Everything That Rises Must Converge

Everything That Rises Must Converge is a collection of short stories written by Flannery O'Connor during the final decade of her life. The collection's eponymous story derives its name from the work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.[1][2] The collection was published posthumously in 1965 and contains an introduction by Robert Fitzgerald. Of the volume's nine stories, seven had been printed in magazines or literary journals prior to being collected. "Judgment Day" is a dramatically reworked version of "The Geranium," which was one of O'Connor's earliest publications and appeared in her graduate thesis at the University of Iowa. "Parker's Back," the collection's only completely new story, was a last-minute addition.

Everything That Rises Must Converge
First edition cover
AuthorFlannery O'Connor
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreShort stories
PublisherFarrar Straus Giroux
Publication date
January 1965
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages269 pp
ISBN0-374-15012-5

Stories

"Everything That Rises Must Converge"

The story which lends its name to the collection features a recent college graduate and aspiring writer named Julian who lives with his mother in an unnamed Southern city. Julian's mother attends a weekly exercise session at the local YMCA but is wary of riding the bus by herself after the recent racial integration of the city's transportation system. Though he despises his mother's racism, snobbery and anti-intellectualism, Julian reluctantly escorts her on the bus out of a sense of filial duty. One night, after his mother loudly complains to the other white passengers about the state of affairs under integration, Julian makes a point of sitting next to a black man on the bus, who ignores him in spite of Julian's efforts to be friendly. Soon a black woman and her young son named Carver board as well. Julian's mother shows an affection for Carver in spite of his mother's disapproval and gives him a penny when they all disembark at the same station, causing Carver's mother to assault her on the sidewalk. Julian is unsympathetic at first and tells his mother that she has received what she deserved, but he soon realizes the extent to which his mother has been affected by the incident.

The title Everything That Rises Must Converge refers to a work by the French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin titled the "Omega Point":[3] "Remain true to yourself, but move ever upward toward greater consciousness and greater love! At the summit you will find yourselves united with all those who, from every direction, have made the same ascent. For everything that rises must converge."[4]

In the Lost (TV series) episode at the end of the fifth season, "The Incident," Jacob is seen reading Everything That Rises Must Converge while he waits for John Locke (Lost) to fall from a window in the background.[5]

The band Shriekback put out a song by this title in 1985.

In the Aeon Flux episode "Chronophasia," a character speaks the title of the story.

References
  1. Whitt, Margaret Earley (1997-08-01). Understanding Flannery O'Connor. University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 1-57003-225-4.
  2. Chardin, Pierre Teilhard De (1969). Building the Earth and The Psychological Conditions of Human Unification. Avon (Discus Edition). p. 11.
  3. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. The Phenomenon of Man.
  4. Analysis of Everything That Rises Must Converge Archived 2010-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Poniewozik, James (May 14, 2009). "Lostwatch: Everything That Rises Must Converge. Eventually. Right?". TIME.


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