Annotation for Everything That Rises Must Converge

680 Words3 Pages
David Ho 005826660 ENGL 4250: Creative Writing What message does Julian’s portrayal in Everything That Rises Must Converge convey? Julian is portrayed as an open-minded, liberal person, who is fed up with his mother’s racist ramblings. Julian fancies himself someone who has escaped the ignorant morass of his background, slaver great-grandfather and all. In his words . . . that in spite of her, he had turned out so well. In spite of going to only a third-rate college, he had, by his own initiative, come out with a first class education. He’s a champion for colored rights. “They don’t give a damn for your graciousness . . . knowing who you are is good for one generation only, You haven’t the foggiest idea where you stand now or who you are,” Julian said savagely. There is more to it than it seems though. I believe the author is criticizing the way white intellectuals who have never experienced the degradation felt by the coloreds at the time tried overly hard to misguidedly fight for their cause, the same way politicians who have never been to war argued for large-scale troop deployment to the Middle East awhile back. When he got on a bus, he made it a point to sit down beside a Negro, in reparation as it were for his mother’s sins. That is not the way one fights for a cause. Liberal as he maybe, these little actions seem more like that of a kid lashing at his mom out of resentment. He resented every part of his mother, from her florid hat, down to her outright racism because she reminded him of everything he once was, backwards thinking and racist. I also think that the author is trying to point out that, there is no use pretending to be someone you are not. At first glance, Julian seems to be a good guy. He sits with Negros. He chastises his mom for her racist remarks. He tries to make a connection with Negros. He even plans on bringing home a Negro wife one day.
Open Document