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Everything That Rises Must Converge Symbols

Everything That Rises Must Converge Symbols

In Everything That Rises Must Converge, many symbols and other literary devices have been used by Mary Flannery O’Connor. For this article, let’s look at the symbols of this story. So Everything That Rises Must Converge Symbols are: 

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The bus:

The bus is a symbol of the 20th century society in which black and white people resided together. And, the writer gives us a glimpse of the white people’s attitude towards their black companions through this symbol. The white people considered their black fellows as inferior beings. So, the bus acts like a petri dish for us through which we could observe the behavior of the story’s characters.
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The penny:

The penny is a sign of degradation. In the story, when Julian’s mother tried to give a penny to Carver, his mother got angry. She insulted her a lot on the road. This article shows us that how a thing that was a sign of kindness for Julian’s mother proved as a sign of cruelty for Carver’s mother.

The hat:

The hat is a sign of racial equality. In the story, we see that both women (Carver’s mother and Julian’s mother) wore the same hat. This showed that a black woman could buy the same hat like a white woman in an area that’s dominated by the white nation.

The decayed mansion:

The decayed mansion is a symbol of the lost social status of Julian’s family members. This used to remind them who they were and what they possessed monetarily. Julian and his mother used to talk about that home but each with a different point of view. Julian never spoke about that home without contempt or thought about it without longing. He also used to dream about that residence regularly. The memories of that lost residence gave him grief. On the other hand, his mother used to talk about that home to feel proud of her past social status. She wasn’t a realist or brave enough to face the reality. So, she couldn’t admit that lost things are forgettable.

Well, that’s all about Everything That Rises Must Converge symbols. And, if you like my piece, do share my words with your dear ones.