fathers and sons
"Fathers and Sons" could of have easily been the title for Chaim Potok's novel The Chosen. In his first book, The Chosen, Potok portrays two different father and son relationships where the tradition becomes the source of conflict for his central characters, as they each seek their identities in the contemporary, secular society1. From one father and son relationship to the other each has its own set of problems and has their own way to communicate with one another. The conflicts in The Chosen functions at several levels. These are generational conflict, the temperamental conflict, the conflict between head and heart, and the opposition between a petrified fanaticism and humane tolerance2. In Chaim Potok's The Chosen each father and son relationship represent two different sides of Jewish life. The Chosen begins with a softball game between two Jewish parochial schools. Reuven Malter who is the son of a Jewish scholar is hit in the face with a ball hit by Danny Saunders who is the son of a Hasid that almost makes him blind. These two boys have two different backgrounds. Reuven is Orthodox; Danny is a Hasid, the son of a rabbi and destined by his father to take his hereditary place as tzaddik- a teacher
The Chosen presents a conflict between two generations and the Hawthornesque split between the obsessions of the head and the impulses if the heart that carry the major thrust7 . It leads to Danny going against what his father had prepared him for. At times Danny isn't able to tell his father exactly what is going on but his father is always aware. Neither one could have imagined that through their one incident at the baseball game that they would grow to become spiritual brothers. For example when Danny began satisfying his need for secular subjects by reading Freud, his father was clearly aware of it. Reb Saunders responds by saying Danny will become a tzaddik for the world, not merely for Jews. Since Reuven's relationship with his father is one which is built on mutual love and respect and not suffering, Reuven grows up to become exactly what his father had hoped for. Although their relationship is full of suffering and no conversing of subjects other than Talmud Danny is aware of the fact that his father loves him. This not only rages Reb Saunders but also adds to the anger that existed before. On the other hand Reuven represents the old fashioned Jew and the perfect child. For Reuven and Danny are can be compared to the Ying and Yang because one supplements the other. Throughout The Chosen, Potok portrays two different relationships between father and son and how each one effects the outcome of their offspring. From the beginning of the novel one can quickly sense that Danny will rebel and Reuven will become a rabbi. Like his father he also has a spark of tolerance which illuminates his own knowledge if human essences as opposed to ritualistic forms5.
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Acceptance Essays
