Everything That Rises Must Converge Themes

Julian and his mother are less Thelma and Louise than Norman and Mrs. Bates. Their fragmented family (no dad) plays out in a fragmented South (newly integrated), which makes "Everything That Rises...

Setting a story in the 1960s South and not talking about race would be kind of like setting a story in Arizona today and not talking about immigration: weird, and everyone would be looking for a su...

Any story that includes a character going to an exercise class in a fancy hat and gloves deserves our attention. In "Everything That Rises Must Converge," we spend a lot of time with middle- to low...

There's a whole lot of suffering going on in "Everything That Rises Must Converge," both internal and external. And of all the characters, the one who has suffered the most is Julian's mother. (May...

Religion is kind of an under-the-radar theme in "Everything That Rises Must Converge," but once you start to notice it—it's everywhere. But O'Connor, who was a devout Roman Catholic, doesn't hit...