In the following essay, Ower comments on the significance of the penny that Julian's mother gives the young black boy and the nickel she would ordinarily have given, arguing that "the designs of these pieces suggest a nexus of meanings relating to the social, racial and religious themes" of the story.
In O'Connor's story, the violent climactic "convergence" of black and white races is precipitated by Julian's mother offering a coin to a little Negro boy. Her customary gift to black children is a nickel, but she has been able to find only a cent in her pocketbook. That the fateful coin is a penny, and that it is newly minted, are both emphasized by O'Connor through being twice mentioned. The author thereby hints the significance with regard to "Everything that Rises . . ." of.....
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