Stereotypes In Chaim Potok's The Chosen

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In the beginning of “The Chosen” Reuven and Danny were separated by their different religions. Danny and Reuven lived five blocks away from each other and for fifteen years they never spoke to each until this baseball game. The boy’s religious stereotypes have blocked these two boys into becoming friends earlier on in life. A stereotype is defined as a “generalization about an entire class of phenomena based on some knowledge of some members of a class.” (Wood, Fixmer-Oraiz pg. 107) Reuven’s preconceived stereotype of Hasidic Jews made him think that Danny had a “Hasidic-bred sense of superiority.” (Potok pg. 20) Reuven thought that Danny viewed himself as superior because Hasidics are known for only spending their time reading and studying

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