Theme Of Silence In Chaim Potok's The Chosen

“Silence is golden” is a commonly known saying, and there is certainly truth in it. Silence helps a person relax, clear their mind, or recover from a stressful event. It is good for children, especially hyper ones, to calm down as well. Periods of quiet are healthy. However, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. In Chaim Potok’s The Chosen, Reb Saunders teaches his son Danny through silence. He does this so as to teach Danny about suffering. However, Reb Saunders’ method is not required to teach empathy, and in fact may have negative effects on the child. Reb Saunders spends Danny’s childhood remaining emotionally distant from his son. As Danny often says, “‘he never talks to me except when we study’” (79). They study

He has a restricted childhood, finding it necessary to sneak to the library to learn about subjects his father does not approve of. His father’s treatment of him also leaves him “‘bewildered and hurt’” (286). Mr. Malter describes Danny as “‘a terribly torn and lonely boy’” (110). Danny’s child and teen years will eventually be considered as “years of suffering” (288). Reb Saunders’ parenting style also has aspects of emotional abuse to it. Emotional abuse is defined as “behavior by parents or caregivers that can seriously interfere with a child’s cognitive, emotional, psychological or social development” (“Emotional Abuse”). Though Reb Saunders’ is not an abuser, his parenting style could have lead to behavioral issues with Danny, though it fortunately did

It seems cruel and unnecessary. Reb Saunders’ true reasons are eventually revealed at the end of The Chosen. Danny was born with a remarkable mind, which Reb Saunders’ considers both a blessing and a curse. He sees in Danny “‘a mind without a soul’” (283). This reminds him of his brother, who left the family and his to-be-inherited position of rabbi to become a mathematician, and whose mind Reb Saunders’ describes as “‘cold’” (283) and as “‘indifferent to and impatient with suffering’” (284). Not wanting his son to become like his brother, Reb Saunders decided to teach Danny compassion, humility, and suffering the only way he knew how: the way Reb’s father taught him. Reb Saunders’ father would often wake him and tell him terrible stories “‘just so I would cry’” (284). He also taught Reb in silence. The theory behind this style is that, since Reb has assumed Danny was born without a “‘soul’” (283), or empathy, Danny must be made to suffer so he will know