Everything That Rises Must Converge

by

Flannery O’Connor

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Carver’s Mother Character Analysis

A black woman who boards the bus Julian and Julian’s Mother are riding. She wears a gaudy hat identical to Julian’s Mother’s and has a similarly antagonistic relationship with her son, commonalities striking enough to lead Julian to conclude that Carver’s Mother is Julian’s Mother’s “black double.” Like Julian’s Mother, Carver’s Mother is also immensely proud, so much so that when she perceives Julian’s Mother’s gift of a penny to Carver as condescending, she strikes Julian’s Mother with her purse.

Carver’s Mother Quotes in Everything That Rises Must Converge

The Everything That Rises Must Converge quotes below are all either spoken by Carver’s Mother or refer to Carver’s Mother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Racism, Similarity, and Difference Theme Icon
).
Everything That Rises Must Converge Quotes

“… and she said, ‘If you ask me, that hat does something for you and you do something for that hat, and besides,’ she said, ‘with that hat, you won’t meet yourself coming and going.’”

Related Characters: Julian’s Mother (speaker), Carver’s Mother
Related Symbols: The Hat
Page Number: 407
Explanation and Analysis:

She kept her eyes on the woman and an amused smile came over her face as if the woman were a monkey that had stolen her hat.

Related Characters: Julian’s Mother, Carver’s Mother
Related Symbols: The Hat
Page Number: 416
Explanation and Analysis:

Then all at once she seemed to explode like a piece of machinery that had been given one ounce of pressure too much. Julian saw the black fist swing out with the red pocketbook. He shut his eyes and cringed as he heard the woman shout, “He don’t take nobody’s pennies!”

Related Characters: Julian, Carver’s Mother
Related Symbols: The Penny
Page Number: 418
Explanation and Analysis:
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Carver’s Mother Quotes in Everything That Rises Must Converge

The Everything That Rises Must Converge quotes below are all either spoken by Carver’s Mother or refer to Carver’s Mother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Racism, Similarity, and Difference Theme Icon
).
Everything That Rises Must Converge Quotes

“… and she said, ‘If you ask me, that hat does something for you and you do something for that hat, and besides,’ she said, ‘with that hat, you won’t meet yourself coming and going.’”

Related Characters: Julian’s Mother (speaker), Carver’s Mother
Related Symbols: The Hat
Page Number: 407
Explanation and Analysis:

She kept her eyes on the woman and an amused smile came over her face as if the woman were a monkey that had stolen her hat.

Related Characters: Julian’s Mother, Carver’s Mother
Related Symbols: The Hat
Page Number: 416
Explanation and Analysis:

Then all at once she seemed to explode like a piece of machinery that had been given one ounce of pressure too much. Julian saw the black fist swing out with the red pocketbook. He shut his eyes and cringed as he heard the woman shout, “He don’t take nobody’s pennies!”

Related Characters: Julian, Carver’s Mother
Related Symbols: The Penny
Page Number: 418
Explanation and Analysis: