Character Analysis Of Reb Saunders In The Chosen, By Chaim Potok

Throughout The Chosen, written by Chaim Potok, Reuven Malter always had a difficult time understanding his accidental new friend Danny Saunders. At the young age of four, Reb Saunders made the decision to raise his first born Daniel in complete silence. Reb Saunders only spoke to his son when studying Talmud, otherwise known as Jewish law. Throughout the novel and up until the end, Reuven never truly understood the motives of Reb Saunders raising Danny as he did. In the novel, The Chosen, Reuven’s father David compared Danny to Solomon Maimon, a young Polish Jew, in an attempt to better explain Danny to his son. Towards the end of story, Reb Saunders finally reveals his motive for raising Danny in silence. He compares Danny to his brother who disregarded Jewish laws and the then died in a gas chamber in Auschwitz chasing knowledge. He also says what he did to Danny was a way to help him learn about compassion and the feelings of others. …show more content…
He was extraordinarily intelligent, so much his thirst for knowledge was not close to being satisfied by the Talmud. Maimon and Danny share many traits in common. They both succeeded in teaching themselves German, Jewish books and language cold not satisfy their thirst for knowledge, and their extensive knowledge of the Talmud. David Malter used Solomon in order to explain the rarity and what a phenomenon Danny Malter is. When Danny first hit Reuven in the head with the baseball his father knew Danny and Reuven would be interested to meet each other. This encounter turned out to be a friendship with would last a lifetime. Although Solomon and Danny had much in common, they had one key difference in their locations. Solomon Maimon grew up in a society with much prejudice and discrimination that eventually led to his death. On the other hand, Danny is growing up in a land of much freedom without persecution against any