Flannery O'Conner has created a character in Julian that represents a new generation; young, liberal, progressive in his thinking with regard to race relations.  His mother, a product of the old South, continues to maintain the long-established attitude of superiority over African-Americans.  Even though Julian considers himself a free and liberated Southerner, in reality he and his mother harbor similar attitudes and perspectives about those of different color, especially blacks.  The resultant generational conflict provides the opportunity for O'Connor to present her case that, even though the majority of American society may present itself as accepting minorities as equals, and appear to welcome progress in this regard, for the most part they are deceiving themselves. Perhaps the great majority of contemporary society would like to perceive that great changes have taken place over the years, but human nature based on recent events seems to have stayed rooted in its ways and has not transformed itself very much.

Throughout history, the idea of reform socially or politically always precedes the action either by legislation, or violent upheaval. Any investigation of major social or political upheaval throughout history illustrates this.  The eventual acceptance of the changes in our society as a whole, or by specific classes of society, may require a large amount of time and effort, like it is with desegregation and integration. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves, but only in a legal sense, as those who were freed really had nowhere to go, nor have any idea of what to do with their newfound freedom, because they lived mostly in rural areas, knew only what they were taught to do on the plantations, and had no means by which to transport themselves anywhere else. Brown vs. The Board of Education required that segregation in schools be ended with all due speed, yet the process was slow and the government's solutions to de facto segregation, as with forced school busing, more often created more problems rather than providing solutions ("History" 1).

Racial perspectives among whites, while ever changing and improving in a legislative and judicial manner, haven't really undergone a complete social change since the day slavery was abolished in 1863.  In the story Everything that Rises must Converge, O'Conner challenges the reader to examine his conscience and think about existing attitudes and racial prejudices.  Julian, for instance, views himself as a liberal, his college experience validating his ideals. His attempts to force his mother to accept what she is incapable of (never wavering from her attitudes throughout the story), have no effect on her. Her attempts to reach out to blacks are unsuccessful and provocative as Carver's mother displays rage when Julian's mother attempts to give him a penny. In this instance, Carver's mother feels as if she is being demeaned and degraded (O'Connor 191). Author O'Connor stirs the subconscious and reminds us that our core values and attitudes haven't really changed.  Those who read what occurs on the bus, in particular, are prompted to ask themselves how they truly feel.  Is the culture of the Old South still prevalent in today's society?  O'Connor reminds us that little has changed, at least at the onset of the decade of the 1960's.

O'Connor's use of rather interesting characters to make his point is typical of Southern Gothic literature.  The setting of most of the story's focus on the two main characters whose diversity in actions but supposed similarity of attitude produces an obvious conflict of two generations, but with a similarity of both embracing what was the old social order with a new face, a new integrated South with the same result.  Both Julian and his mother are victims of their own reliance on appearances.  They both believe that they are reaching out to the blacks on the bus, but they do so in a condescending manner.  The offering of the penny to the child may well remind the reader that society's attempts to offer compensation or reparations for the institution of slavery are received much as the mother whose child received the penny (O'Connor 191).  Julian attempts to create a dialogue with the black man in the suit in order to spite his mother, but his attempt is quite a failure, as the man simply stares at him (187). By asking for a light, Julian probably considered that the black man would realize that this white man (Julian) harbors no ill will or prejudice and the resulting conversation between the two of them would illustrate to Julian's mother how blacks and whites can and should interact. Instead, Julian's attempt is a disaster. No conversation at all is generated and it becomes apparent to the reader that Julian only cares about getting under his mother's skin not racial equality.  

Julian is the symbol of the liberal ideas of the younger generations that, on the surface, seem eager and anxious to accept others as equals, but it is all somewhat of a cover up.  Julian even admits that true culture is in the mind (not actions), thus O'Connor challenges us to examine our own thoughts and conscience and in doing so reminds us that the same attitudes exist today as they did before (184).  Mother represents the old order of things and Julian the supposed new, but O'Connor emphatically demonstrates that both the old and new are essentially the same.

The established power structure of the South continues alive and well as evidenced by the recent outburst of anger and frustration in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.  Blacks have moved from the inner city to Ferguson for over a decade, yet little has been accomplished politically or socially.  Most whites who have lived there have moved away, yet the power structure has remained the same.  According to the New York Times, "that helps explain why majority-black Ferguson has a virtually all white power structure:  a white mayor, a school board with six white members and one Hispanic, a city council with just one black member and a six percent  black police force" (Walsh 1).  Supposedly blacks moving to the suburbs should demonstrate progress, but the whites flee.  They may work with blacks, go to school with them, and cheer them on when they play for their favorite team, but too often don't wish to live with them.  The black inhabitants of Ferguson fear the white power structure, especially the police, as untrustworthy.  Once an event such as the shooting of Michael Brown takes place, and the judicial system, when put in motion, displeases those with grievance, suspicions and distrust is confirmed, the frustration and distrust explodes and social conflict results. 

 It is ironic that Julian and his mother manifest their attitudes towards blacks on a bus, because a great deal of the civil rights movement was generated by an incident that took place on a bus in the South. Rosa Parks, an African American woman, refused to give up her seat, on a bus in Alabama, to a white man. Julian attempts to put his liberalism into practice and clash with the ideals of his mother at the same time.  The crudeness of their efforts offends the black passengers with whom they interact.  Afterward, once they disembark, Julian sums up for his mother prophetically:  "That was your black double...you aren't who you think you are" (O'Connor 191).  He reprimands his mother, telling her to face the new reality; realities he thinks he has faced, but is not cognizant of the fact that he hasn't really faced anything at all.  O'Connor points out, using these characters as representative of contemporary white American society to pointedly profess that little, if anything, has changed from one generation to the next. The symbolism of events occurring on a bus cannot be lost on the perceptive reader.  Rosa Parks' experience on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, provided the spark, and acted as the catalyst for the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955.  Parks herself, admits that she did not plan to refuse to give up her seat to a white man, nor did she realize that Dr. Martin Luther King would become so deeply involved and that the event would ultimately lead to the fragmentation and destruction of legal segregation in the South. Ms. Parks has indicated she wanted to inspire young people to reach their highest potential ("Rosa" 1). Just as Julian attempted to use the situation on the bus as a catalyst to provoke his mother to realize her prejudices and change her attitude, the Rosa Parks episode acted in a similar way to produce awareness throughout the country as to the negative effects and injustice of segregation in the home of the free ("Rosa" 1). An inspired effort at reform brought about legislative change and ultimately the end of formal segregation.

The bus is symbolic in that Julian's belief in his newfound liberalism and attitudes are laid bare and exposed. They are a creation in his mind.  Julian only pretends to be freed from bigotry, yet he is not and has no more progressed in his attitudes than that of his mother.  O'Connor's point is stark: society has struggled to progress.  Too many continue to advocate racial superiority and espouse hatred, and distrust as well as a superiority mentality as all one needs to do is read many of the comments on social media sites. Legislating progress only accomplishes so much.  Black and white, we are all passengers on the same bus perhaps with human nature as or driver.

Works Cited 

"History of Brown v. Board of Education." USCOURTSGOV RSS. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/get-involved/federal-court-activities/brown-board-education-re-enactment/history.aspx>

O'Connor, Flannery. "Everything that Rises must Converge." The Carolina Reader for English 101. Plymouth: Hayden- McNeil, 2014. 181-193. Print.

"Rosa Parks Biography -- Academy of Achievement." Academy of Achievement. 26 Feb. 2010. Web. 7 November 2014. <http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/par0bio-1>

Walsh, Teresa. "Who is Listening to Who in Ferguson." U.S.News. 18 August 2014. Web. 5 November 2014. < http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/08/18/race-impacts-perception-of-michael-brown-shooting-death-in-ferguson>
