While Reuven is in the Hasidic synagogues, he sees how the Hasidic men treat Danny and Reb Saunders like their God. Reb Saunders Reuven about gematriya as a way of proving if he is worthy to become Danny’s friend. Reuven feels like he passed the test by pointing out a mistake in one of the gematriyot. The Hasidic
Last but not least another important event is Reb Saunders finally speaking to his son, while telling Danny about why he has not spoken to him since childhood. Danny and Reuven's friendship starts
He is taught to be exactly like his father when he becomes an adult and he is extremely observant. I was raised like Reuven and completely agree with his father’s approach of raising Reuven. I completely disagree with Reb Saunders way of raising Danny because it was essentially a “radical” way of
On the other hand, Reb Saunders is an anti zionist against all efforts aimed at the establishment of a Jewish state prior to the arrival of Messiah. He believes that “A man is born into this world with a tiny spark of goodness in him. The spark is God, it is the soul; the rest is ugliness and evil, a shell.” pg 282 This quote portrays Reb Saunders beliefs that as a Jew, his one purpose is to serve God.
Reuven was glad that Danny came to visit again despite their previous encounter. after sending Danny away, he was surprised at his own actions and had come to regret it at the end. His own father reminded him that the Talmud says that if a person is willing to apologize for his own wrongdoing, then you must at least try to understand and forgive him and that is exactly what Reuven intends to do after feeling angry and depressed with himself from what he had said to Danny. Throughout this chapter, an unlikely friendship between the two boys develop. They begin to talk and learn more about one another rather than dwelling in fateful day of the ballgame; in other words, they let bygones be bygones.
When Reuven expresses his hatred towards Danny Saunders for hitting a baseball into Reuven’s left eye, Mr. Malter reprimands his son and quotes from Talmud: “If a person comes to apologize for having hurt you, you must listen and forgive him” (68). Another instance happened when Danny revealed to his father that he had drawn back from speaking to Reb Saunders for some time, and Mr. Malter becomes angry. He tells Reuven that when someone tries speaking to him, he must listen and let that person speak. In addition to correcting, Mr. Malter also encourages those around him. Despite many conflicts, Mr. Malter supports and encourages Danny and Reuven throughout the story.
In Chaim Potok’s novel, The Chosen, Reb Saunders, who is Danny’s father, is a very interesting and wise man. His techniques and beliefs for raising his son is strange and unorthodox but it is what he believes will help grow his son’s soul. He is not your typical father and being Jewish plays a role in his decisions. In the book we see how his actions are used and end with fruitful results. Reb Saunders grew up in a “small town in southern Russia” and was raised in the Jewish Orthodox customs.
Danny Saunders presents an emotional enigma. On a surface level, his attributes appear clear, but as one examines deeper, his emotions take on a blurry existence. Reuven especially never seems to discern what Danny is feeling and why. This makes it an extraordinarily difficult task to assess the basic mold of Danny’s personality. When distilling him down, it is near impossible to go any deeper than the obvious points.
In addition to the misunderstanding, Reuven also has a frustration about being a middle man. However, his conflict with Reb Saunders causes the power struggle between Danny and his father to be unsettling until he accepts the invitation. Danny wishes to go to Columbia University, and he knows what he has to give up in order to go there. Reb Saunders is the leader of the whole Hasidic Jewish community. There are certain responsibilities lying on the back of Reb Saunders and Danny they cannot just throw away.
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 always listens Danny when he talks about psychology, even when he doesn’t know what Danny means. Reuven even suggests books for Danny to read about Judaism to help widen his view and understanding of it. Not only that, Reuven also calls Danny several times, and as stated in the first paragraph, “Yes, she would give him my wishes for his speedy
However, when Danny’s father Reb Saunders, an avid anti-Zionist, hears of Mr. Malter’s speeches, Danny and Reuven’s friendship dissolves into absolute silence. It
Instead Reuven immediately jumps to the conclusion that something is bad when intended to be fun and enjoyable because of the unfamiliarity. This theme continues to occur when Reuven learns that Danny’s father, Reb Saunders, only speaks to Danny in silence and while studying the Talmud, he does not understand. This issue affects Reuven’s view of Reb Saunders by the way in which he chooses to raise his son. As Reuven learns that Danny does not quite understand the silence either, Reuven chooses not to accept silence as the way things must be. Reuven is in close relationship with his father and believes that Danny should be among the same environment.
The first visit did not go well for Danny saunders due to Reuven representing a foolhardy behavior. “What the hell are you sitting here for? I thought you said you were going home!” “I came to talk to you ,” he said quietly. ”(page 62).
Unlike Danny, Reuven’s dad talks to him all the time. However when Reuven’s dad suffers from a heart attack, Reuven feels like his soul is torn apart. Coming to the rescue Danny invites Reuven to stay at his house in this tough time. The boy’s friendship also influences Reuven’s life by teaching him to be unprejudiced towards those who differ from him. If the boys had continued their lives on separate paths, Reuven would have always thought the Hasidic sect was weird and extreme.
