Role of the Fathers in Chaim Potok’s The Chosen 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
of silence in The Chosen. He utilizes many of them to facilitate illustrating the characters’ beliefs and emotions. The silence helps to buoy the imagery and strength of the emotions and assists in adding depth to the moment. Each silence also helps to clarify the messages that pass through the story, making them sharper and additionally refined. Chaim Potok’s use of silence helps to exemplify the utter sorrow and angst of the Anti-Zionist Hasidic League (led by Reb Saunders) when the bloody fighting
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
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
The Chosen The Chosen, a fiction novel written in 1967 by Chaim Potok, is about two young Jewish boys and their friendship. It takes us along with them on their journey from adolescence to adulthood. They face many conflicts, and through those trials the author makes his readers think more deeply into life’s true meanings. The novel was set in New York during the Second World War. Since the main characters are Jews, this period of time is very significant. Not only were the Jews persecuted
The Chosen, By Chaim Potok Friendship While many obstacles get in the way of friendship, true friendship still lives, even in silence. In the book, The Chosen , By Chaim Potok, two boys, Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders, who are very religiously different and both raised in completely opposite ways, develops a deep friendship. Their friendship opens up their worldview to many other different viewpoints in life. The friendship between these two boys is one with great religious significance, starting
however, all of them center around verbal communication. In Chaim Potok’s critically acclaimed novel, The Chosen, verbal communication, or the lack thereof, is a main theme. The lack of communication, silence, in The Chosen is used by Potok not only to show the suffering of his characters but also to symbolize the struggles of the Jewish people. Potok uses silence prominently in The Chosen to show isolation. Both of the protagonists in the book experience an isolating silence; for example, the
stand on a visible light spectrum and represent their personalities based on where each other stand, David Malter would stand on one side, and miles away, possibly not even on the spectrum would be Isaac Saunders. The fathers of Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders create the central conflict of The Chosen by Chaim Potok. Historical circumstances, religious realities, and child rearing practices equip each of the fathers with opinions that are based on their perception of God. This perception of God drives
even with light to see. Friends can guide build each other up to pursue their hopes and dreams. Even fictional characters portrayed in books, friends stick together through thick and thin. In Chaim Potok’s historical fiction of The Chosen, his main characters, Danny Saunders and Reuven Malter, had a strong bond of friendship through years of different circumstances. Although the two boys had different Jewish beliefs and traditions, they stuck together, even through Danny’s strictly religious father.
other humans to be happy. Unfortunately, sin often prevents people from living peacefully with each other. Prejudice can form a great rift between cultures, but if the two cultures understood each other, perhaps they would not be so prejudiced. The Chosen provides an inside look into the culture of the Jewish people in America. The persecution of the Jews brought millions of Jewish people to America where they could live and worship God freely. The Chosen’s themes of reconciling Jewish tradition with