Wisdom In The Chosen By Chaim Potok

“Reuven, he has already talked to Danny about it, he has talked to Danny through you” (pg 101)

The great opportunity also developed Danny a sense of compassion and sympathy for Reuven at the hospital room. “Before you tell me how much you hate me,' he said quietly, `let me tell you that I'm sorry about what happened.” (62). Reuven refused to accept the apology, because of how much Danny wanted to kill him. However when Mr. Malter visits Reuven, he tells him to accept the apology because it was a genuine one.

One of first things Danny did when he talked to Reuven was insult him and call him an ‘apikorsim’, which is a Jew that is not following the basic rules of their faith. After the accident, Reuven refused to accept Danny’s apology and wanted to make him feel as bad as possible. He insulted him multiple times when Danny visited him in the hospital and told him to leave without even listening to him. But when he told his father about what he did, he was told to make Danny his friend and not to push him away. The next day, Danny came to visit him again. He apologized for his behavior the previous day and accepted Danny’s apology to him. After Reuven put aside his anger at the Hasidic boy they were able to become friends. It turned out that their difference of religion did not make any noticeable difference in their friendship at all, contrary to what both once

Danny and Reuven’s relationship progresses from tension in the beginning to an intimate friendship because of a mutual trust that is established. Danny says, “Sometimes I’m not sure I know what God wants though…I’ve never said that to anyone before” (80). From early on Danny feels comfortable confiding in Reuven. He shares his innermost feelings with Reuven and they form a closely knit bond. Danny and Reuven have a conversation; Reuven asks Danny, “Are you going to like being a Rabbi?” (82). Danny replies, “No, but I have no choice, it’s like a dynasty, if the son doesn’t take the father’s place, the dynasty falls apart” (Ibid.). This piece of evidence once again displays a profound trust the boys have. This conversation is a turning point for the book because Danny admits he does not want to carry on his father’s rabbinic dynasty. The fact that Danny openly shares this shocking information with Reuven shows how strong the boys relationship is. After a personal conversation Reuven narrates as he observes Danny, “I saw him begin to play absent-mindedly with one of his earlocks. We were quiet for a long

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.

On the other hand, Reuven and David mutually support the notion that the lines of communication between them should always be open. Whenever Reuven struggles with a problem or simply a question, regardless the significance, he comes directly to his father for assistance. David listens intently and offers a few suggestions or delivers a thorough answer to his son’s query. For example, when Reuven wonders about Danny, David answers with a lengthy and detailed account. This demonstrates not only the comfort they bear in talking to each other but also the patience they’ve developed that has stemmed from their communication. Despite their lack of communication, Reb Saunders and his son share the same admiration, respect, and trust for each other that are consistent with Reuven’s and David’s relationship.

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.

In all of their conversations, Mr. Malter seeks to pass his moral wisdom onto Reuven. At the beginning of the novel, after Reuven refuses to listen to Danny’s apology, his father visits him at the hospital to discuss his

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

Reb confides in Reuven in hopes that Reuven will share his wisdom with Danny. Reuven doesn’t understand how Reb is using him until the end of the book. Reb attempts to shine light on Reuven when he says, ‘It is never pleasant to be a buffer Reuven’ (Potok 170). Reb continues to speak to Reuven, “You have become a

After Reuven initially wakes up, Danny visits him in the hospital to apologize. “‘I am sorry,’ he said quietly. ‘I’ll just bet you are,’ I told him. He…turned and walked slowly away.” After Reuven tells his father of the events, his father tells him that he should have listened. This response on David’s part initially caused Reuven to listen to Danny when he returned the second time.

For example when Reuven notices that Danny is different he begins to evaluate danny by saying “ The way he acts and talks doesn’t seem to fit what he wears and the way he looks… It’s like two different people. ”{page 75} In other words Reuven is interested in Danny and he wants to continue to explore Danny’s thoughts and religious beliefs. Then comes the day when Reuven demonstrates how good of a friend he is. He begins to question how Danny could have had a such a astrochis day and still be able to smile and joke around when they get together.

In the book, Danny and Reuven are constantly complimenting each other in the sense that Reuven is more

“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver (King James Version, Prov. l6:16). “ True wisdom remains one of the hardest traits to find in people, however, some still hold this valuable attribute. In Chaim Potok's renowned novel, The Chosen, Mr. Malter, Danny, and Reuven all occur in the story frequently. Although, they have very different personalities they all have one thing in common: wisdom. Danny and Reuven might not have lived as long as Mr. Malter, nonetheless they still remain extremely wise in their ways of thinking.

Soon after Reuven arrives at the hospital, Danny Saunders visits him. Danny, the boy who ‘accidently’ hit Reuven in the face with a baseball, came to visit him even though he did not know him. Danny knew Reuven would be mad at him because he could have potentially blinded him for life, but he came anyway. Although Reuven did lash out at him in the first visit, Reuven soon forgave him and they became fast friends. “I don’t hate you,’ I managed to say, because I thought it was time for me to say something even if what I said was a lie.” (62) Danny cared about Reuven and wanted him to recover quickly and fully, even though Reuven acted terribly towards him because he hurt