Rises Must Converge by Flannery

¶ … Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Conner. Specifically it will discuss a bit about the story, the context of a passage, and why this passage spoke to me. This is a sad story of a young man and his mother who simply do not see eye-to-eye, and will never see eye-to-eye. It shows how difficult relationships between mother and son can be, and how they can change in an instant. It is a sad story, really about loss, and how it seems that people always wait until it is too late to realize that they love someone.

Basically, this is a story of the relationship between a mother and her son, and the many emotions, included hatred, fear, and loathing that this relationship creates in both people. The young man is a failure at life, and so he is quite depressed and cynical. He is also aggressive toward his mother, because she represents so much that is wrong with the world to him. Her prejudices and her pettiness make him angry, and he takes out his anger on her once too many times, and literally drives her to a stroke. It is only then that he realizes just how much he loves and needs her. There are many compelling passages in this short story; O'Conner seems to be able to write poignantly and sharply in a very small amount of words.

Clearly, the mother and son are at odds in this story. At times it seems as if the son hates his mother, and he is often trying to "teach her a lesson," as this passage indicates, "His face suddenly lit with joy. He could not believe that Fate had thrust upon his mother such a lesson" (O'Conner 1961, p. 281). Throughout the story, the son feels he is superior to the mother, and that she is prejudiced, petty, and small-minded. His contempt for her shows through in his actions and his words, and helps illustrate the tension between the two, even if the mother will not acknowledge it. On the other hand, she sees her son as better than he is, and is always talking him up to those around him. He has a college degree and yet all he does is sell typewriters, and he fully admits to himself that he will never accomplish more. O'Conner writes, "Some day I'll start making money' Julian said gloomily - he knew he never would - " (O'Conner 1961, p. 272). Julian knows he is a failure, and that is why the story leads up to its inevitable conclusion, with Julian driving his mother to death.

The moving passages in this story are many, but the one that is especially poignant and leads to the ending is "For a moment he had an uncomfortable sense of her innocence, but it lasted only a second before principle rescued him. Justice entitled him to laugh. His grin hardened until it said to her as plainly as if he were saying aloud: Your punishment exactly fits your pettiness. This should teach you a permanent lesson" (O'Conner 1961, p. 281). Unfortunately, Julian's thoughts and hatred for his mother lead to tragedy, and it really is his fault that she is struck down with a stroke. This passage alludes to that ending with its "permanent lesson," but it contains a lot more information than just alluding to the ending of the story.

Julian, for just a moment, becomes more human and sympathetic in this passage. It shows that for just a second, he can see his mother as simply an innocent and childlike old lady who loves him in her own way. However, Julian is so negative and so disenchanted with his own lack of success and the world's indifference that he cannot hold on to this decent thought about his mother. He must replace it with rancor and anger. He hardens himself to love and affection, and he pays for it in the end. This passage is meaningful for a number of reasons. It shows how hard and negative people can become, and it shows the pain relationships can cause everyone involved. It is not always easy to get along with your parents, but sometimes you just have to stop and remember that they love you, no matter what they do, and you love them, no matter how they are sometimes. Julian cannot allow this love into his heart, and so, he can only see the negative aspects of his mother. When he shuts his heart against her and blames her for her prejudices and pettiness, he ultimately drives her over the edge of reason and sanity, and drives her to the stroke that strikes her down. This is a sad and depressing story, and this passage really sends the story into the downward spiral toward the ending. This passage speaks to me because I think everyone has been frustrated or embarrassed over their family before, but this story, and this passage, show what can happen if someone carries that frustration and anger too far.