A comparison of Julian in "Everything That Rises Must Converge" and Hulga in "Good COuntry People," two stories by Flannery O'Connor.

Flannery O'Connor's two narratives, "Everything That Rises Must Converge" and "Good Country People," are different stories presenting different characters, different plots, and different themes; however, both stories revolve around a mother and her child and their relationship. "Everything That Rises Must Converge" concerns Julian and his mother, and "Good Country People" concerns Hulga and her mother. As the two stories unfold, the similarities between Julian and Hulga, two seemingly different individuals, become apparent. The two, …

…for personal validation, and they both face lessons, which they have to figure out for themselves. O'Connor characterizes Julian and Hulga in a way that they seem odd and far from what most people are, but as the characters evolve, they turn out to be ordinary people in all walks of life. They turn out to be where most people are--living in a delusion that their way is better than the way of the others.