Malter's Development in The Chosen One of the most emotional scenes from Chaim Potok’s The Chosen is when Reuven goes with Danny Saunders to talk to his father. Danny has a great mind and wants to use it to study psychology, not become a Hasidic tzaddik. The two go into Reb Saunders’ study to explain to him what is going to happen, and before Danny can bring it up, his father does. Reb Saunders explains to the two friends that he already known that Reuven is going to go for his smicha and Danny, who is in line to become the next tzaddik of his people, will not. This relates to the motif of “Individuality” and the theme of “Danny’s choice of going with the family dynasty or to what his heart leads him.” The most developing character from the novel is Reuven Malter. One of the ways that he developes in the novel is in hus understanding of friendship. His friendship with Dfanny Saunders is encouraged by his father, but he is wary of it at first because Danny is a Hasid, and regards regular Orthodox Jews as apikorsim because of the teachings of his father. Reuven goes from not being able to have a civil conversation with Danny to becoming his best friend with whom he spens all of his free time, studies Talmud and goes to college. Reuven truly grows because he leans, as his father says, what it is to be a friend. Another way that Reuven grows is that he learns to appreciate different people and their ideas. He starts out hating Hasidim because it’s the “pious” thing to do, even though his father (who I see as the Atticus Finch of this novel) keeps telling him that it’s okay to disagree with ideas, but hating a person because of them is intolerable. Through his friendship with Danny, studies with Reb Saunders, brief crush on Danny’s sister (who was never given a name), and time spent in the Hasidic community, he learns that Hasids are people too with their own ideas and beliefs that are as valuable as his. He learns why they think, act, speak, and dress the way that they do and comes to grips with the fact that he doesn’t have a monopoly on virtue. A third way in which Reuven grows, though the book doesn’t really talk about it a great deal, is in his appreciation of life, or cha’im in Hebrew. He almost loses his vision, his father nearly works himself to death, six million Jews are butchered in Europe, and Danny’s brother’s poor health threatens Danny’s
The relationship between the two fathers and the two sons is a very important theme in this book. Because of their different backgrounds, Reb Saunders and David Malters approached raising a child from two totally different perspectives. Despite the obvious differences in the two men’s beliefs, both did what they thought was right for their sons. Reb Saunders was a Hasidic tzaddik and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. He raised Danny in silence, hoping to teach him to listen to silence, to learn compassion, and to develop a soul to go with his mind. Unless it had to do with religious studies, Reb never had an actual conversation with Danny after the age of 3. Reb wanted Danny to find things out for himself. On the other hand, Reuven’s father, Mr. Malters, felt it very important that he had good and frequent communication between himself and his son. The two would sometimes talk for hours about life, different religions, friends and anything else Reuven would want to ...
Danny Saunders is the other main character, who lives under the shadow of becoming the next rabbi (the preacher of our culture.) He...
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is an ideal father, who sets a great example for his kids. A picture of Atticus is important to Scout because Atticus teaches Scout many important life lessons about life. Firstly, as Atticus talks to Scout about Miss. Stephanie, he states “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee,30). Scout realizes that one can never feel someone’s pain, happiness, or glory until she looks at their point of view of things; she learns to consider other people’s situation and feelings. She also understands that she will never know what goes in other people’s lives, and therefore she cannot judge anyone. Scout matures as she learns to apply Atticus’ wise advice to understand Mrs. Dubose and Boo Radley, who are individuals that are misunderstood by the community. Furthermore, as Miss Maudie talks to Scout, she states “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (Lee, 46). Miss Maudie knows about Atticus’ personality quite well. Miss Maudie explains to Scout Atticus is a man with moral principles, he does what he believes is right even if others are not there to praise him. Through Atticus’ exemplary role, Scout understands the importance of integrity, and strong moral values. Finally, when Scout questions her father about the possible outcome of the trial, Atticus states “simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us to try to win” (Lee, 76). Atticus teaches Scout toleration, determination and moral courage. He already knows he is going to los...
Danny Saunders is a Hasidic boy with a brilliant mind, kind and compassionate heart, who struggles between his desire for secular knowledge and his escaping from his inherited position as eventual leader of Hasidic religious as a tzaddik.
There are countless factors when one would need to reflect on when deciding whether a parent is admirable or not. However, when it comes to Atticus Finch, the phrase, “an admirable parent” describes Atticus completely.
Even though Atticus Finch is an exceedingly reputable and good-natured man, he has more than a few flaws as a character which contract him as the true hero of the novel. However, though Atticus is not a hero of the novel as many readers think, he is a well-rounded and well developed character. As a father, he always makes every effort to tell his children nothing but the truth; as a citizen, Atticus is courteous and gentlemanly to everyone in town, and as a lawyer, Atticus takes on a case with the dedication that no other white man would have – even when he knew that he was most likely going to fail. Every character has their pros and cons, some outweigh each other while some balance each other out. So although Atticus is not a very good role model for young lawyers, his gentleman-like nature is an exemplary photo for young, growing men.
Atticus Finch is a man who fought for what he believed in. He stood up for what he
We see this with Owen Meany when John tells us that Owen “gave me more than he ever took from me” (A Prayer for Owen Meany 2.509-511). Even with the death of John’s mother at the hands of Owen these too prove to be the best of friends. A friend is someone who is “A positive influence on your life” (What is Friendship? Friendship.about.com), this friendship proves this theory by the boys helping John finding his identity and Owen’s destiny. Along with friendship in the novel we see the importance of family and the role that it plays throughout the novel. John does not know who is father is but that doesn’t matter because Dan Needham plays the role of a father and he does a great job doing so. Throughout the novel we see examples of how Owen and John are more like brothers than friends. Also, we learn from A Prayer for Owen Meany that sometimes those who are not blood-related may be closer than
Atticus Finch is a lawyer in the town of Maycomb In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, he is a father of two children, Jem and Scout Finch. He is a man of wise character and considerate soul. He knows his morals and tries to help his children grow up to be successful and happy. Throughout the novel, Atticus acts justly, loves tenderly, and walks humbly by the way he perceives the people in his life, how he succeeds in his job and treats his family.
Each character has their own strengths, weaknesses, and motivations, leading them to act realistically and with purpose. For example, Reuven is easily affected by first-impressions. Because of this, he begrudges both Danny for hitting him in the eye at the start of the novel and his father for imposing silence over Danny. Another example comes in the form of Danny’s thirst for knowledge. Danny’s father worries about the secular world making Danny’s soul devoid of compassion through the allure of information. Yet, Danny cannot stay away from external learning, gobbling up Freud’s works over summer. Because of this, Danny’s father is motivated to teach Danny how to be compassionate in the only way he knows how—establishing a permanent silence between the two outside of Talmudic studies. Through these ways, Potok’s novel establishes characters with depth and personality, making them come to
Some may question the parenting style of others and that is just how humans work. They doubt the way others do things because it is not how they themselves would do it. Atticus Finch is a good father because he taught his children bravery through his self-control, he is determined to teach Jem and Scout the value of respecting people, no matter who they are, and he teaches his children that life involves making difficult decisions sometimes. Atticus is one of those people that everybody should look up to and want to be more like him because despite all the racism that happened and disrespect he got, he stood with his head held high and made sure his children did too.
Atticus Finch is a man with high moral standards and values. This creates him as a compassionate man to all
Potter Stewart, a notable associate justice in the Supreme Court once said, “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have the right to do and what is right to do.” By this, he means that being moral and ethical isn’t always dependent of the limitations of law, but what is truly the moral thing to do. Atticus Finch, the main protagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird , is the father of Scout and Jem Finch. He is morally upright, believing in perspective and equality, no matter race or background. In Harper Lee’s classic novel, Atticus Finch undergoes multiple changes in his morals as he learns that morality is more complex than he thought it was.
Atticus Finch is one of the main characters in the novel. Atticus is an example of being misunderstood through One-Shot Finch, the court case, and his personality. Atticus’ children even misunderstand him. Scout and Jem have a hard time understanding their dad, Atticus, throughout the novel. At one point Scout and Jem develop doubts about how great their dad is because of his age. The children view him as old and unable to do anything. Scout even says, “Our father didn’t do anything. He worked in an office, not in a drugstore. Atticus did not drive a dump-truck for the county, he was not the sheriff, he did not farm, work in a garage, or do anything that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone”(118). They do not think that he can do the same things that other dads can do. Atticus is a good bit older that most of the fathers of kids their age. Atticus shows them a great example of how not to judge someone by their outside appearance, though, in one action. Harper Lee describes, “With movements so swift they seemed simultaneous, Atticus’s hand yanked a ball tipped lever as he brought the gun to his shoulder. The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped flopped over and crumpled on the side walk”(127). S...
The father of a traditional hassidic family is the spiritual head of the household in that they lay the spiritual framework for the family. We see this in The Chosen by Chaim Potok. Reb Saunders as Danny’s father and as the Rebbe has leadership roles in the household and in the community. In the novel we see the Reb set spiritual guidelines for his son, and for his community as a traditional Rebbe would do. The religious and political views of Reb saunders are that of his family and of his community.