Throughout our lives, we are given choices to make. Whether these choices involve the people we will spend our time with, how much effort we will put into our work, or even the places we'll choose to go, they are for the most part up to each individual. In The Chosen by Chaim Potok, these kinds of choices are not up to each person, but rather up to the father of a very strict family of Jews.
             After Reuven Malter returned home from the hospital, Danny came to visit and apologize for hitting him in the face with a baseball. At first, the conversation between the two was not very pleasant, but changed dramatically when they both discovered each others more admirable qualities. When Danny decided that Reuven was the kind of person that he would like to be friends with, he first had to consult with his father about the relationship.
             "He wants to meet you. I told him we were friends. He always has to approve of my friends. Especially if they're outside the fold." (111)
             After spending an entire night with Danny and his father, Reuven was finally "chosen" by Reb Saunders as a suitable friend for Danny. In a sense, the entire process was a selection. Danny had no choice in who he could spend his time with, but instead relied on his father to decide who was the "chosen" and who was not.
             Just as Reb Saunders chose Danny's companions, he also played a large part in choosing his future college and occupation. Danny had been "chosen" by his father to be his successor as a tzaddik in the Jewish community. He was in a sense, the Frankenstein of Reb Saunders ; who was created to follow in the footsteps of his father. Similar to Frankenstein though, Danny's interests were not that of his creator. He wished to thrive on new knowledge or anything else he could get his hands on. As an early teenager, Danny loved to go to the library and discover
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