Everything That Rises Must Converge | Style

Everything That Rises Must Converge Style

Ironic Narration

"Everything That Rises Must Converge" is narrated in the third person, meaning that the events in the story are described from the position of an outside observer. The narrator has access to Julian's inner thoughts, private motivations, and fantasies.

While Julian believes himself to be perfectly objective, the events are described in terms of his emotionally charged relationship with his mother. Yet just because the narrator has access to Julian's innermost thoughts does not mean that readers are meant to empathize with him. As the story continues, the narrator's perspective becomes more distinct from Julian's; by the end, readers are in a position to criticize Julian as strongly as he has criticized his mother.

The narrative technique O'Connor uses to create this effect is called irony. Irony refers to the difference or imbalance between the surface meaning of the words and the effects that they create. Irony allows...
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