<u>Answer:</u>
The sentence that best states the theme of Flannery O'Connor's "Everything That Rises Must Converge" is <u>option C.</u>
<em><u>C - Crisis leads to clarity or perspective. </u></em>
The theme speaks of "change" or "the morality of change". An extensive reading helps to identify many ideas related to change.
<u>Explanation:</u>
Resistance to change and insistence on change are found here. Julian’s mother has a nostalgic view of the past and of how the way things were once in general. She relies on traditions and customs for her moral sensibility. This resistance to change is expressed through her attitude, dialogue and behaviour. This desire of her to act as if race relations haven’t changed, leads to her being beaten up with a hand bag. Julian is different. He dismisses her ideas of proper conduct as immoral and irrelevant. He insists on change. Her views change as a positive reality.
These different attitudes concern the types of change. All forms of change – Financial, Ageing, Social and Geographical, each find their place in the story. It’s this conflict in attitudes that give rise to crisis which leads to clarity or perspective.
