Poquette has a bachelor's degree in English and specializes in writing about literature. In the following essay, Poquette discusses Roth's use of foils and religious imagery.

Ozzie is quickly identified as the moral voice in Philip Roth's "The Conversion of the Jews." He is respectful of Jewish ceremonies, he is quick to point out hypocrisies that he sees committed by his Jewish community, and he refuses to be silenced in his quest for the truth. However, in addition to these noble characteristics, Roth also uses foils and religious imagery to emphasize Ozzie's superior morality and strength of conviction.

A foil is a character who contrasts strongly with another character to make the second character seem more prominent in a specific way. In this story, several characters are deliberately depicted as weak in their morals or religious convictions, which makes Ozzie appear even stronger in these areas. Since...