Chaim Potok's The Chosen

1362 Words3 Pages

Finding one’s self is one of the most difficult tasks of life; it is a lifelong journey, and that journey can seemingly be overwhelmed by a path set in stone. That path is religion. That’s not to say it is not a good path, or even the path less travelled, but for many children coming of age, it can seem like the path is limiting them, trapping them to follow in their parent’s footsteps. In Chaim Potok’s novel, The Chosen, two characters face the critical decision of whether they will choose to follow the path set out by their parents, or choose to trust their God and have faith that his plan for them is just as special. Although religion and faith can trap and limit those coming of age, faith can help them to discover their sense of self and …show more content…

From the moment he was born, he had a path to follow, and one that he was not supposed to question. Since his father was a Hasidic Jewish rabbi, he was expected by not only his dad, but the entire community, to follow those footsteps. Religious traditions have trapped him into a life Danny did not want to lead. Danny’s perspective is evident when he is challenged about why he is becoming a rabbi since Danny does not understand why anyone would want to; “I have no choice. It’s an inherited position,” he tells Reuven, and he continues by saying he would likely be a psychologist if the decision was his own (69). Because Danny has grown up with the idea that he has no choice in his own life, he has very little sense of self; his entire self is wrapped up in religion, and not as a son of God, but as a son of Reb Saunders. Danny’s existence is completely tied to being a Hasidic Jew, even in his own eyes, so much so that upon learning that some scholars believed a leader of Hasidism so be “vulgar and disgusting,” he feels personally persecuted. He says that “it’s awful to have someone give you an image like that of yourself” (153). It appears that Danny does not understand there is a difference between his future religious position, and who he is

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