes with Julian and Saint Sebastian. According to Flanner O 'Connor 's Inverted Saint 's Legend, Saint Sebastian was" waiting...for the arrows to begin piercing him" Jauss believes " he is not waiting to give his life for his faith" as Saint Sebastian …show more content…
It is a huge cultural shift from previous decades. Having someone be educated in such category and seem to have an understanding of this new culture shift, one might think they would help others to understand as well. Being knowledgeable and not sharing that knowledge only looking down on the people who do not posses that same knowledge is not only hurting themselves but the educated person as well. Julian hurt himself and his mother when Julian drove his mother into a stroke after making this statement,"[f]rom now on you 've got to live in a new world and face a few realities for a change. Buck up, 'it won 't kill you '""(Kirszner and Mandell 618). His insensitivity lead to her death and the death of his