More handpicked essays just for you.
Situations in the chosen showing the relationship between reuven and danny
The chosen danny and reuven friendship
World war ii in literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
World War II (WWII) is a very common topic discussed in high school english classes mainly due to the facts that WWII is a perfect example of good vs. evil in the real world and there is an endless amount of books written about this tragic era in history. Two examples of these type of books are Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken and Elie Wiesel’s Night; and like all of the other WWII books, these two address themes about the hardships of war and how hope is always present. One specific theme that these books support is that in war, there will always be peace; this is shown through elements of faith, happiness, and trauma. To begin, the two main characters of the books Unbroken and Night face a struggle with their individual faiths, but in very different ways. Louis (Louie) Zamperini initially was not the most religious man but when faced with the most dire of situations he turned to God repeatedly for help and counsel.
In his novel The Chosen Chaim Potok uses vision as a motif to show the reader that someone’s perception of things can change. In the novel, vision symbolizes the ability to see the world. The importance of perception is shown throughout the book. One of the main examples of this is after Reuven leaves the hospital. He says that “everything looks different”, but he doesn't mean this literally.
Throughout Chapter Nine of The Chosen, Chaim Potok demonstrates Reuven’s growth as a character, utilizes symbolism to show the struggles Reuven went through, and reveals how important it is to appreciate things you may take for granted, or even hate, such as Reuven’s exams. Potok exhibits Reuven’s growth as a character using the phone call with Billy’s father. On the call, he learns that Billy’s surgery was not successful, which shook him almost enough to make him drop the phone. This exposes how close he grew to Billy in his short stint in the hospital with him. We as people tend to form greater bonds with others when we go through highs and lows together, as Reuven and Billy did.
In his book The Promise Chaim Potok leads the reader on a heartbreaking journey full of spiritual conflict and decision. As a sequel to The Chosen, The Promise picks up with Reuven Malter, the main character and a Jewish man now in his mid-twenties, attending Hirsch University, a Jewish seminary in Brooklyn, New York. Reuven keeps his friendship with Danny Saunders, whom he met on a baseball field during his teenage years and later went to college with, even though they now go their separate ways as Reuven becomes a rabbi, and Danny practices psychology. During the summer Reuven dates Rachel Gordon, the niece of Abraham Gordon, a man excommunicated from the Jewish society, and meets Abraham’s son, Michael, a stubborn teen with a mental issue. Also, over the same summer Reuven’s father, David Malter, wrote a controversial book about the Talmud.
To choose or to be chosen; which is better? The gift of choice is something not bestowed upon everyone, and this is especially true for the main character of Chaim Potok’s The Chosen. The novel describes the life of two boys, Danny Saunders and Reuven Malter, one of which has been granted the freedom to choose his own destiny, and the other has already had his life mapped out since the day of his birth. Throughout his childhood and much of his adolescence, Danny struggled between the life he wants and the one chosen for him by his father, Reb Saunders, the rabbi a Hasidic congregation. As the eldest son of his family, Danny has been born into the position of the future rabbi of his temple, however, he yearns for something much different.
The books by Harper Lee and Chaim Potok can not be directly compared. Both range sepearte topics, and are well writen. Both novels were captivateing and though tprovokink, provinding a wonder read. The works of art are well worth their awards and provided a glimpse in to a forign world. The books in question were well writen and consiquently provided a captivateing read.
Danny, a character from The Chosen, and I both struggle with personal desires versus family traditions and expectations. Potok depicts Danny’s struggles so seamlessly that I could greatly relate to it. For example, Danny consciously goes against his father’s expectations when he “[reads] in the library so [his] father won’t know” (Potok 80). His overwhelming desire to learn and read books overcomes the expectations of his father, which is parallel to the strong desire I have to be very expressive and free overcomes my mother’s expectations. The scene reveals that Danny is aware that he is going against his father, yet he still goes through with it willingly; it is similar to how I am aware that I am opposing my mother, but I refuse to surrender.
Friendship is a wonderful yet confusing thing. This concept is brilliantly displayed in Chaim Potok’s The Chosen. In the book, the main character, Reuven, and Danny Saunders become friends through an interesting turn of events during a baseball game, the short version being that Danny ended up putting Reuven in the hospital with a baseball in the eye. After Reuven gets over some feelings of bitterness towards Danny, the two grow to be great friends. There are many difficulties when it comes to friendship, but the beauty of a good friendship is that good friends can power through them.
In a time where a trauma, calamity, or another kind of unfortunate event is evident or even expected, it is often said that waiting is the hardest part. In a time where death is constantly just around the corner, the most difficult challenge one must brave is to know it will eventually happen, but never know precisely when. In Elie Wiesel’s Night, he employs the motif of selection day in order to depict the constant primitivism and viciousness of the Holocaust as a whole, conveying a tone of desperation as Elie struggles to conserve the unbreakable bond he and his father share, with the fear of getting separated looming just behind. Wiesel employs the motif of the berating and relentless selection process to demonstrate the endless pattern
In the novel The Chosen, Chaim Potok constantly reaches out to the reader by using his words to make the them feel as if they were a character in the story. The way Potok communicates his thoughts is incredible. He uses several different ways to connect with the readers. Ways that he connects includes the way that he makes you believe that his stories are true, he presents a believable plot, he makes the characters come to life, and he gives the reader a vivid mental picture of the setting. Potok makes us believe that his stories are true.
The Impact of Tradition Gustav Mahler, a Jewish composer from the late 1800s, once said “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire” (Goodreads). What is the importance of religious tradition? Religion, one’s belief, plays a big part in determining and shaping how one behaves and acts. In Cham Potok’s The Chosen, religion plays a big part on impacting Danny Saunders life. Through various aspects of Danny’s life, his behavior continually reflects his family’s belief and their ethics.
What separates a good book from a bad one? Well, the choice lies in the hands of the readers. One can learn about a book from reading other people’s reviews, but the only way of deciding wether the book becomes a forgotten piece of literature lying in a dark corner or a prized and beloved treasure added to a beautiful shelf would be opinion. One book treasured by one could seem as a worthless story by another simply because the same book with the same plot is viewed by people with different opinions. By deciding that one book seems better than another, the person judging does not and should not ignore the value of the other.
Intelligence can be found in many different forms such as, books, people, words, movies, thoughts, etc. Anyone can inhabit intelligence, whether one choses to find it depends solely on their perspective. “Sometimes a change of perspective is all it takes to see the light.” ~ Dan Brown. Chaim Potok does an excellent job on providing intelligence and different perspectives on intelligence within his characters.
From an abusive, sexually active, all-consumed-by-love-couple to anti-semitism and holocaust filled chapters, Sophie’s choice by William Styron takes a turn from Aspiration street to end up at Disturbed Avenue. William Styron being a southern gentleman, who’s been in combat during WWII wrote the controversial book Sophie’s choice. Styron brings insights from his own life through Sophie’s holocaust experience and Stingo’s character. Sophie’s choice is told through Stingo’s perspective, through him the readers are able to watch the dysfunctional love story of Nathan and Sophie Z flourish, then wither. Stingo, as a young writer, moves into a beat-up boarding house where he soon meets the dysfunctional couple Nathan and Sophie.
Choosing vs. being chosen - I believe that this theme is important because it is mainly made up of the title and I think that it truly relates to the story. One quote in the story that Danny says is “ “I have no choice. If the son doesn’t take the father's place, the dynasty falls apart. I’m a little trapped” This shows that Danny was chosen to be a rabbi instead of choosing for himself.
