Summary of Everything That Rises Must Converge
Irony in Everything That Rises Must Converge
Characters:
- Julian-He is college graduate.
- Julian’s Mother: Supports racism
- Carver and His Mother
The story is about Julian and his racist society. He has completed his graduation. He wanted to be a writer. He is living in the south with his mother after returning back to his hometown. Julian’s mother takes a weekly exercise class after her doctor’s suggestion. She has to manage her blood pressure. Julian goes with his mother in her weekly classes because she is afraid to travel alone at night.
Their family was descendants of a white rich family. They belonged to an aristocratic family. His great grandfather used to work as an governor of the state. He had a plantation. It had two hundred slaves. But Julian’s mother struggled hard to raise him. She was a single mother. Her neighborhood was very tough.
She wears an expensive purple hat for her exercise. They talk about the social changes in the south while walking to the bus stop. They start their journey by a bus. They start to talk with different white passengers on the bus. The white woman passengers were discussing about their dying southern tradition. They were lamenting over the loss of their culture and tradition in the south.
Through his mother’s conversation with the passengers, Julian found his mother’s racist behavior. He is not happy with his mother’s activities. He wants to teach her a lesson.
At the next stop, he finds a well dressed black man in the bus. He enters the bus. He arranges to sit with him. He wants to talk with him to make him his friend. He doesn’t have a black friend. Julian dreams of making a black friend. His mother is not happy with him. But he finds abnormal behavior of the black man. He expected that he would behave nicely to him. The man didn’t respond him nicely.
At the next bus stop, two black passengers enter the bus. They were Carver and his mother. They took seats next to them. The woman had angry face. She seems disinterested to others.
Julian’s mother is happy to sit with Carver. Julian sits with Carver’s mother.Both Carver and Julian’s mothers were not happy with the circumstances. Carver’s mother was wearing the same kind of his mother’s hat. Julian’s mother becomes angry after seeing the hat. Carver’s mother orders her son to stand near to her. She orders to leave the seat. Julian’s mother supports racism but she loves all races children equally. She takes black children cuter than white. Carver goes to sit with Julian’s mother. Julian’s mother becomes happy and claims that he may like her. She behaves as a superior race. Carver’s mother takes him back and slaps her son. Carver disobeys his mother. He starts to peek-a-boo with Julian’s mother. Carver’s mother becomes too much angry with her son.
Julian’s mother wanted to give a coin to Carver. It was her habit to give coin to cute children. But Julian warns her to do so. She gives a penny to Carver after exiting from the bus. But Carver’s mother hits Julian’s mother with her pocketbook for giving the penny. Julian’s mother falls on the ground. She suffers from a stroke. Julian asks for help. He becomes able to help her. They return back to home instead of going to the class. Julian realized that his mother learned a lesson.
Theme and Irony in the story Everything that Rises Must Converge
The story is about racial prejudices prevalent-ed in the south America in 1960. There is assimilation and racial integration on paper but in reality, there is still discrimination in the society and people’s heart. People don’t speak about racism but it is inside their head.
The story shows the context of middle class white American people. They pretend to be selfless but in reality racism is hidden inside their brain. It comes outside in different forms. It is shown in the story with the help of Julian’s mother. Julian wants and supports social integration but his mother pretends to follow it.
It proves ironical condition in the society. Julian’s mother belong to typical example of 1960’s woman. She belonged to a white wealthy family. Her family used to own slaves. She had luxurious mansion in the past.
