Intelligence In The Chosen Reuven

Intelligence includes a wide spectrum of ideas and experiences. In The Chosen, Chaim Potok gives many of the characters great intelligence which looks different in each one of them. Reuven, the Jewish boy who tells the story, loves and excels in mathematics and logic. Danny, on the other hand, does not understand these subjects but instead has a natural bent towards literature and psychology. The boys’ mutual respect for each other’s intelligence leads them to a strong friendship. With much life experience, Mr. Malter, Reuven’s father, shows his intelligence with wisdom and good advice. Despite their different strengths, Reuven, Danny, and Mr. Malter all exhibit unique intelligence which they use to strengthen their relationships with each other. …show more content…
He tells Danny early on about his passion for these subjects and his desire to use his skills to teach in a university one day. Danny was impressed by his intelligence in this field and most likely shared this information with his father. On Reuven’s first visit to Danny’s house, Danny’s father quizzed him on the gematriyot, the cryptographic method of explaining the Hebrew Scriptures. Paying close attention, Reuven, despite feeling scared, pointed out the mistake that Reb Saunders, Danny’s father, had intentionally made. After correcting him, Reuven thought that Reb Saunders would never want to see him again, but his reaction was the complete opposite. “’Reuven, you have a good head on you,’ he said quietly in Yiddish” (141). Earning the respect of Reb Saunders confirms Reuven’s intelligence in this