Chaim Potok's The Chosen

It was said by Henry Gray that “No one ever achieved greatness by playing it safe”. A lot of people who have been graced with the blessing of achieving greatness, had to take risks. Taking a risk can be very hard for some people to do. Since it is hard, people tend to keep to themselves if they are going to take one. Therefore, some very great people can be reserved and difficult to understand. In chapter seven of The Chosen by Chaim Potok, Mr. Malter says great men are difficult to understand. He says this about Reb Saunders the father of his son’s friend. Mr. Malter and Reuven were having a very hard time comprehending Reb Saunders. So, Mr. Malter tells his son, Reuven, that all great men are difficult to understand. This helped Reuven grasp the idea of why Reb Saunders did the things he did. Mr. Malter’s statement is very true in most cases. One being Abraham Lincoln. He did a vast amount of great things but he was sometimes reserved while doing them. This sometimes made it difficult to understand him. Usually, great men are difficult to understand. Among …show more content…
One man that was hard to understand was Abraham Lincoln the sixteenth president of the United States. He had it rough growing up and had to work very hard to have a good living. It was said that he was only lenient and forgiving when it came to himself. He was president but this qualities and kind of personality were not that of a president. In the story “The Chosen” by Chaim Potok one of the main characters is also difficult to understand. Like Lincoln, he also had a upsetting life as he grew up. He would not have a strong relationship with his son and that was not comprehendable for most people. It was said by Ralph Waldo Emerson that “A great man is always willing to be little”. Greatness can be found deep within a person and sometimes people may not understand these people and their