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Theme Of Family Loyalty In Chaim Potok's The Chosen

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Recommended: Representation of family in literature

“Family- like branches on a tree, we all grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one.” This famous quote describes a theme in Chaim Potok’s book, The Chosen. Although the friendship between Reuven and Danny showed apparently, the family relationships also had a very strong say in the book. Loyalty displayed by both boys towards their fathers is evinced throughout the book. Although each family had their ups and downs, in the end, family became the most important thing. Danny even defended his dad’s style of teaching in front of his best friend, Reuven. Family loyalty is obvious in how Danny treats his dad, how Reuven confides in his father, and how Reb Saunders loves his son despite all his faults. Firstly, although his dad, Reb Saunders, did not give Danny many reasons to like him, Danny still loved him and defended his dad. At times, Danny might seem to despise Reb Saunders, but at the end of the day, he still loves him. For instance, after Reuven met Reb Saunders for the first time and got intimidated by him, Danny stood up for his dad. He even went as far as to say that he sometimes enjoyed his dad’s grilling. However at times, even though one does see the …show more content…

RebSunder and Danny’s father-son relationship was not as it seemed and Danny at the end still respected his father although his father had given him the silent treatment for as long as he could recall. Reb Saunder had honourable intentions behind teaching with silence and he only wanted what deems best for Danny. On the other hand, Reuven and David Malter had a special relationship that most people would envy. They could confide in each other and had no barriers between them. Reuven could ask any thing or state his opinion and Mr. Malter would give an honest reply and helped Reuven when he could. Family loyalty, although shown in two different ways, was a prominent theme The

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