Chaim Potoks The Chosen Essay example - 1164 Words

Chaim Potoks 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†¦show more content†¦Malter to converse with Reuven about very important issues, some of which were current events. After talking about certain current events, Mr. Malter begins to talk about his life. At the end of his speech to Reuven, he says: â€Å"‘A life filled with meaning is worthy of rest’† (217). In the speech Reuven’s father gives to him, he talks about how short life is. He says Reuven is growing up and it is time to think of the future. The speech allows Reuven to understand his father’s aging as well as realize that he himself should live life to the fullest and do what he wishes. Giving his life a meaning and a purpose is something Reuven needs to do to succeed in the future, and Mr. Malte r tells him to follow his heart in deciding occupations. Reuven’s father uses his knowledge to give Reuven a new perspective on a life, and to clear up uncertainty in his future. Mr. Malter tries to teach his son understanding, compassion, and tolerance which are mandatory qualities of rabbis. A good example of this lesson occurs after Reuven has gone with Danny to Danny’s synagogue and does not comprehend the actions of Danny’s father and the tradition that took place. When he comes home to his father late at night, his father tries to help him comprehend what he just witnessed: My father shook his head. â€Å"It’s not terrible, Reuven. Not for Danny, not for his father, and not for the people who listened. It is an old tradition, this kind of TalmudicShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Friendship In Chaim Potoks The Chosen775 Words   |  4 Pagesfriend comforts more, then to walk alone 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 throughRead More Role of the Fathers in Chaim Potok’s The Chosen Essay1066 Words   |  5 PagesRole 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 expectsRead MoreCharacterism In The Chosen And Chaim Potoks The Catcher In The Rye1761 Words   |  8 Pagesmerely to exist --- what sense is there to it?† (Potok 218). A person’s life measures up to be what they decide to do with it. Although, it may be hard for them to achieve what they want within a troubled society, it is still possible. In Chaim Potok’s The Chosen and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, both authors portray their purposes by demonstrating hardships of coming of age and growing up in conflicting societies in order to argue that the environment in which an individual grows up inRead MoreIn Chaim Potoks The Chosen And The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz1044 Words   |  5 PagesWorld War 2 was a time of persecution, fighting, and devastation. The Holocaust and World War 2 have lasting effects to the world that no one will ever forget. Chaim Potok’s novel The Chosen and the true story The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz told by Denis Avey both depict the events of World War 2, but in very different ways. In The Chosen, Reuven Malter and hasid Danny Saunders become unlikely friends through an accident in a huge baseball game. Danny hits Reuven in the eye while batting in baseballRead MoreBenjamin Lev s Struggle With Their Ultra Orthodox Religious Beliefs1242 Words   |  5 Pagessomething good, we are made to feel proud. Chaim Potok’s My Name Is Asher Lev explores the upbringing of a child into the strict, Hasidic Jewish way of life, and the attempts o f Asher Lev to co-exist in his orthodox Jewish life and the secular Western forms of art and expressionism. Potok expertly documents Asher’s struggle as he develops in a conflicted world of religion and secularism, while also showing the Freudian nature of Asher’s upbringing. As such, I have chosen to explore the hypothesis that AsherRead MoreThe Chosen by Chaim Potok Essay523 Words   |  3 PagesThe Chosen by Chaim Potok The novel, The Chosen, written by Chaim Potok, is a very interesting novel that opens a readers mind to the religion of Judaism and the different trials Jews had to go through. Throughout this book, many thoughts and ideas can get the readers attention, but the most appealing idea is the decisions that Danny Sanders had to make. Danny struggles with culture expectations concerning his dress, the decision to follow the Hasidic family tradition, and keeping his JewishRead MoreSilence in The Chosen Essay1664 Words   |  7 PagesChaim Potok uses many different types 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 (ledRead MoreChaim Potok s Most Prolific Work952 Words   |  4 PagesThe Chosen was Chaim Potok’s most prolific work. Written in the 1960’s, this novel analyzes and discusses the numerous branches of Judaism through the eyes of a young man, Reuven. The book chronicles the main character, Reuven’s friend Danny’s life from a young age at yeshivas through high school, into college and to graduate school. The Chosen is a most fitting title for this work because the novel focuses on the choices that Danny and Reuven make throughout his life. Choices pertainingRead MoreDynamic Relationships in The Chosen749 Words   |  3 PagesChaim Potok’s The Chosen set in Brooklyn, New York, tells the story of two Jewish teenagers, Danny Saunders and Reuven Malter, as they experience the effects the Second World War has on their religious traditions. Their friendship faces trials but is eventually re-strengthened. The boys’ relationship fluctuates as it moves from trust to compassion and then to restoration. Danny and Reuven’s relationship progresses from tension in the beginning to an intimate friendship because of a mutual trustRead MoreEssay on My Name Is Asher Lev2011 Words   |  9 PagesThe struggle to find ones identity is a universal theme that is especially prevalent in Chaim Potoks novel, My Name Is Asher Lev. As an Orthodox Jew, Ashers gift for art is looked upon very unfavorably. Despite the disapproval of his community and father and the pain his art causes those around him, he pursues his passion and must find a way to reconcile the conflict between his religious identity and his individual identity. Potok starts off with the main character delivering three short sentences