The Conversion of the Jews
by Philip Roth
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See Also
- Theory of Short Fiction (Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Second Revised Edition)
- Philip Roth (Cyclopedia of World Authors, Fourth Revised Edition)
- Philip Roth (Identities & Issues in Literature)
- Philip Roth (The Sixties in America)
- Philip Roth (Critical Survey of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition)
- Philip Roth (Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Second Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Philip Roth
- First Published: 1958
- Type of Plot: Coming of age
- Time of Work: The 1950’s
- Setting: An American city
- Characters: Oscar (Ozzie) Freedman, Mrs. Freedman, Itzie Lieberman, Rabbi Marvin Binder, Yakov Blotnik
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Tradition, Sex or sexuality, Jews or Jewish life, Bar Mitzvahs, Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint
- Locales: United States, North America
The Story
Ozzie Freedman has been attending a synagogue Hebrew school in preparation for his Bar Mitzvah confirmation. He is a bright student, but entirely too inquisitive for the comfort of his teacher, Rabbi Marvin Binder. Binder is irritated by Ozzie’s inability to accept traditional doctrinal answers to fundamental religious questions, and he has summoned Mrs. Freedman three times to discuss her son’s disruptive influence on his class.
During the Wednesday afternoon class prior to their third scheduled meeting, tensions between Ozzie and Binder precipitate a...
(The entire page is 1583 words.)
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