A Picture of Presumption: Regal Imagery in O’Connor’s work
“When people rely on surface appearances and false racial stereotypes, rather than in-depth knowledge of others at the level of the heart, mind, and spirit, their ability to assess and understand people accurately is compromised.” ~James A. Forbes
“You remain what you are,” (O'Connor 1989 2) This is the message Flannery O'Connor attempts to convey in her short story, Everything that Rises Must Converge. The sense that, everyone is who they are, not who they believe themselves to be. The message is centered around Julian's mother, a portly southern woman with an inflated sense of self, struggling to cope with the changes occurring around her. Slavery has been abolished and "Although …show more content…
In her work, Flannery O'Connor uses regal portrays a sense of regality through the hats, colors, and ironic noble references to symbolize Julian’s mother and her skewed personal and societal views. She, like that hat, are not as highbrow as …show more content…
The hat, which “looked like a cushion with the stuffing out,”(O'Connor 1989 1) resembles “the dumpy figure”(O'Connor 1989 1) of the mother. In addition, the hat is referred to as “preposterous,” and “ridiculous,” all the ways her son considers her to be. The hat is gaudy and not worth the money she paid for it, but she is certain of its taste and class just as she is certain of how good it looks on her and how superior she is for choosing it. The sales lady had said that “with that hat, you won’t meet yourself coming and going,” (O'Connor 1989 2) leading her to believe that like the hat, she was unlike any other. The use of color comes into play in the story as a depiction of both perceived wealth and social commentary. The color green, the color of money and a sign of wealth and prosperity, is only mentioned once in the story when the hat is being described. This is because, despite Julian's mother's grandiose view of herself, money is something she has had little of throughout her life and, currently, her only connection to wealth of any form is an ugly, overpriced hat. The color purple plays a big role in the story in many different hues. Purple is the color of royalty and a sign of regal lineage so, at its core, the meaning of this color fits Julian's mother view of herself. However, the color purple can
“When people rely on surface appearances and false racial stereotypes, rather than in-depth knowledge of others at the level of the heart, mind, and spirit, their ability to assess and understand people accurately is compromised.” ~James A. Forbes
“You remain what you are,” (O'Connor 1989 2) This is the message Flannery O'Connor attempts to convey in her short story, Everything that Rises Must Converge. The sense that, everyone is who they are, not who they believe themselves to be. The message is centered around Julian's mother, a portly southern woman with an inflated sense of self, struggling to cope with the changes occurring around her. Slavery has been abolished and "Although …show more content…
In her work, Flannery O'Connor uses regal portrays a sense of regality through the hats, colors, and ironic noble references to symbolize Julian’s mother and her skewed personal and societal views. She, like that hat, are not as highbrow as …show more content…
The hat, which “looked like a cushion with the stuffing out,”(O'Connor 1989 1) resembles “the dumpy figure”(O'Connor 1989 1) of the mother. In addition, the hat is referred to as “preposterous,” and “ridiculous,” all the ways her son considers her to be. The hat is gaudy and not worth the money she paid for it, but she is certain of its taste and class just as she is certain of how good it looks on her and how superior she is for choosing it. The sales lady had said that “with that hat, you won’t meet yourself coming and going,” (O'Connor 1989 2) leading her to believe that like the hat, she was unlike any other. The use of color comes into play in the story as a depiction of both perceived wealth and social commentary. The color green, the color of money and a sign of wealth and prosperity, is only mentioned once in the story when the hat is being described. This is because, despite Julian's mother's grandiose view of herself, money is something she has had little of throughout her life and, currently, her only connection to wealth of any form is an ugly, overpriced hat. The color purple plays a big role in the story in many different hues. Purple is the color of royalty and a sign of regal lineage so, at its core, the meaning of this color fits Julian's mother view of herself. However, the color purple can