Bett De La Pena Quotes

A shopkeeper tells Salvador that “Life en Espanol hadn 't arrived yet” (Fuentes 452). Carlos Fuentes tells us this because he wants us to get the feel for the setting of the story. This also can stereotype that the life in Mexico can prove to be economically difficult.

At the beginning of the novel, their whole friendship wouldn't have started if one, Reuven didn't listen to his urging father and forgave Danny, and two, if Danny didn't stubbornly persist in visiting Reuven in the hospital, where he patiently waited for him to vent his anger. "Also, yesterday I hated him; now we were calling each other by our first names. I sat and

Danny and Reuven’s relationship was a link between father and son, but this grew into something more, something life-long and unchanging. This friendship was true, it meant a lot to both of them, and their parents. However, after large disagreements in both Danny and Reuven’s religious lives and families, Reb Saunders excommunicates Reuven from the Hasidic community and Danny’s life.

He says this because he feels the Mexicans want you to be more Mexican and the Americans want you to be more American.

The relationship between Danny and Reuven is a very big theme in The Chosen. Danny and Reuven are two boys who have grew up within a few blocks of each other, but in two entirely different worlds. They meet for the first time in at a school baseball game between their two Jewish schools. Even though at first their only feeling for each other is one of hatred, they eventually get over their differences and become the best of friends. They learn a lot about each other and about the others life and religion. The boys’ fathers have very different views and that’s gets them in trouble. Danny’s father disagrees with Reuven’s father’s point of view on a certain topic, and forbids Danny from ever seeing Reuven again. After some time Reb gets over himself and permits Danny to see Reuven again. This situation goes back to the fathers’ ways of raising their child and their view on their religion.

Danny is angry and disappointed in what he has done. He stays in Sofia’s cot all day and digs his nails into his forearm because he is so nervous. “Because all he’s felt like doing for the past five days is hiding out in Sofia’s bedroom, on his cot, digging into the inside of his forearm with his nails to remind him he’s a real person.”(De la Pena, Ch.4). This is a pivotal moment in Danny’s development because he is at his lowest point in the book. He feels like he will never have any friends and his life is ruined. He traps himself in Sofia’s room to try and escape all of life’s problems. However this experience teaches him you can run away from your

To the reader it seems at first that Danny is an arrogant, uptight son of a rabbi. We learn as the novel progresses more about Danny and that he is a less than perfect

As he talks to Reuven about the silence between him and his father, he remarks, “…you can listen to silence and learn from it… I feel myself alive in it. It talks. And I can hear it… It has a strange, beautiful texture… sometimes it cries, and you can hear the pain of the world in it. It hurts to listen to it then. But you have to” (249). Danny begins to understand what silence teaches him. He learns to listen to the pain of others because he suffers himself. Moreover, as Danny is about to leave to Columbia for college, Reuven describes, “His beard and earlocks were gone, and his face looked pale. But there was a light in his eyes that was almost blinding… There was a long, gentle silence” (270). Reuven notices that Danny is excited from the light in his eyes, and he now understands that silence is gentle. Because Danny realizes why Reb raised him in silence, he is no longer confused about his future. Likewise, when Reuven’s father asks Danny if he will raise his own child in silence, he replies, “Yes, if I can’t find another way” (271). Although Danny anguishes, he plans on raising his child the same way. He understands how silence taught him compassion, and he learns Reb’s purpose for raising him this way. Due to suffering, Danny understands how to listen to the world’s problems through

Antonio Lopez was born in Puerto Rico in 1943 and moved to Harlem at the age of seven with his parents. Fashion one of the biggest aspects in his life through his Mother, a seamstress and his Father, a mannequin maker. He freelanced for

Personally, I think I can relate to the suffering that Danny went through. Years ago, when I was a child and in my early teens I struggled so much with my relationship with my father. Just like Danny, I never had a good communication with my dad. If he ever talked to me it was to make me feel bad about myself if I did something wrong. If I wanted to share great news with him regarding to my school grades all I received was silence. My father’s actions towards me were hurtful. Even though I now know the reasons for his actions it still causes me suffering because I wish my childhood could have been more

Danny and Reuven represent deeply committed friends. Their live intertwine when historical circumstances , religious realities, and their father's differences in child rearing dramatically affect their respective senses of security and happiness.

Danny’s father’s name is Reb Saunders. The tzaddik of a small community within close proximity of Reuven’s home, he was born in Russia and later brought his congregation to America. When Danny is speaking to Reuven, he tells him the story of this occurrence.

… “Why don’t you ask Appleman? I said quietly. “I think I will,” Danny said. “I think I’ll do just that. Why not? What have I got to lose? It can’t make me any more miserable than I am now” (Potok 211). Reuven helps Danny make decisions about his future encouraging him to follow his heart and become a psychologist. It would mean deviating from the expected career of following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a Rabbi. This would be frowned upon. Danny’s father states, “For six generations now we have led our people. I will not live forever. Daniel will one day take my place ---” (Potok 166). Danny lives his dream in silence until his father finally realizes that Danny wants to attend college and pursue a career outside of the faith.. ”And my son, my Daniel, he will - he will go another way. I saw Danny’s mouth fall open…’I know Reb Saunders murmured’…” (Potok 282). If it wasn’t for Reuven’s kindness, encouragement, and compassion for Danny, then Danny would have followed in his father’s footsteps and lived a life of misery in silence. Reuven’s character demonstrated a level of maturity by his actions. This newfound maturity continued to grow.

Danny’s mother was always worried and scared especially after she noticed the changes that had occurred with her husband in his actions and acting. She thought he was returned to his bad habits and she was scared if he will hurt her or her son again because of what happened in the past when her husband had already broke his son’s arm.

“My family,” Dan Jones said when asked what his biggest accomplishment had been so far in life. The response was quick and without hesitation, which was proof enough that he truly believed that. Six months ago, Dan’s wife answered the phone to hear a parent’s worst nightmare: their daughter, Kayla, was hit by a car and in critical condition. Before sharing about this terrible event, Dan removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, indicating this was a difficult subject to talk about. Settling into his chair with his arms crossed, he revealed many details about his life growing up, his reaction to the accident, his emotions throughout her healing, and how his relationships grew with others while he grew as a person and a father.