A Literary Analysis Of The Chosen By Chaim Potok

Authors use irony in their books to make the stories more appealing to the readers, and Chaimn Potok uses it as a tool in his book The Chosen to draw in readers. In the novel, the lives of two fifteen year old boys, Reuven an Orthodox Jew and Danny a Hasidic Jew, clash together in a baseball game to eventually form a friendship that is torn apart by their fathers’ religious differences. Danny’s father, a strict and influential leader in his sect, insists his son follow in his footsteps and eventually keeps Reuven and Danny from meeting together. Meanwhile, Reuven’s father David Malter, a kind Jewish teacher who helps to build the Jewish state in Palestine, believes that Reuven and Danny help each other and encourages their friendship. Potok utilizes situational irony as he intertwines the lives of the two families and the father son relationships. In fact, Chaim Potok demonstrates some of the ironies in life through Reuven and Danny’s relationship, Reuven’s forced silence, and Mr. Malter’s work and health.

In The Chosen, Potok describes the Jewish culture during the period of World War I. Beginning with the affluence of Polish Jews before the war, Potok established a circle of relationships. In the book, there are three main relationships. The first one is father-son, between Danny and his father, Reb Saunders and between Reuven and his father, David Malter. The relationship between Reuven and Danny is the second main relationship in The Chosen. The third main relationship is Hasidism verses Zionism.

No one can truly understand sympathy until they have suffered. In his The Chosen, a postmodern novel, Chaim Potok surveys the meaning of compassion learned through suffering. Danny Saunders, a brilliant Hasidic Jew, lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn along with his friend, Reuven Malter, in the 1940s. With his photographic memory, Danny aspires to become a psychologist, but he knows that he will have to inherit his father’s position as the rabbi of their community. In addition to this, his father, Reb Saunders, will not speak to him about anything other than the holy book of Talmund. Danny is forced to keep his ideas and experiences to himself, leading to him suffering because of this silence. Chaim Potok’s The Chosen uses Danny’s gradual shift

“Things are always how they seem, Reuven? Since when?” This quote represents the constant reoccurring concept that appears in The Chosen. It’s brought up in many ways where the reader or Reuven’s perception is altered because they don’t know the entire story. Reuven works well as a narrator because we share his position as an outsider looking in on the unfamiliar Hasidim ways. Reuven’s view of Danny Saunders, and his perceptions about Freudian psychology are examples of views that were changed throughout the story.

Chaim Potok’s The Chosen set in Brooklyn, New York, tells the story of two Jewish teenagers, Danny Saunders and Reuven Malter, as they experience the effects the Second World War has on their religious traditions. Their friendship faces trials but is eventually re-strengthened. The boys’ relationship fluctuates as it moves from trust to compassion and then to restoration.

Throughout the book, The Chosen, there are four major qualifying characters for the role of “The Chosen One”. David Malter is the father of Reuven Malter, and is an active Zionist. Reb Saunders is the father of Danny Saunders, and doesn’t talk to his son with the hopes of teaching him compassion. Reuven is Danny’s friend, and is a bridge among all the characters. Danny becomes friends with Reuven after hitting him in the eye with a softball, and also works with David in the library in secrecy. While all these characters have major roles, only one can be crowned with the winning title. Reuven Malter is “the chosen one”. Through the development of the character, Reuven, we see a sheltered young boy learn to find compassion in his heart all

The thought that Sissela Bok about the “whole truth” being attained is that it is impossible that it can be attained. She believes that people are lying deceived everyone, and sometime is used to protect the person. She also thinks that people that are lying is more important than anything in all of the decision that a simple lie brings. I believe she doesn’t have any faith that everyone could tell the truth. The truth is something that is hard to say, and people at times need to lie to protect their love ones. In the beginning of the chapter of “The Noble Lie” she explains how there are different lies. She explains how the lies have different reasons to for people doing it. For some of those reasons it is impossible to be completely truth. Some have to lie to protect others, and cover up the secrets that can be told. There are plenty reasons that there are to lie to people. She states, “The lies are often seen as necessary merely at one stage in the education of the public.” (Bok 166) This is something that everyone does growing up, and no one in one time of their life cannot lie to anyone.

Chaim Potok’s The Chosen is the story of a lasting friendship that blossoms between two Jewish boys, Danny Saunders and Reuven Malter, during and after World War II. On a deeper level, much of the plot focuses on the character of their fathers–Reb Saunders and David Malter–whose beliefs and ideals are rooted in two separate worlds. Reb Saunders is a zealous Hasidic rabbi who wants to impart his knowledge of his religion upon Danny and expects his son to follow in his footsteps. David is a professor and single father who comes from a liberal Jewish background. As the friendship between Reuven and Danny grows, both fathers try to reconcile their views with their sons and with their own

Although Capote uses section two to display Perry’s actual innocence, Capote’s true aspirations are to display that a seventh person- Holcomb- has too ‘died’; therefore, he contends that the repercussions of the murders’ actions are felt by all, and will permanently break and kill their spirits and morale even if the town itself appears untouched.

World War 2 was a time of persecution, fighting, and devastation. The Holocaust and World War 2 have lasting effects to the world that no one will ever forget. Chaim Potok’s novel The Chosen and the true story The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz told by Denis Avey both depict the events of World War 2, but in very different ways. In The Chosen, Reuven Malter and hasid Danny Saunders become unlikely friends through an accident in a huge baseball game. Danny hits Reuven in the eye while batting in baseball and sends him to the hospital, so Danny visits him and they eventually start building a major companionship. Mostly through studying their religion of Judaism, they become inseparable friends. The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz shows the life

To begin, Reb Saunders’s demonstrates passion through his words and actions. In chapter 13 of “The Chosen” by Chaim Potok, trouble arises in the school when the possibility of Israel becoming it’s own country surfaces. Saunders highly disagrees with the idea of Israel becoming a nation and verbally expresses his beliefs to the class, and to those supporting the idea. “The land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob should be built by Jewish goyim, by contaminated men? Never! Not while I live!” Furthermore, Saunders then demands his son, Danny, to withdraw from all conversation with his friend Reuven Malter, breaking their friendship. In conclusion, Reb Saunders action of verbally countering Zionist beliefs, as well as terminating his son’s friendship thoroughly expresses his religious passion.

The Chosen highlights Rueven Malter and Danny Saunders and their childhoods. They live a few blocks from each other in Brooklyn, New York. The Chosen elucidates family relationships, friendships, and trials of growing up. The author, Chaim Potok, began writing at age 16. David Malter, Rueven’s father, possesses many positive characteristics that people should strive for. During his life in Brooklyn, Mr. Malter plays several roles, such as a father, teacher, and friend. Within these different roles, Mr. Malter displays his support, forgiveness, and care numerous times.

“Success is never final, failure is never fatal, it is courage that counts”(John Wooden). John Wooden has widely represented a very wise man and his quotes show it. Teaching and learning represent two different things, Wisdom consists of experience it subists of guidance and gaining knowledge. The Chosen by Chaim Potok represents wisdom as a very important element. The interpretation of wisdom shows the qualities of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. In the book the story follows two young boys that go through many damaging experiences. Although Reuven and Danny live through those experiences they gain wisdom in the end.

The book The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, is a very touching novel about two boy’s growth and experiences from ages 15 - ~21. In this book, there is a boy named Danny who I feel a lot of sympathy for. His father has decided to raise him in a certain way, which is unique to Hasidic Jews, so he can “have a soul.” The method is to not talk to the son, except for learning experiences, which would be extremely difficult on nearly everyone. Even though Danny is being raised in such a difficult way, he is lucky, because he has found a great friend: Reuven. Reuven Malter ends up being a very good friend to Danny, and he and his father play a big role in Danny’s life and influence his life for the better a lot of times. This book shows us many things, including

As children, the idea of being an adult is exciting. There is more freedom, the ability to do more things, and to experience more as well. However, once the stage of adulthood is beginning, it is then realized that adulthood also comes with hardships and many more responsibilities. The years that one spends transitioning from an adolescent to an adult are years of discovering oneself. Music, literature and films are part of everyday life, which also influences one’s actions and behavior. Being able to relate to another through art ceases the feeling of loneliness that adolescents may feel. During adolescence, there are many first experiences that will shape a life, many of these experiences begin the process of becoming an adult. Adolescence