Character Analysis Of Reuven In The Chosen, By Chaim Potok

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. Reuven was just as shaken when he heard that Billy would

Earlier in the chapter, he demonstrates sympathy for the soldiers invading France and their struggle, something he may not have done before his trauma. After the call, he “kept hearing Mr. Savo saying, ‘Crazy world. Cockeyed’” (173). This is a great example of the struggles we face throughout life, because many times, we don’t do anything at all to deserve what happens to us, like Billy in the car crash, who lost his vision due to the recklessness of another person. As Mr. Malter said, the way the world works “‘is a little cruel, Reuven. But that is the way the world it’” (147). When out on the porch, he noticed a spider spinning a web, and a fly getting stuck in it. The fly represents Reuven, who at one point felt trapped in his struggles. The person blowing on the web to free the spider can represent multiple people who helped him to overcome his challenging circumstances, from his father to Danny or Mr. Savo to Billy or Dr. Syndman. It is important that everyone find someone to free us when we feel trapped in our circumstances, someone who will help and encourage us to do better and be better. After the fly is freed by Reuven, the spider climbs back up to spin