Analysis of "Everything That Rises Must Converge"

922 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Everything that rises must converge anilysis

Analysis of “Everything That Rises Must Converge”
The title is an incredibly important part of any piece of writing, whether it be a poem, a novel, or a short story. It is an extremely condensed representation of the story, designed to attract a reader’s attention while also providing them with the basic knowledge of what the story will be like. Many authors and writers take this into consideration, and make their title as significant as possible. Flannery O’Connor was no exception to this when she wrote “Everything That Rises Must Converge”. Although this title does not create a clear perception of what the short story will be about, it does have deeper meanings and relates to major themes of the story; the inevitability of racial equality, and the idea that in desperate times hidden love is exposed.
It is important to first take a look at the title itself. Based upon an initial glance, the reader has absolutely no idea what the short story may entail. The title itself is a bit of a mystery, drawing the reader in, making them want to read the story in order to find out what it is about. The reader can assume from the use of the word “converge” within the title, that something within the story will come together, but any further inferences are only speculation. As the reader continues reading the story, it becomes clear that O’Connor does not speak merely of physical objects rising, but much more complex feelings and social standings.
Within her story, O’Connor immediately makes race a very important feature, distinguishing African Americans from Caucasians. Written in 1961, during the middle of the African American civil rights movement, the story was written to address the portrayed differences between individuals with vary...

... middle of paper ...

...an and his mother converge. As she lays prone on the ground, Julian is extremely distraught and saddened, realizing that he loves her and will miss her greatly. It may have taken a sudden tragedy, but Julian’s love for his mother emerges, and he converges with, and becomes closer to, his mother more than any other time within the story.
Flannery O’Connor put careful consideration into her title when naming “Everything That Rises Must Converge”. She recognized the importance of a title, and made sure to give her title depth and meaning that may not be fully understood without examination. There are several themes incorporated within the story that the title relates to including: accepting racial equality and the inescapable love for family. O’Connor has created an exemplary title that sparks interest in the reader, and relates to the story through deeper meanings.

Show More
Related

  • Whirligigs by Paul Fleischman

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    The rising action of the story was when he would find friends and they would help him to realize certain things about himself. The biker that he met helped him get started on stars. One of the maids that he met on his trip had shown him kindness and through this, she taught him that u can always have a fresh start or second chance at life as long as you try hard enough. And the artist that he met at the ocean helped him learn that u shouldn’t always judge a book by its cover, there might be more to someone than you think.

    Read More

  • What's Wanted To Forget In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    No matter where one is from or where one finds themselves today, we carry with us in some way or another a specific heritage. Certain events and circumstances can lead to someone trying to forget their heritage or doing everything in their power to preserve that heritage. Alice Walker’s “EveryDay Use” was published in 1973, not long after the civil rights movement, and reflects the struggles of dealing with a heritage that one might not want to remember (Shmoop). Alice Walker is well known as a civil rights and women’s rights activist. Like many of her other works she uses “Everyday Use” to express her feelings on a subject; in this case African American heritage. Through “Everyday Use” it can be seen that Alice Walker has negative feelings about how many African Americans were trying to remove themselves from parts of their African American culture during the time of the short story’s publishment. This idea that Walker was opposed to this “deracinating” of African Americans coming out of the civil rights

    Read More

  • Maya Angelou

    955 Words  | 2 Pages

    This piece of autobiographical works is one of the greatest pieces of literature and will continue to inspire young and old black Americans to this day be cause of her hard and racially tense background is what produced an eloquent piece of work that feels at times more fiction than non fiction

    Read More

  • Ann Petry’s The Street

    1247 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...courage to survive in the world. On the other hand, her portrayal of marriage and the black family appears to be negative. Marriage is seen as a convenient thing—as something that is expected, but not worth having when times get rough. At least this is what Lutie’s and Jim’s marriage became. The moral attributes that go along with marriage do not seem to be prevalent. As a result, because marriage and the black family are seen as the core of the black community, blacks become more divided and begin to work against themselves—reinforcing among themselves the white male supremacy. Instead of being oppressed by another race or community, blacks oppress themselves. Petry critiques these issues in the black community and makes them more applicable to our lives today. These issues still exist, but we fail to realize them because of our advancement in society today.

    Read More

  • The Use of Setting in A Pair of Tickets and Everything that Rises Must Converge

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...to take it anymore. Julian's mother didn't realize this, she thought she was being "gracious." The stroke Julian's mother receives at the end is a direct result of her failure to adapt to her current setting.

    Read More

  • How it Feels to be Colored Me by Hurston and Hughes’ The Negro Mother

    1238 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes were great writers but their attitudes towards their personal experience as an African American differed in many ways. These differences can be attributed to various reasons that range from gender to life experience but even though they had different perceptions regarding the African American experience, they both shared one common goal, racial equality through art. To accurately delve into the minds of the writers’ one must first consider authors background such as their childhood experience, education, as well their early adulthood to truly understand how it affected their writing in terms the similarities and differences of the voice and themes used with the works “How it Feels to be Colored Me” by Hurston and Hughes’ “The Negro Mother”. The importance of these factors directly correlate to how each author came to find their literary inspiration and voice that attributed to their works.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of The Little Convent Girl

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...it up to each reader to draw their own conclusions and search their own feelings. At the false climax, the reader was surprised to learn that the quite, well-liked, polite, little convent girl was colored. Now the reader had to evaluate how the forces within their society might have driven such an innocent to commit suicide.

    Read More

  • Free Color Purple Essays: It Was the Worst of Times

    613 Words  | 2 Pages

    This novel was set in the early 1900’s.  During this time, the black people were oppressed by white people.  They were abused and taken advantage of.  Not only were the black people were oppressed but also women were oppressed.  They had little freedom and were unable to be self-sufficient.

    Read More

  • Literary Criticism In Toni Morrison's 'Recitatif'

    1632 Words  | 4 Pages

    This brings us to the Toni Morrison short story “Recitatif”. This short story encourages an African American or ethnically minded style of understanding. The driving force for the thoughts and actions of both Twyla, Roberta, and the other characters is race and race relations. Those two events may seem like nothing, but it shows how even at the early age of 8, children are taught to spot the differences in race instead of judging people by their character.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis: The Color Purple

    1382 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are numerous works of literature that recount a story- a story from which inspiration flourishes, providing a source of liberating motivation to its audience, or a story that simply aspires to touch the hearts and souls of all of those who read it. One of the most prevalent themes in historical types of these kinds of literature is racism. In America specifically, African Americans endured racism heavily, especially in the South, and did not gain equal rights until the 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and family, she is able to overcome her obstacles and grow into a stronger, more self-assured individual. While there are numerous themes transpiring throughout the course of the novel, the symbolism is one of the strongest prospects for instigating the plot. In The Color Purple by Alice Walker, numerous symbols influence and drive the plot of the novel.

    Read More

  • Racial Discrimination in The Help by Kathryn Stockett

    1125 Words  | 3 Pages

    Today, blacks are respected very differently in society than they used to be. In “The Help”, we see a shift in focus between what life is like now for the average African American compared to what it was like for them to live in the 1960’s.“The Help” teaches readers the importance of understanding and learning from our history. The novel is a snapshot of the cultural, racial and economic distinctions between blacks and whites in a particularly tumultuous time in American history. “The Help” encourages readers to examine personal prejudices and to strive to foster global equality.

    Read More

  • Title Analysis of Everything that Rises Must Converge By Flannery O'Connor

    508 Words  | 2 Pages

    Literally, converge means "to tend toward or approach an intersecting point. " But I believe that word's meaning, especially in literature, changes, or even contains two different meanings. So in the story "Everything that Rises Must Converge" by Flannery O'Connor converge affects the title but has a different meaning. The title means that the past is nothing, and the present is more important. Not only that, but everything will return as God made as the time goes by.

    Read More

  • Issues of Racial Identity during the Harlem Renaissance

    2024 Words  | 5 Pages

    The early 1900s was a very challenging time for Negroes especially young women who developed issues in regards to their identities. Their concerns stemmed from their skin colors. Either they were fair skinned due mixed heritage or just dark skinned. Young African American women experienced issues with racial identity which caused them to be in a constant struggle that prohibits them from loving themselves and the skin they are in. The purpose of this paper is to examine those issues in the context of selected creative literature. I will be discussing the various aspects of them and to aid in my analysis, I will be utilizing the works of Nella Larsen from The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, Jessie Bennett Redmond Fauset, and Wallace Brown.

    Read More

  • Revelation O Connor Analysis

    955 Words  | 2 Pages

    how did O’ Connor portray the character of the two main protagonist in the stories? How are they similar and how did their human judgment reflect their attitude towards other characters in the stories? How has the author presented that racism was still prevalent even after years past the days of slavery? Revelation and Everything that Rises must Converged brilliantly presented the attitude of some White Americans and their non-acceptance of the fact that they are already living equally and are given the same opportunity and stature as the African-American. Both stories depicted the character of two protagonists who thought of themselves as superiors and better than others.

    Read More

  • Female Empowerment In The Color Purple By Alice Walker

    1840 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is not until Celie is an adult that she finally feels content with her life and understands her capacity to be a completely autonomous woman. The concept of racial and gender equality has expanded greatly throughout the twentieth century, both in society and in literature. These changes influence Walker's writing, allowing her to create a novel that chronicles the development of a discriminated black woman. Her main character, Celie, progresses from oppression to self-sufficiency, thereby symbolizing the racial and gender advancements our country has achieved.

    Read More

More about Analysis of "Everything That Rises Must Converge"

Open Document