Everything That Rises must Converge

This story could be titled; everything that rises must fall. On the surface this is a racial story of a white bigot woman and the indifference she has towards her son. But looking closely there is something deeper. Julian's mother is never named during the story and she is referred to as her or Julian's mother. This character is portrayed as a "well to do" white southern lady. Her blood line as discussed on page 395 states that her grandfather was a former governor of state. So if this woman is SO "well to do" why isn't she named? She is proud to have an apartment in a neighborhood where each house has a "narrow collar of dirt around it and in which sat, usually, a grubby child" (394). Now it states in the story she is a widow raising a child alone....and that the son has gone to college but over and over again it is stated that Julian would "make a living some day..but he knew he never would" (394). This is the story of a woman who has had everything taken from her, even with the best of intentions her own son. He obviously did not turn out the way she had intended and this culminates throughout the entire story. I think the "coloreds or Negros" are the mother's outlet of her own lack of self worth. The black people that are portrayed on the bus are strong characters and one even wears the same hat. To me this is significant.