Chaim Potok

As one of the main characters in Chaim Potok’s The Chosen, Danny Saunders plays an extensive and fascinating part in the book. One day he will replace his esteemed father, Reb Saunders, as tzaddik in the Hasidic Jewish community. He possesses a highly developed intellect and easily deciphers complex ideas. Curious about the world, he reads in secret to try to gain a better understanding. Danny is also conflicted about his future and feels trapped. His developed intellect, secular curiosity, and…

Wisdom, a trait that many strive for and some gain. Jimi Hendrix once said “Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.” This quote exhibits itself through some characters in particular in The Chosen, a book written by Chaim Potok. Reb Saunders displays wisdom throughout his teachings. Mr. Malter exhibits wisdom when giving advice to Reuven. Rav Gershenson showcases wisdom in the way he manages his class. These characters, in personal perspective, show great wisdom with what they do. Reb Saunders…

culture. Different cultures create laws of life in which its followers think they need to abide by. Certain cultures, however, can be intimidating if a person is not familiar with it; it can even be intimidating to someone who is apart of this culture. Chaim Potok’s The Chosen showcases the building of a friendship that will try to outlast all the troubles; it is about deciding whether or not cultures will destroy the friendship without intervening in the fate. The theme for The Chosen is that…

The Fantastic Father In his critically acclaimed novel The Chosen, Chaim Potok highlights the fascinating friendship between Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders. These two Jewish teenagers manage to nourish an intimate relationship despite their sharply contrasting backgrounds. Reuven's father, David Malter, certainly plays no small part in facilitating the boys' friendship. Despite the teens' apparent hatred for each other at first, Mr. Malter strongly encourages Reuven to befriend Danny. He…

One might say the main focus of The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, deals with the friendship between Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders. Early in the book, Reuven’s father observes the adversarial relationship between the two boys and tells his son that it would benefit both youths if Reuven tried to cultivate a friendship with Danny. Quickly the tone of the friendship manifests itself as a tone of mutual self-improvement. Reuven and Danny provide outlets for the other’s feelings, thoughts, and…

Chaim Potok uses David Malter in The Chosen to demonstrate an example of how some should live. Not only his authoritative personality, but his response to different situations. He employs a Christian attitude and tires to lead by examples. By living with a patriarchal persona, not only does he help others, he faces temptations yet stays grounded. David Malter employs the likeness of Christ compared to all the characters by his leadership, personality, and his principles. No matter the…

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Chosen by Chaim Potok both withhold interesting and captivating plots. However, the overall meaning of each book determines which novel has a better moral. Additionally, in To Kill a Mockingbird, the characters’ qualities vary, which causes the reader to remain constantly intrigued when reading the book. Conversely, in The Chosen, the characters have similar values and the characteristics do not vary as much. Lastly, the plot in To Kill a Mockingbird…

up going to college and barely passing, in Switzerland. His teachers wouldn’t recommend him for any jobs, unaware that he would become one of the greatest scientists in history. His name is Albert Einstein. As Mr. David Malter, a character from Chaim Potok’s novel The Chosen, explains to his son, Reuven, while talking about Reb Saunders “Reb Saunders is a great man, Reuven. Great men are always difficult to understand, “ (p. 147). Reb Saunders was the rabbi of a Hasidic community. He had…

Change, a process many book characters undergo to develop the reader’s understanding of that character’s identity and personality. The characters in Chaim Potok’s book The Chosen certainly do not skip out on the process of change. Potok uses certain events and relationships to evolve and change his characters into a more definable person for the reader to understand. While many characters in the book transform for the better, some change for the worse. Although several characters do evolve,…

To Kill the Chosen? Throughout the first semester, different types of literature were exposed to the student through two books, The Chosen by Chaim Potok, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. By observing the development of the characters and the issues of the books, the superior title will present itself. Both books offered an excellent read and taught many valuable lessons. In order to unearth the similarities of the book’s topics, one must first compare them. While To Kill a…