Flannery O Connor Essay, Research Paper
Biases and Stereotypes Add Reality and Relation to Literature
An author’s personal bias is often expressed through their literature that is composed. In her short story “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” Flannery O’Connor is guilty of stereotyping on the basis of race. Through out this story her characters refer and respond to “Negroes” as an inferior race. This racial division surrounds the story’s conflicts and eventually results in the tragic climax.
In the plot, a significant character only known as “Julian’s mother” is obviously prejudice and the author expresses her feelings clearly using stereotypes and biases, that animate the story. Her biasness is clearly demonstrated early in the story but is concrete during the seen on the bus, when Julian is taking his mother to the ‘Y’. Once she is seated comfortably on the bus she notices that there are only whites on board and states casually aloud, “I see we have the bus to ourselves.” This statement shows a complete bias and desire for separation between races by the author. The conversation on the bus continues between the white passengers and eventually turns away from race. However, while the conversation is taking place Julian purposely detaches himself from his surroundings. The plot revolves around a conflict of social acceptance between Julian and his mother. She seems to be stock in the past thinking she is higher on the social ladder than the next person, when in reality the live on a street that was once well established, but is now in ruin while having little money. Julian is quoted early in the story stating that “Someday I’ll start making money,”- he knew he never would.”
His mother’s attitude is despised by Julian along with her racial remarks. It is her racism that Julian uses to try to “Teach her a lesson.” When Julian chose to sit next to a colored man on the bus the climax of the story began to build. This action was taken by Julian as a way to annoy his mother. He even went as far as to ask the colored man for a light which was a gesture totally out of contempt because he had nothing to light.
The way Flannery O’Connor describes the colored woman who enters the bus is a typical stereotype of a black mother. O’Connor’s first descriptive words of this woman are “ large, gaily dressed sullen looking colored women – she was a giant women,” The author was able with those adjectives strip this woman of her femininity and create an eyesore. The stereotype is black women particularly mothers are large and rough on the edges. This also is evidence of a gender bias by O’Connor, The colored man who entered the bus first was described as “well dressed and carried a briefcase,” which suggests decency and even a higher level of social acceptance than the colored woman.
It is the colored woman that O’Connor uses to bring Julian’s mother to reality. The scene involving the shiny new penny would have been accepted in previous years but surely times had changed and to her dismay so had the tolerance level of colored people even the women. The blow she received from the colored women was not the cause of the tragic end to his mother’s life. It was the shock it brought to her that life had changed and that she was just another face in the crowd. No longer did the name Godhighs hold social prestige. As she raked his face looking for the pride she tried desperately to instill in him, she failed to see it. There was no need for her to precede living, it was also at this point that Julian is “postponing from moment to moment his entry into the world of guilt and sorrow.” This statement is significant to end this story and O’Connor left no room for speculation any longer. Julian did love his mother and now is feeling guilty for his resentment toward her.
O’Connor’s use of racial and gender biases and stereotypes are a result of the state of the time she was living in. Her work is full of controversial statements made about the black people and their culture. While difficult and somewhat annoying as a colored person to read, it is understandable and adds bleak reality to her work. Flannery O’Connor is not ashamed to write about life’s truths and state that all is not well under the sun.