Julian: The Love That He Offers As time progresses so do societal norms, whether it be for the prosperity or destruction of civilization. According to a recent article from the Huffington Post written by political theorists John Halpin and Marta Cook, “Progressives have challenged the government to eliminate its own legal injustices and have also harnessed the force of government as a vital tool for advancing human freedom and establishing the ‘more perfect union’ as envisioned by the Founding Fathers” (Cook). Throughout the history of the world, its inhabitants have witnessed all kinds of change; even to this present day we are still experiencing it. …show more content…
Saddening as it is this is not uncommon amongst the human race, especially considering the multifaceted areas there are to our being. Julian--knowing his mother’s views--should have respected her and have never sat next to the man; and his mother--even despite her views--shouldn’t have condemned her son like that for his harmless actions. According to a 2009 neurological study unlike love, hate causes judgement and in result brings a disapproval of differences. Scientific author Katherine Harmon mentions, “...love seems to deactivate areas traditionally associated with judgment, whereas hatred activates areas in the frontal cortex that may be involved in evaluating another person and predicting their behavior” (Harmon). Reading this story it is crucial that we realize that when we only focus on the differences, the things we don’t like, it’s impossible to love because ultimately there is good in every person whether we choose to acknowledge it or …show more content…
Through her characters Julian and his mother we see the clashing of two sides: the old and the new. By the end of the story we see how Julian’s mother--who represents the old ways--is attacked by a black woman who represents the frustration of an evolving world wanting change. Nevertheless throughout the story O’Connor pushes the idea through her character Julian that despite the harshness of society it is important to love people because in the end we must realize that we are all products of our