Students
Teachers & SchoolsStudents
Teachers & SchoolsRace
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 subtext anyway. In "Everything That Rises Must Converge," race is the uncomfortable social fabric that the family drama plays out on. Attitudes toward black and whites separate—and unite—Julian and his mom. It's like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, but with even fewer lighthearted hijinks.
O'Connor largely ignores the black community by making them minor characters in "Everything That Rises Must Converge."
Julian is racist, because he only wants to interact with black people who are educated and of distinguished professions.