Stereotypes In Sharon Cooper's Mistaken Identity

In middle school, the teachers taught about stereotypes. They gathered the whole grade in the gym and put The Breakfast Club on a projector and handed the students a packet of questions about which character fit which stereotype and other questions similar. It was important to them that their students understood that people were not their stereotypes. Of course, as middle school students often do, they latched onto a completely different point. They learned that being stereotypical is unacceptable. In “Mistaken Identity” by Sharon Cooper, this misconception is approached and an alternative view is offered: people don’t need to suppress their stereotypes, however, they should not define another by a preconceived characteristics. The first character that the reader is introduced to goes by the name of Steve. Cooper’s description of the character encourages the description of a conservative white

This guy, that asks why Kali’s brother Rashid, is setting up his lesbian sister on dates, is not the same as the one offering quirky social commentary on fish and chips (Cooper 2-3). This is because Steve doesn’t mind being stereotypical, although he doesn’t let his stereotype define him. Steve remains the most likable character throughout the piece by being the most open minded although he isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. He accepts that Kali is in no position to become his wife so he decides to be a friend and with one simple statement he shows this: “I wouldn’t” (Cooper 3). He admits that he knows nothing about Kali’s character or any of the trials she’s gone through and this starts Kali thinking that maybe she was judging Steve too harshly. This admission is what truly got Kali to open up although she still talks down to him if he seems like he is insulting her