The short story Everything That Rises Must Converge, written by Flannery O'Connor, is about Julian and his mother. They both get on a bus and when they get on the bus reality breaking events happen. Then in the end of the story Julian's mother dies. The story was written around the time of the Civil Rights Movement. The movement caused a great shift in people's culture there were many things that changed. Legislation was passed that helps African Americans to get their freedom. These legislations where laws about voting, equality between different races, and also about schools as well. The story Everything That Rises Must Converge shows the reader what life was like after the Civil Rights Movement with the legislation in place. The story uses literary devices setting, characterization, hubris to show the reader what life was like after the Civil Rights Movement. 

O'Connor uses the setting of Everything That Rises Must Converge to show people how America has change after the Civil Rights Movement. In the story O'Conner sets Julian and his mother in a bus. The bus is a good place to show the change of America after the Civil Rights Movement because at the bus it shows how thing have now been desegregated. Having the bus as a setting also shows the racism that was still prevalent after the Civil Rights Movement. Julian's mother shows both of these concepts in the story with her conversation with another white person that was one the bus. The first comment that Julian's mother made was that she was happy that white people "... have the bus to..." (O'Connor 185) themselves. Then after that she strikes up the conversation with another white person. The white person talks about how she was in a bus one where she saw a lot of black people and how the black people where "... up front and all through..." (O'Connor 185) the bus. This conversation shows how life was like after the Civil Rights Movement as black people are free to sit where ever they wanted, but also the racism that was still in America. 

Another reason why having the story's setting in a bus help show the reader the life after the Civil Rights Movement because the setting also shows how black people feel as well. In Everything That Rises Must Converge O'Connor also brings in African American people into the bus. This setting is perfect as the reader can see the reaction of black people toward white people's racism because they are in a bus. A bus is an enclosed space where people have to be with other people thus conflict can arise and be seen. When the African American women comes into the bus with her child the reader soon sees that the African American mother is not will to allow her child to be treated like a dog. Julian tells of how his mother would smile at the African America child that was his mother's smile when she is "...being particularly gracious to an inferior." (O'Connor 190). Julian's mother attitude was not uncommon as "... racism remained alive and well long after..." (Ross and Austin: On the Impact of the Movement) the Civil Rights Movement. That is why buses are a good setting for this story as the reader can see the racism still in America, but also the desegregation of America.

The next literary device that O'Connor uses to show the changes America went through is characterization of the characters Julian and his Mother. Julian's characterization starts off with readers seeing that he has to take his mother to an exercising class. Then as the story goes on the reader can see that Julian does not respect his mother. The reason for the disrespect is that Julian's mother is still with the thinking before the Civil Rights Movement. This way of thinking is a way of thinking that Julian hates. Throughout the story the reader can see that Julian wants to teach his mother a less of how she should not be so racist. This way of thinking by Julian shows that people are changing as he says he had "... mixed feelings now..." (O'Connor 183) when his mother said that life was better when slaver still existed and that biracial people are a tragedy. 

Now the characterization of Julian's mother is different as she is used to show the difference as time goes on. The characterization of Julian's mother shows that she is one of many older generation white people that do not like the changes made by presidents like President Johnson. Julian's mother believes that when there were slaves as she tells her son when he points out that there are no more slaves that "... [they] were better off when they were..." (O'Connor 183). These two different ways of think shows the reader the difference as Julian is try to live a life where there is equality and change his mother's way of thinking while Julian's mother is trying to make Julian show racism to African American.  This conflict between the two characters show the reader how the newer generations was changing while the older one remained the same.

The last literary device that O'Connor uses to show the changes the Civil Rights Movement is the hubris or pride of both Julian and his Mother. The pride that the mother feels for her heritage is very strong as she tells her son that "... if you know who you are, you can go anywhere." (O'Connor 183). This statement was told to Julian before Julian's mother started listing grandfather and great-grandfathers that where very important people. This information is important because Julian's mother is saying that she knows who she is through her family. This pride in knowing that she had a family that owned a lot of slaves just tells a person that the older generation will not change. This not being able to change her viewpoint a way the O'Connor shows that even though African Americans are freed racism will still exist. The racism will exist even legislation and court cases went through the American government and changed the rules. 

Now Julian's hubris is show through the way he acts towards people on the bus and towards his own mother. The When Julian was introduced the reader could see that he does not respect is mother. Julian's mother would say things about how slavery was the best and how desegregation is very wrong. These words of racism would make Julian feel very angry towards his mother and he would want to teach his mother a lesson. This need for Julian to prove to his mother wrong shows the change in the lives of people. Julian is an example of how people are no longer afraid to show that the ideals of past generation is wrong and that things are changing. Then another thing that O'Connor uses Julian hubris to show the reader is the actions of just being able for a white man to sit next to an African America. This action comes from Julian's pride in what he thinks is the future. The action of Julian sitting next to an African America is O'Connor's way of showing the reader that America is getting better slowly, but surely. 

In conclusion, Everything That Rises Must Converge is a story that was written by O'Connor to tell people the changes that happened in America after the Civil Right Movement. These changes where shown through three literary devices that O'Connor put into his story. The first one is was the use of setting. O'Connor uses the setting to show people the changes that were happening in the USA, but also to show that racism is still an issue. The setting of the story also allows the reader to see the conflicts between African Americans and white people. The second literary device is the use of characterization. The characterization of Julian and his mother shows the difference in generations. The final device was the use of hubris and O'Connor uses hubris to show that people are staying the same, but some people are changing to the betterment of tomorrow.
