Reality Is a Slap on the Face
The themes of class conflict and racism manifest themselves in Flannery O’Connor’s “Everything That Rises Must Converge” in a few different ways. The characters’ attitudes, the focalizer’s behavior, and the images come together to reflect discriminatory outlooks and beliefs. The racism of white people is obvious in the short story. It is evident in Mrs. Chestny’s speech and mannerisms. Mrs. Chestny thinks that the world has become chaotic because slavery has been abolished. She tells Julian that black people [are] better when they [are salves]” (O’Connor 408). Trying to present herself as open-minded, she says that the black people “should rise … but on their own side of the fence” (408); she does not want to …show more content…
Some of the images are perceived through Julian’s eyes, thus reflecting his stance on the world around him. On the bus, he looks at the floor and sees “a pair of thin feet in red and white canvas sandals” (410); he refuses to acknowledge the human being they belong to. When Julian describes his mother, he paints the image of a helpless child he has to escort around town (406). Julian sees her feet dangling in the bus dangle and not “quite [reaching] the floor” (414). These images cement the idea of Julian’s feigned open-mindedness. An image that Julian and his mother share is the old mansion. Mrs. Chestny fondly recalls her childhood memories in the house with the “double stairways” (408). However, Julian takes the image farther. He imagines himself standing “on the wide porch” and “[wandering] through the high-ceilinged hall” (408). Mrs. Chestny and Julian’s dwelling on this image of past glory shows that they both practice elitist behavior. Perhaps a mock-up of the mansion is the room in Julian’s mind. It is not a simple, plain room, but a “high-ceilinged room sparsely settled with large pieces of antique furniture” (414-5). In other instances, the images in the story are ironic. To avoid interacting with the world outside, Julian buries his head in a newspaper (411). Later, the well-dressed black man that comes on the bus does the same (412). He becomes a doppelgänger of Julian’s. The man …show more content…
The characters on both sides behave in a hostile manner, but it is the white people that insist on the inferiority of the black. Initially, it is easy to dismiss Mrs. Chestny and the other women as racist, elitist, and discriminative women, and to sympathize with Julian. However, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that Julian himself is prejudiced and even racist; his intentions do not put black people’s rights first. A less obvious manifestation of the themes in the story is the rich images. They indicate the characters’ resistance to accepting their new reality and – in Julian’s case – their already existing society. It only takes a huge wake-up call at the end of the story to alert both Julian and his mother of their reality and demeaning
The themes of class conflict and racism manifest themselves in Flannery O’Connor’s “Everything That Rises Must Converge” in a few different ways. The characters’ attitudes, the focalizer’s behavior, and the images come together to reflect discriminatory outlooks and beliefs. The racism of white people is obvious in the short story. It is evident in Mrs. Chestny’s speech and mannerisms. Mrs. Chestny thinks that the world has become chaotic because slavery has been abolished. She tells Julian that black people [are] better when they [are salves]” (O’Connor 408). Trying to present herself as open-minded, she says that the black people “should rise … but on their own side of the fence” (408); she does not want to …show more content…
Some of the images are perceived through Julian’s eyes, thus reflecting his stance on the world around him. On the bus, he looks at the floor and sees “a pair of thin feet in red and white canvas sandals” (410); he refuses to acknowledge the human being they belong to. When Julian describes his mother, he paints the image of a helpless child he has to escort around town (406). Julian sees her feet dangling in the bus dangle and not “quite [reaching] the floor” (414). These images cement the idea of Julian’s feigned open-mindedness. An image that Julian and his mother share is the old mansion. Mrs. Chestny fondly recalls her childhood memories in the house with the “double stairways” (408). However, Julian takes the image farther. He imagines himself standing “on the wide porch” and “[wandering] through the high-ceilinged hall” (408). Mrs. Chestny and Julian’s dwelling on this image of past glory shows that they both practice elitist behavior. Perhaps a mock-up of the mansion is the room in Julian’s mind. It is not a simple, plain room, but a “high-ceilinged room sparsely settled with large pieces of antique furniture” (414-5). In other instances, the images in the story are ironic. To avoid interacting with the world outside, Julian buries his head in a newspaper (411). Later, the well-dressed black man that comes on the bus does the same (412). He becomes a doppelgänger of Julian’s. The man …show more content…
The characters on both sides behave in a hostile manner, but it is the white people that insist on the inferiority of the black. Initially, it is easy to dismiss Mrs. Chestny and the other women as racist, elitist, and discriminative women, and to sympathize with Julian. However, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that Julian himself is prejudiced and even racist; his intentions do not put black people’s rights first. A less obvious manifestation of the themes in the story is the rich images. They indicate the characters’ resistance to accepting their new reality and – in Julian’s case – their already existing society. It only takes a huge wake-up call at the end of the story to alert both Julian and his mother of their reality and demeaning