The Power of The Chosen
Throughout the book, 'The Chosen', Chaim Potok used the way of the Jewish lifestyle to teach his readers of the Jewish people. Potok used a variety of techniques including diction where he introduced Jewish terms, the theme of silence, and conflict between father and son to make the novel appealing. Furthermore, this novel tells us of the life of Jews and their commitment to religion; "We are commanded to study His Torah! We are commanded to sit in the light of the Presence! It is for this that we were created!
Chaim Potok has an outstanding way of using descriptive words to understand a situation. After Reuven reached home form the hospital he presented me with this depiction, " I stood in that room for a long time, watching the sunlight and listening to the sounds on the street outside. I stood there, tasting the room and the sunlight and the sounds, and thinking of the long hospital ward. . .. I wondered if little Mickey had ever seen sunlight come though the windows of a front room apartment. . .. somehow, everything had changed. I had spent five days in a hospital and the world around seemed sharpened now and pulsing with life." Potok right away uses his attention to detail to tell the appreciation of perception through his character Reuven Malter. Finally, I have found a book where the words speak to the reader and enlighten the reader through words not known.
Next, Potok introduces his theme of silence. Silence in this novel serves as both the theme and a conflict between characters. Potok shows us that like Reuven Malter, Danny Saunders life in silence develops a high respect of physical senses. Danny says this about his silence, "My father taught me with silence. . .to look into myself, to find my own strength, to walk around inside myself in company with my soul. . .. One learns of the pain of others by suffering one's own pain ... by turning inside oneself. . .. It makes us aware of how frail and tiny we are and of how much we must depend upon the Master of the Universe." To me Potok uses this quote excellently, and illustrates a good point, that if you listen enough you can absorb all information, and become more sensible about a subject than if you talk. Danny says this too, "You can listen to silence, Reuven. I have begun to realize that you can listen to silence and learn from it. It has a quality and a dimension all its own. It talks to me sometimes. I feel myself alive in it. It talks. And I can hear it.".
Finally, Chaim Potok writes about the conflict with Danny and his father as the only significant aspect of the novel. However, Potok also writes Reuven as a significant character, which learns and grows as the novel grows. Potok writes the novel not to focus on the conflicts of Danny and his father but the story of two friends and how they affect each other's lives. By the end of the novel Chaim Potok ends with this quote, "We shook hands and I watched him walk quickly away, tall, lean, bent forward with eagerness and hungry for the future, his metal capped shoes tapping against the sidewalk. Then he turned into Lee Avenue and was gone." As I completed this novel and this quote, I understand and see the growth the characters face. It has been neat to see the development of Danny and Reuven.
Overall, I think that this has been a great book to read. It has opened my eyes to this author and the Jewish religion. I have been enlightened by the growth of characters and the relationships made. Further, it has taught lessons and brought forth idea in which I questioned following. This book can be read by any age and I believe can be a great way to learn about a religion and lessons of life.
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