Reuven Friendship

Danny and Reuven’s relationship was a link between father and son, but this grew into something more, something life-long and unchanging. This friendship was true, it meant a lot to both of them, and their parents. However, after large disagreements in both Danny and Reuven’s religious lives and families, Reb Saunders excommunicates Reuven from the Hasidic community and Danny’s life.

One of first things Danny did when he talked to Reuven was insult him and call him an ‘apikorsim’, which is a Jew that is not following the basic rules of their faith. After the accident, Reuven refused to accept Danny’s apology and wanted to make him feel as bad as possible. He insulted him multiple times when Danny visited him in the hospital and told him to leave without even listening to him. But when he told his father about what he did, he was told to make Danny his friend and not to push him away. The next day, Danny came to visit him again. He apologized for his behavior the previous day and accepted Danny’s apology to him. After Reuven put aside his anger at the Hasidic boy they were able to become friends. It turned out that their difference of religion did not make any noticeable difference in their friendship at all, contrary to what both once

Danny and Reuven’s relationship progresses from tension in the beginning to an intimate friendship because of a mutual trust that is established. Danny says, “Sometimes I’m not sure I know what God wants though…I’ve never said that to anyone before” (80). From early on Danny feels comfortable confiding in Reuven. He shares his innermost feelings with Reuven and they form a closely knit bond. Danny and Reuven have a conversation; Reuven asks Danny, “Are you going to like being a Rabbi?” (82). Danny replies, “No, but I have no choice, it’s like a dynasty, if the son doesn’t take the father’s place, the dynasty falls apart” (Ibid.). This piece of evidence once again displays a profound trust the boys have. This conversation is a turning point for the book because Danny admits he does not want to carry on his father’s rabbinic dynasty. The fact that Danny openly shares this shocking information with Reuven shows how strong the boys relationship is. After a personal conversation Reuven narrates as he observes Danny, “I saw him begin to play absent-mindedly with one of his earlocks. We were quiet for a long

Danny and Reuven represent deeply committed friends. Their live intertwine when historical circumstances , religious realities, and their father's differences in child rearing dramatically affect their respective senses of security and happiness.

In his review, Bluefard talks about the differences that the two Jewish families have. One family are Hasidic Jews and the other Orthodox. Bluefard states that the Hasidic Jews (Danny’s family) revert to earlier scholasticism, mostly used in Europe, by teaching through “silence.” Basically meaning that he doesn’t speak of anything but religion and scholastic subjects. Bluefard talks about how strict Danny’s Hasidic father is and how Danny is forced and pressured into being a Rabbi, thus influencing Danny to rebel. The Orthodox Jews on the other hand, are quite the opposite. Bluefard talks about how Reuven’s father is much nicer, more open, and understanding. He lets Reuven be what he wants to become, and is not pressured. Bluefard says that the difference between the fathers is from “their respective visions toward the holocaust” (Bluefard, 2)

The relationship between Danny and Reuven is a very big theme in The Chosen. Danny and Reuven are two boys who have grew up within a few blocks of each other, but in two entirely different worlds. They meet for the first time in at a school baseball game between their two Jewish schools. Even though at first their only feeling for each other is one of hatred, they eventually get over their differences and become the best of friends. They learn a lot about each other and about the others life and religion. The boys’ fathers have very different views and that’s gets them in trouble. Danny’s father disagrees with Reuven’s father’s point of view on a certain topic, and forbids Danny from ever seeing Reuven again. After some time Reb gets over himself and permits Danny to see Reuven again. This situation goes back to the fathers’ ways of raising their child and their view on their religion.

that did not match up with who they actually are. Reuven’s perception of Hasidic Jews changes

Through telling his father this, Reuven shows that he resents Danny and lets his belief that all Hasidic Jews hate Orthodox Jews cloud his judgment. Later, when Danny visits Reuven in the hospital, Reuven tells him “you [Danny] can go to hell, and take your whole snooty bunch of Hasidim along with you!” (67). By yelling at Danny like this, Reuven shows his prejudice against Hasidic Jews and his unwillingness to view Danny as a person who is capable of remorse or friendship. After hearing about the incident, Reuven’s father confronts Reuven and convinces him to put aside his prejudices and try to befriend Danny. When Danny visits the hospital a second time, Reuven has an epiphany and realizes that while Danny was “dressed like a Hasid” he “didn’t sound like one” (72). Through his epiphany, Reuven realized that Danny was a real person who could not be

The relationships between the boys brought the families a little closer than before. Although Reb Saunders and Mr. Malter did not agree on their theology they had one huge thing in common, Danny and Reuven were best friends. Their fathers poured wisdom into their friendship so that it could be strong and lasting. “You remember what the Talmud says. If a person comes to apologize for having hurt you, you must listen and forgive him.” (63). Mr. Malter explained to Reuven that he should forgive Danny who had come to ask for forgiveness after hitting Reuven in

At the beginning of the novel, their whole friendship wouldn't have started if one, Reuven didn't listen to his urging father and forgave Danny, and two, if Danny didn't stubbornly persist in visiting Reuven in the hospital, where he patiently waited for him to vent his anger. "Also, yesterday I hated him; now we were calling each other by our first names. I sat and

Religion plays a large part in the formation of both Danny and Reuven’s personal identities and contributes heavily to the overall theme and setting of the

Since Danny had such high respect for his father despite the silence he received from him, Reuven found it difficult to not intervene in the relationship. He knows how to handle any situation on his own now, whether he has someone there with him or not. Mr. Saunders did apologize to Danny for the way he raised his son, finally realizing the fault in his beliefs. The little relationship that Danny and his father did have growing up was one that Reuven resented as his relationship with his father was quite normal. Mr. Malter helped Reuven with his studies all throughout school, they enjoyed Shabbat together and chatted.

As Danny and Reuven mature and go through numerous/several periods of doubt, anger, confusion, various references are made to their eyesight as two are exposed more and more to the wider world around them. After Reuven’s glasses “lay shattered on the asphalt floor” (Potok 33) due to his attempt to catch the baseball that Danny hit, he is admitted into the hospital for recovery. During his time in the hospital, Reuven is visited by Danny who apologizes for his injury, and two eventually reach a consensus. This is a big turning point for Reuven because he realizes that Danny defies all his previous assumptions about Hasidic Jews, resulting in Revuen’s broader and more open-minded attitude towards different people and ideas in the future. The literal shattering of his glasses metaphorically refers to how Reuven breaks free from his old stereotypes, (and from then on “everything looks different” (Potok 107)). Danny encounters a similar experience with his vision as he learns and gains more knowledge, although in his case, his vision starts to regress as his perception widens. While studying in the library, Danny complains that “his eyes were bothering him again and that he wouldn’t be at all surprised if he ended up wearing glasses soon” (Potok 189). Leading up to that point, Danny had become more aware of other Orthodox principles, due to

One of the most commonly used literary devices among authors, irony generates a connection between the reader and the fictional world. Irony is generally used in a mocking manner in which the user makes a sarcastic statement, such as: “Nice going!” when failure appears obvious. Occasionally the contrasts appear clear-cut, often times not. In Chaim Potok’s The Chosen irony lingers in the background, waiting to make its appearance.

First, Danny displays intelligence with his extensive knowledge of the Talmud and by the many books he reads. Danny’s father urges him to study vigorously, which proves to help Danny gain knowledge. For example, Danny and his father frequently battle over the Talmud. In chapter eight, Reuven witnesses this Talmud battle, which consists of Danny and his father arguing over passages in the Talmud (Lee 163). Because of Danny’s photographic mind, he can prove his grasp of these teachings. Furthermore, Danny reveals to Reuven that he reads many books in addition to