Gothic Symbolism in Flannery O´Connor´s "Everything That Rises Must Converge". A literary analysis

Dossier / Travail , 2021 , 9 Pages , Note: 1,7

Philologie Anglaise - Littérature

Some of the allegories enclosed in the concrete symbols of "Everything That Rises Must Converge" have also occurred throughout the centuries under various similar forms in other Gothic fictions and are, therefore, considered to be typical Gothic motifs.
The examination of the symbolism in “ETRMC”, by unconvering its allegorical messages, appears to me to be of considerable interest in order to outline some traditional Gothic motifs which have been included in the story and which unleash its Gothic character.
The analysis will be structured, as follows: first I will define O´Connor´s conception of literary symbolism, second I will proceed by investigating the symbols corresponding to the motifs of the discomforting ambiance in the story and at last I will concentrate on the motif of the alter-ego and its symbols.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

2 The Gothic Symbols and their Meaning in O'Connor's “ETRMC”
2.1 The Purpose of O'Connor's Symbolism
2.2 Gloomy Ambiance and Elements of Anxiety in “ETRMC”
2.3 The Alter-Ego or Uncanny Double in “ETRMC”

3 Conclusion

4 Bibliography

1 Introduction

Gothic literature first appeared in the second half of the 18th Century. Its evolution through the years, featuring the publication of Gothic works by innovative authors all around the world, has resulted in a tangible diversification of the plots and scenarios of Gothic stories. In spite of this variety, literary critics have managed to discern recurring Gothic motifs, which permit to assign numerous texts, like the 20th Century Southern Gothic short story by Flannery O'Connor “Everything That Rises Must Converge”, to the Gothic genre.

Through the consultation of different academic researches on Gothic literature and on “ETRMC”¹, I could observe that some of the allegories enclosed in the concrete symbols of the story, have also occurred throughout the centuries in different forms in other Gothic fictions and are, therefore, considered to be typical Gothic motifs.

Thus, the examination of the symbolism in “ETRMC”, by unleashing their allegorical messages, is of considerable interest in order to outline some traditional Gothic motifs.

The analysis will be structured, as follows: first I will define O'Connor's conception of literary symbolism, second I will proceed by investigating the symbols in the text representing the motif of discomforting elements and at last I will concentrate on the motif of the alter-ego and its symbols in “ETRMC”.

2 The Gothic Symbols and their Meaning in O'Connor's “ETRMC”

2.1 The Purpose of O'Connor's Symbolism

Gothic literature has become a literary genre on its own because of the purposeful inclusion of disturbing elements in its plots (cf. Smith 4). Originally Gothic stories stroke terror in their readers through scary supernatural elements, like in Edgar Allan Poe's literary works (cf. Andreas 23). However, this is not the case in O'Connor's fictions, as she recreates the typical Gothic anxiety-dense ambiance by exclusively relying on real elements. On the literal interpretational level they are to be understood as objects existing in the real world, nevertheless, by analyzing them closer, their allegorical meaning is revealed; they are symbols with a concrete correspondent² and their function is to represent the terrors of human society (cf. Andreas 26).

This offers a pretext for O'Connor, and in general for all the American Gothic writers from Poe onwards, to insert some social criticism in their works cryptically (cf. Smith 68). In “ETRMC”, for example, the issues addressed are slavery and racial discrimination.³ This is further supported by Tine Snow who lays emphasis on the fact that O'Connor uses her Gothic symbols for tonal purposes, too (cf. Tine Snow, 298).

In summary, the double function of O'Connor's symbolism is:on one hand the recreation of the distinctive gloomy Gothic aesthetic and on the other hand subtle social critique concerning the depicted societal problems. This double communicative purpose is attained through allegories with real correspondents, such as: concrete objects and plausible events.

2.2 Gloomy Ambiance and Elements of Anxiety in “ETRMC”

In the previous paragraph it has been highlighted that Gothic fiction is characterized by the presence of disturbing elements in its plots and scenarios. By attentively looking at “ETRMC”, it is possible to individuate some real elements, which incarnate some of the facets of the Gothic motifs of anxiety and gloomy ambiances and that are also part of the short story's set of symbols.

We usually feel anxious and scared when we are quite unsure and negative of what will happen in our future and when we are outside of our comfort zone. This is the general mood in “ETRMC”, as the protagonists: Mrs. Chestny and her son Julian, who have a tense relationship, need to go downtown and therefore leave their home. They walk and travel through the city at night and use public transport.

Rath describes the symbolic meaning of travelling and the encounter with other people in “ETRMC”, as follows:

The characters leave their familiar comfort zone or ‘home' for unfamiliar and unfriendly places, experience traumatizing encounters with ‘other' people and their transformative systems of belief, and reach unexpected destinations, sometimes death.” (Rath, 2017: 87).

The uncertainty of travelling accentuated by the darkness of the night and its debilitating effects and the possible dangers resulting from the encounter with strangers are all anxiety-triggering elements, which contribute to placing the story in the Gothic genre for their disturbing effects. Furthermore, according to McDermott, the darkness factor plays an important role in the scenario, since it marks both the beginning and end of the story explicitly (cf. McDermott 178): “The sky was a dying violet and the houses stood out darkly against it” (O'Connor, 1971: 406), “The tide of darkness seemed to sweep him back to her” (ibid. 420).

Moreover, Rath further points out that there is another home in the story for the protagonists: the ancestral home, which has been lost due to the economic decay of the family. Despite this misfortune and the fact that the grand-father was a plantation owner, both characters associate fond memories to it: “He never spoke of it [the grandparents' house] without contempt or thought of it without longing.” (O'Connor, 1971: 408). According to Rath the narrative of the lost home in “ETRMC” connects the private life of the protagonists to the broader societal landscape in which they live (cf. Rath 87). So, the lost home not only corresponds to the feeling of nostalgia and the prosperous past of the family, but is also a reference to the injustice of slavery considering that now the descendants of the former plantation slaves live in it and not the family heirs: “The double stairways had rotted and been torn down. Negroes were living in it.” (O'Connor, 1971: 408).

The next paragraph will be devoted to a deeper examination of the symbolism of the encounter with the other, that introduces the Gothic motif of the alter-ego.

2.3 The Alter-Ego or Uncanny Double in “ETRMC”

Smith states that ambivalence is a central motif in Gothic literature (cf. Smith 68). Ambivalence also plays a key role in the plot of “ETRMC” and is incarnated by both real objects and dark-skinned characters.

Besides the two homes of the protagonists, which are the symbols for their interwoven yet contrastive past and present, in “ETRMC” there are also double or opposite human figures of the protagonists: their alter-egos. The upcoming encounters with their double are anticipated by the following affirmation of Mrs. Chestny: “Suppose we were half-white.” (O'Connor, 1971: 408).

Julian's alter-ego enters the story first: “a large Negro got on [...] The Negro was well dressed and carried a briefcase [...] the man remained entrenched behind his paper [.] There was no way for Julian to convey his sympathy”. (ibid. 412-413). The elegant clothing of the man, the newspaper and his haughty attitude are indicators of his elevated status in society and his intelligence. As a matter of fact, he is Julian's opposite or double; he is the personification of Julian's anxieties and sense of inadequacy, as expressed by him in the story: “ 'Some day I'll start making money,' Julian said gloomily-he knew he never would-” (ibid. 406).

Mrs. Chestny's alter-ego is the next passenger embarking on the bus and their identical hats are the symbols of their connection: “A purple velvet flap came down on one side of it and stood up on the other; the rest of it was green [.]” (ibid. 405 and 415). Denham observes that the convergence of the two opposites is realized literally when the fist of the dark-skinned woman meets Mrs. Chestny's face and this leads the story to an end with the consequent death of Mrs. Chestny (cf. Denham 45).

The function of the alter-ego motif in Gothic literature is to show the uncanny personality traits of the characters portrayed in the stories and Fowler argues that they choose to alienate their negative traits by projecting them onto their resulting uncanny doubles (cf. Fowler 78): “There was something familiar-looking about her but Julian could not place what it was [referring to the dark-skinned woman on the bus]” (O'Connor, 1971: 415).

In “ETRMC” the uncanny character of the alter-egos is visually highlighted by the darker skin of the doubles, which is connotatively associated with the evil side (cf. Fowler 78). Moreover, according to Wester, the darker skin also serves a symbol for social critique: the image of the black other is used in Gothic literature as a vehicle for enunciating the real terrors of racialized existence (cf. Wester 53).

[...]

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¹ This is the acronym which from this point on I will employ to refer to Everything That Rises Must Converge

² Steiner defines a Symbol, as follows: “a reality seen in relation or correspondence to a higher reality” (Steiner, 1952: 28).

³ This will be further explicated in the following paragraphs

• Université: http://www.uni-jena.de/ (English and American Studies)
• Cours: Academic Writing I
• Note: 1,7
• Auteur: Vittoria Guarino (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2021
• Pages: 9
• N° de catalogue: V1131492
• ISBN (ebook): 9783346500540
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: Gothic, Gothic literature, American Gothic, Southern Gothic, 20th Century, Symbols, Symbolism, Flannery O'Connor, Everything That Rises Must Converge, Alter Ego, Uncanny, Double, Gloomy, Gothic motifs