Paper Topic:

Every Thing That Rises

1 . Consider the interaction between Julian and his mother through the various scenes of the story : a ) before they leave the house , b ) while they are waiting for the bus , c ) when they are on the bus , and d ) after they get off the bus . How does your view of Julian change

At first Julian appears to be overly concerned with how his mother looks to everyone else . He is smug and self righteous , yet he seems to be genuine in his compassion for people of other races . His prejudices become clearer on

the bus . By the time they get off the bus and his mother falls to the ground , a different side of Julian is shown and it becomes apparent that deep down , in spite of all his faults and hers and the prejudices they share , he really does care for her . While I do not consider him an upstanding person , I can feel his emotion and empathize with him

2 . How does your view of his mother change

Julian 's mother is a product of her upbringing when it was considered normal ' to harbor prejudices . She is really just a simple woman who is trying to do her best by her son . She has her faults , but beneath them she is wiser than one might first expect

3 . What does Julian 's preoccupation with the mansion reveal about him

For all of his airs and self perception that he is an educated man who is better than everyone else , he still feels a need to be connected with things that mark him as successful . This is also shown by his references to the fact that he lives at home until he can get on his feet and this bothers him immensely

4 . What is the effect of Julian 's contradictory self- ? Which view is authentic ? Which view does O 'Connor hold

Julian desperately wants to think that he is better than his mother and people like her but deep down , he is just as much of a bigot , if not more . I believe he tries to raise himself above the prejudices he grew up with but he overcompensates to hide the fact that he is not truly without prejudice . This is what O 'Connor wishes to portray - that those who protest the loudest usually do so because they are hiding that trait in themselves

5 . Julian and his mother do not agree on whether or not she knows who she is . Analyze that discussion between them . Who does O 'Connor agree with

Julian 's mother is living in the past , in an era when mansions and plantations and owning slaves was an ordinary way of life . She longs for those days to return , when everything was taken care of for her and she and her family were seen as wealthy and fortunate . Even though her situation has changed , her attitude has not . Julian thinks it is a waste of time as well as a disservice to other people...

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