Chaim Potok's The Chosen

1165 Words3 Pages

Chaim Potok's The Chosen In the book The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, Reuven Malter is shaped by everyone around him. During this interaction his character becomes more developed and engaging. Through the interactions, it becomes apparent that Reuven’s father is always teaching his child how to improve himself. The conversations between Reuven and his father help prepare Reuven develop the mentality and the personal qualities, such as wisdom, compassion, and tolerance, necessary to become a rabbi. 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 ignorance: “‘You did a foolish thing, Reuven,’ he told me [Reuven] sternly. ‘You remember what the Talmud says. If a person comes to apologize for having hurt you, you must listen and forgive him’” (96). Reuven’s father teaches him about applying the Talmud to his daily life and about becoming a better person. After Reuven and Danny begin to become friends, Reuven begins to look at the baseball game in retrospective. He tells his father he is shocked how such a strong friendship can emerge from such a meaningless occurrence. His father replies, “‘Reuven, as you grow older you will discover that the most important things that will happen to you will often come as a result of silly things, as you call them‘ordinary things’ is a better expression. That is the way the world is’” (110). Mr. Malter shares his wisdom of Jewish morals and way of life with Reuven so he may pass his knowledge on to his children, or perhaps his future followers. Mr. Malter tries to pass more wisdom to Reuven as the ... ... middle of paper ... ...if you [Reuven] become a rabbi’” (219). Here, Mr. Malter prepares Reuven for his difficult task ahead because whether Reuven is a rabbi or a professor, he will have to teach many and share his wisdom. Mr. Malter cunningly reveals many of the challenges that lie ahead in Reuven’s future. In The Chosen, Reuven is very easily influenced by the people around him as he goes through his adolescence. It is a time of learning and self-realization for him, and at this time, he turns to his father for guidance and wisdom. His father shows him the ways of understanding and compassion. He also prepares him for what lies ahead, whether his son chooses to be a rabbi or not. Through his father’s teachings, Reuven develops the personal traits essential for becoming a rabbi. Works Cited Potok, Chaim. The Chosen. New York: The Ballantine Publishing Group, 1967.

The Castle by Rob Sitch
825 Words | 2 Pages
Darryl’s life is worth fighting for. “You can’t buy what I’ve got.” ‘The Castle’ directed by Rob Sitch, about one man, his family and neighbours on the verge of being homeless. Darryl Kerrigan, the “backbone of the family” won’t stand for that. Of course no one can buy what he has. He’s spent almost his entire lifetime building what he has, why should he give it up? Darryl’s way of life is simple yet filled with family values. 3 Highview Crescent is the home to Darryl, his wife Sal and their 3 children: Wayne, Steve, Tracy and Dale. (Wayne currently being in jail.) The house is made up of love, and simple family values. Darryl’s also added bits and pieces to it. He’s added on so much to the house, his own personal touch. His neighbours, also in the same bout are almost family to the Kerrigans. Jack and Farouk are another reason why Darryl’s ready to take matters into his own hands.
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Analysis Of Mark Honigsbaum's 'Changing The World One Boy At A Time'
866 Words | 2 Pages
The author emphasizes the fact that a mentor has more knowledges and experiences than a boy. In the essay, Honigsbaum uses the example of the story of Parzival. In the example, the key of the story is that when he goes for the first time to the Grail Castle, “he [is lacking] understanding and confidence” (15). After he meets the wise mentor, he goes for the second time and it is a success (15). The writer argues that with the help of a wise person, a young man will gain more knowledges and experiences. In addition, the author uses the comparison to demonstrate the similarity of his story and the example of Parzival’s story. He starts by telling about a young man which is paired with him (15). The boy says to him that he has issues and he is looking for clarity (15). Later, when he returns to see him, he tells that he will do a drumming career (16). One week later, the author calls him and he answers that “his passion for drumming was undimmed” (16). However, he is willing to change because “[he feels] a lot more stable” (16). The boy has the similar issue as the character from his example. The both need a person to help them. In brief, when a mentor helps a person, he will receive a guidance to the right path.
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Silence in Chaim Potok's The Chosen
629 Words | 2 Pages
In the book The Chosen the four main characters have different views on how children should be raised. Danny Saunders was said to be raised in silence. Danny was raised in silence in that communication was cut off between Danny and his father, except when they were studying Talmud. The reason Danny’s father did not speak to his son is because Rabbi Saunders wanted to have Danny think things through himself. Reb Saunders also wanted Danny to grow up in the same manner he himself was raised.
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Chaim Potok's The Chosen – Rueven and Danny
765 Words | 2 Pages
In the novel, The Chosen, Chaim Potok successfully captures the strange customs of a Jewish community through wit and satire. Potok's novel focuses on two Jewish boys, who live in a world where their families expect high standards of achievement of them. The wish to become an insightful leader in the Jewish community was an always-predominant custom of the two families. But with hard work and perseverance, the two boys (Rueven and Danny), find out that they really are, and what lives they will lead in the future. The novel concentrates on the desire to conceive a person's personal wants while conforming to tradition.
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Chaim Potok's The Chosen
1590 Words | 4 Pages
David Malter was part of the Jewish sect that took on a more modern approach. He is very understanding, and he cares very deeply for his son Reuven. Reuven and his father's relationship would be considered healthy by most people. They love each other very much, and they have a very open communication with each other.
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The Chosen
548 Words | 2 Pages
During those five days, Danny came to visit Reuven and told him he was sorry. Reuven accepted his apology and they began to talk about different things. They became friends and kept seeing each other after Reuven got out of the hospital. One day Reuven went over to Danny’s house to meet his father. Danny’s father was a rabbi and raised his son by means of silence. They never talked except when they studied the Torah together. Reuvens’s father was a Zionist and Danny’s father was an anti-Zionist so neither was fond of the other but allowed Danny and Reuven to still be friends. Because Danny’s father was a rabbi, it was Danny’s inherited trait to also one day become a rabbi and take his father’s place. Danny, how ever, wanted to be a psychologist not a rabbi. Reuven did not have to be a rabbi but wanted to be one.
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Role of the Fathers in Chaim Potok’s The Chosen
1050 Words | 3 Pages
From the time they first met in a softball game to the moment they bid their final farewells, Danny and Reuven developed tremendously. Their fathers play a crucial role in this development. Still, no matter how David Malter and Reb Saunders raise them, their sons will always accept and forever cherish the precious gifts of love, guidance, and care that are continually given to them. Works Cited Potok, Chaim. The Chosen.
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Reuven Malter: A Literary Analysis
535 Words | 2 Pages
The modern Orthodox world of Reuven Malter is very different from the Hasidic world of Danny Saunders. Danny feels that he constantly has to live up to his father's expectations, while Reuven feels that he has more of a breathing room and freedom. This is expressed in the novel in the following ways the way each of their Yeshivas plays baseball and the way each of them, Danny and Reven, deal with their secular and religious lives.
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Amir's Voice of Reason
916 Words | 2 Pages
From early childhood Rahim served as an ambassador for Amir on the peculiarity of his father Baba. Amir’s father commands a great respect from the community on his capability to defy the imposed limitations from the most extreme of skeptics and come out triumphant. Rahim conveys to Amir at an early age the financial success Baba has obtained from going up against the norm, both referring to him as “Toophan agha, or Mr. Hurricane”(11), a fitting title for one who could command the attention of any audience. Yet this brings about a inner conflict in Amir of not being able to resonate with his father, he who is confident, courageous, and a natural born leader. Amir is not the only one to notice, Baba himself is troubled by his son’s lack of confidence and cour...
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Comparison Of Ender's Game And The Giver
851 Words | 2 Pages
Being the “Receiver of Memory” separates him from his society as he is prohibited from discussing his training with other people – “there will be a whole part of your life which you won't be able to share with a family.” (Ch.13, pg.50-51). His feelings of isolation are enhanced as he struggles to connect or converse meaningfully with people due to his deeper understanding of the world and memories of the way life used to be. The author uses repetition to accentuate his feelings of loss:” His childhood, his friendships, his carefree sense of security – all of these things seemed to be slipping away.” (Ch.17, pg.135). In this way, The Giver shows that those who have different knowledge, beliefs, insights or skills can experience
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Danny Saunders In The Chosen, By Chaim Potok
558 Words | 2 Pages
Danny Saunders possessed great intelligence with his unbelievable mind that astounded many. He had a photographic memory and hungered for knowledge, reading almost a dozen books a week. Furthermore, Danny would study Talmud for hours and then engage in a complicated, heated discussion with his father; the boy was constantly studying. He possessed a rare, brilliant mind, capable of great feats. While telling Reuven about Danny, Mr. Malter told his son, “You are a brilliant student. I tell you that now very proudly. But he is a phenomenon. Once in a generation is
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Conflict Between Danny And Reuven
663 Words | 2 Pages
Many of the characters in The Chosen by Chaim Potok deeply love, care and protect other people in their lives. It sometimes might not seem like they truly watch over them in a few cases, but in truth these characters do so in unusual ways, which actually makes the book more enjoyable later on as one sees the conflicts between different peoples’ personalities. Meanwhile the varied means in which Danny and Reuven, the two main characters, respond to the ones that love them makes the relationships deeper and sometimes more confusing. Three characters that are very fond of Reuven and Danny are Reuven’s father, Reb Saunders, and Mr. Savo. Despite their drastically different temperaments, ways of showing their affection, and even order of appearance
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Patriarchy In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
686 Words | 2 Pages
“When my son does not come home in the afternoons week after week, I want to know where he is.’ … ‘I want you to tell me what he reads’”(165). This exchange between Reuven and Reb Saunders took place immediately after Reuven, Reb, and Danny “battled” over the Talmud. As the leader of the family, Reb Saunders cares deeply about the family’s, in this case Danny’s, spiritual life. Reading certain books may adversely influence one’s spiritual understanding. Reb Saunders wants to see what his son reads, in order to help him grow more spiritual. Despite the daily disputes and studies over the Talmud, Danny continues to read books his father does not approve of, but as the patriarch of the family, Reb tries his best to protect and guide his son’s spiritual
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Perspectives on Childhood in The Glass Castle and The Kite Runner
1727 Words | 4 Pages
Firstly, one’s identity is largely influenced by the dynamics of one’s relationship with their father throughout their childhood. These dynamics are often established through the various experiences that one shares with a father while growing up. In The Glass Castle and The Kite Runner, Jeannette and Amir have very different relationships with their fathers as children. However the experiences they share with these men undou...
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The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
713 Words | 2 Pages
Alexander Stowe is a twin, his brother is Aaron Stowe. Alex is an Unwanted, Aaron is a Wanted, and their parents are Necessaries. Alex is creative in a world where you can’t even see the entire sky, and military is the dream job for everyone and anyone. He should have been eliminated, just like all the unwanteds should have been. He instead comes upon Artimè, where he trains as a magical warrior- after a while. When he was still in basic training, and his friends were not, he got upset, he wants to be the leader, the one everyone looks up to.
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Chaim Potok's The Chosen

The Castle by Rob Sitch

Analysis Of Mark Honigsbaum's 'Changing The World One Boy At A Time'

Silence in Chaim Potok's The Chosen