Various Themes Outlined in The Short Story
In the story authored by O’Connor, the author effectively uses hats to act as the symbol of contrast and similarity between blacks and whites in this story. A character in this story, which is a mother hides under an atrocious hat. She is faced with internal conflicts on how to handle current situations on the bus effectively. As soon as a large black woman by race boards the same bus, she spots the same hat worn by the mother. Julian’s mother experiences desegregation in the current time in the world. The purple and green cap is worn by Julian’s mother to assist in the representation of culture transformation and ideology of new reality that must be faced by his mother; however, she refuses to accept (Frye & Katie 147). In the end, Julian briefly explains a lesson that should have been taught by his mother by telling him that the old world is now gone.
The black woman and the mother now share the same status and own hats that are similar. These scenarios suggest that the two women are identical despite the mother not accepting this fact. According to Marxist, the situation impacts every reader through the glaring change demonstration that Julian’s mother has to take to live in a more transformed world where the coexistence of whites and blacks is witnessed. Moreover, the hat in the picture represents a change that is experienced by the mother throughout the entire story told. After Julian’s mother faced embarrassment from the lady present in that bus, therefore, Julian informs the mom that she could wear the same type of hat as the African American lady who was on that bus. Moreover, Julian tells his mom that she should be contented as the hat looked right on her than the other black lady. The theme of ignorance is written all over this statement spoken by Julian since the mother views herself as inferior to the black people.
The hat that belongs to Julian’s mother is used to isolate her effectively. The hat showcases how similar Julian’s biological mom is to the black lady on the bus. The awkward and absurd nature of inequality and segregation get effectively exemplified. In as much as Julian professes to have effectively liberated proper intellectual views based on race, he is small-minded and petty, just like he significantly perceives the mother. Julian grew up with a set of experiences that were narrowly influenced byspending to balance the budgetlimited overbearing view of the world. However, Julian is enlightened due to his college education, as he has a different perspective based on social equity and race. Therefore, Julian attempts to distinguish himself from the mother since he has a different viewpoint focused on racial and integral relations.
Julian makes failed attempts throughout the entire story as he tries to live with black people. A good example is when he tried to hold a conversation with a black man dressed in a suit, and the black man viewed him as intrusive and awkward. Julian is seen to have no form of understanding of the African Americans more than his bigoted mother. As the story progresses, Julian speaks more about racial equity only to annoy his mother as he has no compassionate feelings about African Americans. Julian showcases an irritation similar to his mother’s since he cannot connect with all black people or even hold a proper conversation with them.
According to Julian, he views African Americans as people that he doesn’t understand. He even fantasizes about taking one or two of the African Americans as trophies to his mother. The unrealistic perception of Julian based on blacks and racial equity isolates him from the elemental realms of reality.
Work cited
Frye, Katie. “A” silver bullet ready to drop into her brain”: The Crisis of White Motherhood in Flannery O’Connor’s” Greenleaf,” The Enduring Chill,” and” Everything That Rises Must Converge.” The Mississippi Quarterly 70.2 (2017): 147-162.