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 off with destiny and Gods will. As Danny and Reuven’s Friendship develops, it teaches them to respond wisely to the values of the more complex and secular world. It also teaches the true value of friendship. Because Danny’s father, Reb Saunders, raised Danny in silence, Danny and Reuven’s relationship was also a way that Reb Saunders could talk to his son, through Reuven. There friendship grows and they become closer and closer.
Many things were pushing Danny and Reuven to become friends at first, but after being open to the fact of a friendship, they instantly became friends and it was easy for them to discuss there activities, desires and their fears. The two boy’s initial distrust and hatred for each other still didn’t make it hard for them to talk, the talked with comfort and no fear
“Yesterday I had hated him; now we are calling each other by our first names. I sat and listened to him talk. I was fascinated just listening…” (pg. 68)
Even though there friendship started off with hatred after talking, they got to know each other. They shared their goals, dreams, their education and their families with each other freely. Mr. Malter, Reuven’s father, tells Reuven what a friend is defined as, and tells Reuven to give Danny a chance to get to know him better, because Danny needs him.
“You Know what a friend is Reuven? A Greek philosopher said that two people who are friends are like two bodies with one soul” (pg 74)
The Differences between these boys are what set them apart, but when they finally talked, under the instructions of their fathers, they developed a strong connection which later on led to a deep friendship. After Reuven Rejected Danny for what he did to him, Mr. Malter tells Reuven a little bit about who Danny is, and why he needs a friend like Reuven.
“Reb Saunders son is a terribly torn and lonely boy, there is literally no one in the world he can...
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...xactly get in the way, but it helped build their friendship. Danny and Reuven became more comfortable with who they are and with each other. After Danny and Reuven’s hate for each other, many things pushed them to become friends and not only Danny and Reuven needed each other to go into a relationship, but their parents needed them too. There friendship was undeniable. Even after there friendship was banned, they became silenced, but lived on. It was hard, but because of there true friendship, when there relationship was renewed and the banned was lifted, they became stronger than ever. There friendship helped each other live their lives and make choices that were from there own heart, and not the heart of there parents or community.
This topic shows us that even though it doesn’t always seem likely that a person needs a friend, some people need someone to talk to or someone to help them open up and to be revealed to a whole new life. We should learn by this topic that our friends shouldn’t always be clones of ourselves and we should be listening and helping our friends. Even through the toughest times, through silence, true friendships always last.
Although Gene hurt Finny, he never questions Gene's loyalty and friendship. Showing how true friends will always believe and trust each other. During a school
Friendship is a necessity throughout life whether it is during elementary school or during adulthood. Some friendships may last a while and some may last for a year; it depends on the strength of the bond and trust between the two people. In the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles, the main characters, Gene and Finny, did not have a pure friendship because it was driven by envy and jealousy, they did not feel the same way towards each other and they did not accurately understand each other.
In the matter where they are the same, both Danny and Reuven learn lots from their father and have their religious viewpoints learned from their father. For Danny, he comes from a long line of Hassidic rabbis which most likely led to his upbringing as a Hassidic Jew too. Danny learned his religious stance from his father just as how Reuven learned about his religious viewpoint as a Zionist from his father. When Reuven is excommunicated from speaking with Danny and their family, Reuven grows even more closely to his father and truly takes the initiative to push for the Jewish homeland, just like how Danny obeys his father’s commands and stays out from helping the creation. While Danny and Reuven are similar in the sense that they learn of their Jewish traditions from their father, they are also different in the sense that they were brought up differently. Danny is brought up in silence, as Reb Saunders believes in “speaking through silence.” Danny’s father doesn’t talk to Danny four years. Reb speaks through his wife and Reuven or other people too. Reb Saunders explains why he decided to do this when he is speaking to Reuven and Danny towards the end of the
It is during these discussions that they begin to learn more about each other. "For the first fifteen years of our lives, Danny and I lived within five blocks of each other and neither of us knew of the other 's existence." (Potok 1). Danny tells Reuven about his secret reading in the library and the man that recommends books for him. The boys realize that the mysterious man is in Reuven’s father.
The relationship between the two fathers and the two sons is a very important theme in this book. Because of their different backgrounds, Reb Saunders and David Malters approached raising a child from two totally different perspectives. Despite the obvious differences in the two men’s beliefs, both did what they thought was right for their sons. Reb Saunders was a Hasidic tzaddik and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. He raised Danny in silence, hoping to teach him to listen to silence, to learn compassion, and to develop a soul to go with his mind. Unless it had to do with religious studies, Reb never had an actual conversation with Danny after the age of 3. Reb wanted Danny to find things out for himself. On the other hand, Reuven’s father, Mr. Malters, felt it very important that he had good and frequent communication between himself and his son. The two would sometimes talk for hours about life, different religions, friends and anything else Reuven would want to ...
A silence exists between Reuven and Danny’s fathers as they never actually speak to each other, instead Reuven acts as the middleman between them. Reb Saunder’s gut reaction upon hearing David Malter’s speech on Zionism is to split Danny and Reuven like an atom, and a nuclear reaction occurs. Reuven wants to get into fights and scream at the anti-Zionists, and after his father’s heart attack Reuven has no one. “For the first few days the total silence inside the hospital was impossible for me to take….my schoolwork began to suffer.” (243) In his lonely apartment he labors studying the Talmud hoping one day that Rav Garshenson will call upon him in class to exhibit his knowledge and break the silence. Even Reuven’s father is silent when asked about the reasoning between the silence between Reb and Danny. Showing his dislike towards Reb, Reuven gives Reb the silent treatment by repeatedly declining invitations come over on the Shabbat. Silence is an unimaginable concept to Reuven, but it becomes a reality when only his thoughts accompany him due to the absence of his father and best
The Chosen, a novel written by Chaim Potok, is filled with a variety of themes that are brought together through each individual chapter. Chapter 7 in the book had a major impact in bringing forth the novel’s theme. For instance, in this chapter, the narrator, Reuven, starts by establishing the basic plot. He states, “The next day, I met Danny’s father” (Potok 112). Having this plot established is key in the chapter for it is the day that could make or break their friendship in a matter of seconds. Reuven and Danny Saunders have become friends since the incident during the ball game. Yet, there is a conflict in their friendship. Danny is a Hasidic Jew and follows the strict rules and beliefs of the Hasidic faith. Reuven, on the other hand, is an Orthodox Jew who does not follow all of the traditional customs, but does honor his faith. Rev Saunders, Danny’s father, hears from his son about his relationship with Reuven Matler, and wants to meet the young teen to approve of this companionship. Danny has never had a comrade who had not been a Hasidic Jew. This begins to show part of how the two must work through numerous hurdles in order to sustain their friendship and let it grow. Another example in this chapter that supports the basic plot is how Rev Saunders not only quizzes Danny on the Talmud lecture, but unexpectedly quizzes Reuven. He needed to test the boy, not only to approve of him as a friend for Danny, but to see what the son of David Malter knew. Rev Saunders approaches Reuven and says, “I am happy my Daniel has chosen you for a friend. My son has many friends. But he does not talk about them the way he talks about you” (141). He approves of his son’s friendship with Reuven Malter.
As the story evolves, Danny and Reuven become very good friends. This is a highlight for Danny, given that he has never had a close friend before Reuven. Danny has lived a very lonely life. He has not had any friends because he feels that no understands him. Reuven's father realizes Danny's loneliness, and gives Reuven some fatherly advice. He comments, "Reb Saunders' son is a terribly torn and lonely boy. There is literally no one in the world he can talk to. He needs a friend." (pg. 110) David Malter continues by saying, "The accident with the baseball has bound him to you and he has already sensed in you someone he can talk to without fear. I am very proud of you for that." (pg. 110) Reuven's father expresses his confidence to his son very openly which is an important aspect in comparing with Danny and his father's relationship.
After a whole book of building up, from Danny having to visit the library secretly to him having to hide his college plans, the writer reveals that the person Danny has always tried to keep secrets against knew and acquiesced all of his actions since the very beginning. Unlike how they portrayed him as, Reb Saunders does his best to raise Danny with freedom and spirituality at the same time instead of controlling Danny and trying to limit his freedom. Finally, though unwillingly, he lets Danny go, “Today is the-the Festival of Freedom.” There was a soft hint of bitterness in his voice. “Today my Daniel is free….”(288). At last, Danny is allowed to pursuit his dreams free from the burden of his family heritage. This final event raps up the book in a truly ironic way by alternating the readers’ views on Reb Saunders and his way of raising Danny that seemed cruel and
After Karl’s release he quickly made a new friend, Frank. The young boy accepted Karl with out question because he seemed to be more childlike than man. The two become soul mates. Karl related to Frank through his childlike manner as well as his parental setup. Frank’s mother was a widow dating an alcoholic, abusive man, Doyle. Karl saw himself in Frank and decided to watch over him. The parallelism between the two characters was shown throughout the movie. The love they shared will save them. The “boys” faced their troubles on a simple level. They avoided the complications of adult views and judgments.
During World War II is when Danny and Reuven first met. Within The Chosen, by Chaim Potok are three quotes. Each quote represents the beginning of a new part to the book. Each part of the book contains a little more of the story of Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders’ friendship. The first quote can be related to Reuven’s obedience towards his father, quote two illustrates the Saunders’ views of silence, and the third quote explains that silence can be used as a way of communication. 4
From a young age most people have gone through many relationships with other people who were not their family. Thus, we often acknowledge these relationships as friendships. But the word friend is too broad, so people categorize their friends to several types. In her book “Necessary Losses: The Lovers, Illusions, Dependencies and Impossible Expectations That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Grow”, Judith Viorst divided friendships to six types. Those are convenience friends, special Interest friends, historical friends, crossroad friends, cross-generation friends and close friends. In my life, I have been friend with many people since I was little. Although I have met all six kinds of friend of Viorst, convenience friends and close friends are two important kinds of friends in my life.
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“The story employs a dramatic point of view that emphasizes the fragility of human relationships. It shows understanding and agreemen...
The author uses imagery, contrasting diction, tones, and symbols in the poem to show two very different sides of the parent-child relationship. The poem’s theme is that even though parents and teenagers may have their disagreements, there is still an underlying love that binds the family together and helps them bridge their gap that is between them.