Literary Analysis
Authors use writing as a form of disseminating their knowledge and experiences to the world. Chaim Potok is a master of this, and has shown it in each of his eight amazing novels. In his novels, Potok often made the idea of challenging conformity a central issue for the characters. Danny's decision to become a Psychologist in "The Chosen" is a single example of this issue with conformity. From the diametric opposition of Danny and Reuven's characters, Potok shows how delicate the balance of the worlds of secular and Ultra-Orthodox Judaism can be. Potok's purpose of writing this novel is to show not only this balance of beliefs, but also the conflicts that can arise within a single religion. Potok was born in the Bronx, New York in February of 1929. He was the son of two polish immigrants and grew up in an Orthodox Hassidic family. His family and friends within the sect discouraged him from going beyond the boundaries of Judaism. The discouragement of leaving orthodox practices only led to rebellion. His rebellion lied within his becoming a conservative Jewish person. Secular Jews practice the religion, but do not base their lives around Judaism. Potok was intrigued by this idea, and after he read "Portrait of a You
Throughout the entire novel, Potok makes the reader believe that Reb Saunders is cruel and tyrannical. Later in the novel, Reuven's father becomes an active Zionist. Danny's father raised him in silence, and this is a reoccurring motif throughout the plot. " Ironically, both of these were books about Catholicism. Combining his experiences with his need to share his profound knowledge, Potok wrote the Chosen not only to come to terms with his past, but also to teach the world valuable lessons in life and in moral. Reuven must go stay at Danny's for the summer because his father has a heart attack. It was important that Reuven learned this so that he could understand why Danny would not oppose the silent upbringing. He had served as a chaplain in 1956-57(Gale 44). This is not only foreshadowing an incident concerning Zionism later in the book, but it also shows the reoccurring theme of secular and religious conflicts within Judaism. This expectation was an important idea because it was the cause of Danny's rebellion. The irony was that the religious person undertook a secular lifestyle, while the secular undertook the religious person's. " This means that when you can appeal to one audience, it is possible to appeal to everyone. There are a number of central themes in the novel. He was chosen to go against conformity, and make his decisions according to his own interests, and not his father's.
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Acceptance Essays
