In Flannery O'Connor's short story "Everything That Rises Must Converge," the reader is introduced to a pair of polar opposite characters: Julian and his elderly mother, who is not given a name. O'Connor uses this tactic to further explore Julian's mindset and the lack of importance that his mother plays in his life. Julian and his mother do not share a typical loving relationship, rather it is tense and uncomfortable. The blame falls on Julian because of his sulky attitude and his unwillingness to cooperate with his mother. Despite a shared bloodline heritage, Julian and his mother are two very different people morally, and it is apparent that Julian's mother, although set in her old ways and with her noticeable awkwardness around black people holds a higher moral ground with her honest racial fears than her arrogant, self-centered, unappreciative son and his dishonest racial tolerance. 

 Heritage plays a key role in "Everything That Rises Must Converge." Julian's mother came from an extremely wealthy and socially prominent slave owning family, and she often makes comments about how days were in the Old South. This, of course, sets Julian's teeth on edge and the discussions often start quarrels between Julian and his mother. The reader is able to note the strained relationship that Julian and his mother share. Julian is displeased with his mother for selling his family's plantation house but only because he wanted it for himself. He feels like only he could appreciate the beauty the plantation held and he doesn't care about the house in regards to his family's pride or heritage. This further exemplifies Julian's selfishness and his total lack of appreciation for things he doesn't understand or simply chooses to ignore. Julian believes that his mother has a total racist mindset against all blacks, but he is quite wrong. The mother even states while waiting for the bus that "they should rise, yes, but on their own side of the fence" (O'Connor 237). The reader can see that Julian's mother does not have a problem with black people as a whole, but she is concerned with the mingling of blacks and white after living a life where the races had clearly defined boundaries. Of course, this does not excuse the mother's attitude towards blacks, rather it further explains just exactly why Julian's mother is so wary around black people. It is not because she doesn't like them rather she doesn't know how to trust them yet. 

O'Connor reveals that Julian's mother attends a weekly exercise class at the YMCA to help her lose some weight. This seems like such a normal task that it is hard to grasp any problems that Julian may have. However, Julian believes that accompanying his mother downtown is a task that is so below him it is almost comical. Obviously, Julian does care about his mother if he is going with her every Wednesday night, but he could at least put forth a little more effort with their relationship instead of belittling or ignoring her completely. Julian often finds himself in his own bubble that blocks out the world. The bubble is his safety net and he even describes it as a place where "he could see out and judge but in it he was safe from any kind of penetration" (O'Connor 239). In Julian's mind, he is so highly ranked above everyone else that he feels that it's okay him to judge other people, but someone can't do the same to him. Ironically enough, Julian's mother also likes to judge people without really knowing their background. So even though Julian's mother has some skepticism about riding on a newly integrated bus, Julian stands out to be the arrogant and unsympathetic character. 

As stated previously, Julian's mother lost all of her wealth, her social standing and her entire way of life, when slavery ended. Since then, she has had to readjust and learn how to survive in a world that is totally foreign to her. The world around her is changing rapidly and she is having a hard time adjusting to the new integration laws after growing so accustomed to segregation.  Julian has a hard time accepting poverty and low income. He himself went to school to become a writer, but to make a living, he is forced to sell typewriters. In Julian's eyes, this is an unbearable slap in the face. He often wallows in his own self pity about never fulfilling his dream to become a writer. Although Julian recognizes that his mother sacrificed so much just for her own son, he never shows his mother any gratitude. For example, Julian states "everything that gave her pleasure was small and depressed him" (O'Connor 235). O'Connor is trying to further show that Julian only cares about himself and disregards his mother as nothing but another human being, and not someone who obviously loves him very much. It is only at the very end of the story when it is too late to make amends that Julian realizes what he had and what he lost. The reader can see the effect on Julian almost instantaneously. He transforms from a cold-hearted man into a frightened individual who just lost his mother in a matter of seconds. In the end Julian did really care for his mother, but it took something as traumatic as death for him to make the realization.    

Upon first reading the short story, the reader has in mind that Julian's mother is an older white woman who is extremely racist and can't tolerate being on the same bus as black people. After reading a second time, there are certain aspects that become more prominent. Julian's mother loves children, especially black children. She even tried to give a penny to a little black boy on the bus but not as an act of charity. She simply is engaging in an old time tradition that Julian sees as embarrassing and problematic. He tries to explain what the coin signifies to the black woman and how racist the act appears to any outside viewers, but Julian's mother is stuck in the past and unable to accept the present. In this aspect, Julian's mother is acting unintentionally racist. Julian, however, likes to characterize himself to be the complete opposite of his mother; he strives to not appear racist. However, there are instances throughout the text that prove Julian to engage in racist tendencies as well. For example, Julian talks and sits with black people on the bus. He doesn't actually enjoy the interactions with these people, he's just using the people to play with his mother's mind. Another instance shining a light on Julian's behavior is when he said "he had never been successful making Negro friends" (O'Connor 242). Julian purposefully make the distinction of whites and blacks. To Julian, the black people are pawns in the game that he's playing with his mother, which to the reader is disrespectful to both his mother and the people he encounters. 

Julian's mother had her share of flaws, but they were more innocent; being wary of someone who is different or foreign. She was apprehensive to be around black men who were strangers to her. This is a normal response but Julian over exaggerates her behavior as something evil and wrong. Julian's mother summarized herself perfectly by saying "It's in the heart, and in how you do things and how you do things is because of who you are" (O'Connor 238). The reader is able to see that Julian's mother, although racist and stuck in the traditions of the Old South, is capable of portraying real and honest interactions with both white and black people. Her son, on the other hand, portrayed himself to be superior to everyone around him and his actions were selfish and forced. The mother, although she did not consider whites and blacks to be equal, she did not use blacks to hurt others, and she didn't wish to cause harm on anyone, white or black.  She also loved her son despite his flaws. This is why the mother has the higher moral ground as compared to her son, who resented his mother because of her flaws and who used false friendships with blacks to upset his mother.  

