Of Grandmothers and Racism

Paper Summary:

The paper analyzes how the grandmother in both stories "Everything that Rises Must Converge" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find" represents the aged perspective of racism and bigotry. The paper also illustrates how the next generation recognized the true bigotry of the grandmothers' personalities, hidden behind the facade of dignity. The paper discusses, however, how the next generation did not combat the racism whole-heartedly, and then shows how this tolerance ultimately leads to destruction within both stories.

From the Paper:

"The main driving force behind the morals of each story is the character of the elderly woman, mother and grandmother, unnamed in both short stories. In "Everything that Rises Must Converge", the elder mother is a poor woman of an aged American family. At first, her character seems to be one of positivity, through her assertion "If you know who you are, you can go most anywhere." This follows by her recounting of her past, her grandfather having been a plantation owner with many slaves, then goes on to reveal her true nature. She hops on a bus with her son, and upon assessing the situation, realizing there are only white individuals on the bus, she states loud enough for the others to hear, "I see we have the bus to ourselves." Eliciting a response from a fellow passenger in agreement, "...thick as fleas - up front and all through.", indicative of the times."

Sample of Sources Used:

• O'Connor, Flannery. A Good Man is Hard to Find. 1955. <>
• O'Connor, Flannery. Everything that Rises Must Converge. 1955. <http://www.geocities.com/cyber_explorer99/oconnorconverge.html>

More papers on Of Grandmothers and Racism:

• Analytical Essay # 87707 : "Racism and Slavery: An Analysis of Causes and Implications"
• Analytical Essay # 16875 : "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"
• Book Review # 145492 : "Men in Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: