Greene has already experienced prejudice and hatred based on his heritage and even his father warned him that it was impossible to fight everybody who would dislike him for being Jewish for the rest of his life. It is obvious from Greene's response to anti-Semitism in his hometown that his choice is not the product of fear or cowardice, but merely the only viable option for assimilating successfully in his school community. Greene realizes immediately that his classmates are extremely prejudiced against Jews and that is what he tries to explain to his roommate in response to the...

Ultimately, anti-Semitism affects Greene in every imaginable way in school and even precipitates his being adjudicated a cheater by his classmates, partly on the inference that Greene is already a confirmed liar for having concealed his Judaism. The problem of anti-Semitism at St. Matthews is not resolved and provides a clear reminder of the struggles faced by many minorities in the United States prior to the Civil Rights Era of…