The Chosen
When I selected "The Chosen" as the novel I would read for this assignment I did not foresee myself enjoying it. After all, it is just a story about two Jewish boys, and their experiences as they grow into men- kind of sounds like the typical Disney cliche with the exception of a Judaist emphasis. However in the end, not only would I be glued to the pages of Chaim Potok's book, but I would get caught up emotionally in the struggle between head and heart, opposing beliefs, and two boys that while longing to find their places within their respective worlds would find themselves in one another. I remember hearing in class that many Jews came to America because it was a land flowing with milk and honey: there were many advantageous opportunities for them, and the streets were paved with gold. However quite the opposite is true in the neighborhood that Reuven and Danny grow up in. Far from being paved in gold, the streets and sidewalks are cracked and full of potholes. The amazing opportunities that supposedly awaited the Jews are more accurately conveyed as store owners "eking out their meager livelihoods and dreaming of Shabbat" when they could finally close down their shops and focus on something other th
On the other end, Reb Saunders is very precise when he teaches his son about dissenters. However, that is only part of the overall picture. However the blatant distaste and rivalry between these two boys is felt on all sides and by every one- it is as Reuven says, a Holy War. and the loss of his eye was a consequence of that decision. Reuven's injury and stay in the hospital gives Potok an opportunity to provide lessons which will lend to Reuven's ability to tear down the feelings of hatred he has built up for Danny. Here, the two "representatives" come to a head to head, setting the stage for the numerous religious and secular debates these boys will have throughout the rest of the novel. Reuven tells us that his father, David Malter, "had no love at all for Hasidic communities and their rabbinic overlords". Potok explains through Reuven that there is an especial difference in the parochial schools that both boys attended: Danny is being taught in Yiddish and his teachers emphasize the Talmud and other religious studies as the main focus, whereas Reuven is offered more English subjects in conjunction with Talmud study and is taught in Hebrew. Potok wished to illustrate how individuals were not meant to make it on their own. In truth, Reuven must wage a battle within himself to accept Danny and the Hasidic religion- he has never before been challenged to be so tolerant. Since this story is told from the viewpoint of Reuven Malter, one might be inclined to assume that this story is all about Danny's struggle to stand up to his father and inevitably renounce his future role in their sect. From the very beginning pages of this novel it is made obvious that though Danny Saunders and Reuven Malter live only a few blocks apart, they are separated by a great religious abyss.
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Acceptance Essays
