A novel unparalleled to any other during its time period, The Chosen by Chaim Potok introduced outsiders to the life of Hasidic Jews and modern Jews during the horror of World War II and the aftermath of the Holocaust. The Holocaust was not the only time in the history of the Jewish people when they were persecuted and oppressed. Starting long before the thirteenth century, the Jews were always looked down upon and victimized; however, the resentment from torment during the thirteenth century of the Jews had been carried to members of the Jewish sects in the mid-twentieth century. The distinct sects lashed out at each other instead of the world. That hatred carried from the 1200s through the 1950s fueled the revulsion between Danny Saunders and Reuven Malter, thus creating the conflict that fueled …show more content…
The baseball game would never have occurred, the baseball would not have potentially blinded Reuven, and he and Danny would never have become friends. Despite the oppression faced by the Jews, the act of proving oneself to the world was obviously felt by the Jews through the example of organized athletics. The excitement of the baseball game, however, was never matched throughout the remainder of the book.
Not only do the ideals of the two sects separate each from the other but also the clothing was completely different. The Hasidic Jews, from the creation of Hasidism in the thirteenth century to the time of the novel in the mid-twentieth century, had a constant uniform to differentiate their sect:
…In fashion of the very Orthodox, their hair was closely cropped, except for the area near their ears from which…tumbled down into the long side curls...They all wore the traditional undergarment beneath their shirts, and the tzitzit came out above their belts and swung against their pants as they walked... In contrast, our team had no particular uniform, and each of us wore whatever he wished. (Chosen, p.
Blood chilling screams, families torn apart, horrifying murders are all parts of the Holocaust. David Faber, a courageous, young man tortured in a Nazi concentration camp shares the horrors he was exposed to, including his brother Romek’s murder, in the book Because of Romek, by himself David Faber. When Nazis invaded his hometown in Poland during World War II, David remained brave throughout his father’s arrest and his struggle to stay alive in the concentration camp. David’s mother inspired him with courage.
In the book The Chosen the four main characters have different views on how children should be raised. Danny Saunders was said to be raised in silence. Danny was raised in silence in that communication was cut off between Danny and his father, except when they were studying Talmud. The reason Danny’s father did not speak to his son is because Rabbi Saunders wanted to have Danny think things through himself. Reb Saunders also wanted Danny to grow up in the same manner he himself was raised.
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 ...
In the first couple chapters, Reuven was doing so well with baseball and fit in, and all that came crashing down too soon with one single hit to the eye by a baseball hit by Danny Saunders. When everything seems to be lost and Reuven was helpless, a friendship was blooming; little did those two boys know that they’d be talking for quite a while after this incident. This injury has a major effect on not only his eye and losing the ability to see, but Rueven’s state of mind. He immediately began thinking that it was no accident, that Danny “-deliberately aimed at [Reuven]”(49). A ball of hatred and envy builds inside of Reuven, and completely despises Danny. When the injurer himself comes to visit his victim in the hospital, Danny is very sincere and doleful; he apologizes repeatedly to Reuven but the victim wants nothing to do with him. Ending their discussion in a fiery way, Reuven explodes and drives sincere Danny away. “[Feeling] sad and depressed-”, Reuven awaits Danny’s second visit, if he was even going to return (64). At that moment, the reader sees a pivotal moment in the lives of the two boys; when Reuven realizes he wants to
As the story evolves, Danny and Reuven become very good friends. This is a highlight for Danny, given that he has never had a close friend before Reuven. Danny has lived a very lonely life. He has not had any friends because he feels that no understands him. Reuven's father realizes Danny's loneliness, and gives Reuven some fatherly advice. He comments, "Reb Saunders' son is a terribly torn and lonely boy. There is literally no one in the world he can talk to. He needs a friend." (pg. 110) David Malter continues by saying, "The accident with the baseball has bound him to you and he has already sensed in you someone he can talk to without fear. I am very proud of you for that." (pg. 110) Reuven's father expresses his confidence to his son very openly which is an important aspect in comparing with Danny and his father's relationship.
The Chosen, a novel written by Chaim Potok, is filled with a variety of themes that are brought together through each individual chapter. Chapter 7 in the book had a major impact in bringing forth the novel’s theme. For instance, in this chapter, the narrator, Reuven, starts by establishing the basic plot. He states, “The next day, I met Danny’s father” (Potok 112). Having this plot established is key in the chapter for it is the day that could make or break their friendship in a matter of seconds. Reuven and Danny Saunders have become friends since the incident during the ball game. Yet, there is a conflict in their friendship. Danny is a Hasidic Jew and follows the strict rules and beliefs of the Hasidic faith. Reuven, on the other hand, is an Orthodox Jew who does not follow all of the traditional customs, but does honor his faith. Rev Saunders, Danny’s father, hears from his son about his relationship with Reuven Matler, and wants to meet the young teen to approve of this companionship. Danny has never had a comrade who had not been a Hasidic Jew. This begins to show part of how the two must work through numerous hurdles in order to sustain their friendship and let it grow. Another example in this chapter that supports the basic plot is how Rev Saunders not only quizzes Danny on the Talmud lecture, but unexpectedly quizzes Reuven. He needed to test the boy, not only to approve of him as a friend for Danny, but to see what the son of David Malter knew. Rev Saunders approaches Reuven and says, “I am happy my Daniel has chosen you for a friend. My son has many friends. But he does not talk about them the way he talks about you” (141). He approves of his son’s friendship with Reuven Malter.
Roosevelt’s death is followed by Reuven’s fever, and David Malter’s and Reb Saunders’s illnesses (Potok 189). They are both ill on the day in May when the war in Europe was over. Furthermore, the reports of the German concentration camps shock the Jewish community. Reuven is devastated by the stories of destruction, and David Malter and Reb Saunders weep for the loss of millions of European Jews. Hence, the revelation of the Holocaust in Europe is followed by David Malter’s heart attack. Although the historical tragedies do not directly cause the characters’ illnesses, its consequences imply that World War II is not merely a setting for the novel, but an essential influence on its characters’ lives. In addition, although both David and Reb are pained by the mass slaughter of the Jewish people, their political responses are profoundly different. Hence, the revelation of the Holocaust and end of World War II emphasizes their conflicts based on opposing beliefs on Judaism. Reb Saunders accepts the Holocaust as God’s will and, thinks that Jews should wait for the Messiah to come to lead them to the Promised Land according to a conservative interpretation of Jewish tradition. On the other hand, David Malter argues that Jews cannot wait for God any longer, and they must found a Jewish state in
The novel The Chosen is a story of two Jewish boys who become friends and go through lots of hard times together. The book starts out at a baseball game, one boy on one team and one boy on the other team. The game quickly turns more into a war rather than a game. Reuven was pitching when Danny came up to bat, Reuven threw the ball and Danny hit the ball straight back at him. The ball hit Reuven in the eye, shattered his glasses, and got a piece of glass in his eye. Reuven was taken to the hospital where doctors fixed his eye and he stayed there for five days.
In all of their conversations, Mr. Malter seeks to pass his moral wisdom onto Reuven. At the beginning of the novel, after Reuven refuses to listen to Danny’s apology, his father visits him at the hospital to discuss his ignorance: “‘You did a foolish thing, Reuven,’ he told me [Reuven] sternly. ‘You remember what the Talmud says. If a person comes to apologize for having hurt you, you must listen and forgive him’” (96). Reuven’s father teaches him about applying the Talmud to his daily life and about becoming a better person. After Reuven and Danny begin to become friends, Reuven begins to look at the baseball game in retrospective. He tells his father he is shocked how such a strong friendship can emerge from such a meaningless occurrence. His father replies, “‘Reuven, as you grow older you will discover that the most important things that will happen to you will often come as a result of silly things, as you call them‘ordinary things’ is a better expression. That is the way the world is’” (110). Mr. Malter shares his wisdom of Jewish morals and way of life with Reuven so he may pass his knowledge on to his children, or perhaps his future followers. Mr. Malter tries to pass more wisdom to Reuven as the ...
The book begins by giving a brief background into the setting of America at the onset of the war. It details an anti-Semitic America. It also explains most of the anti-Semitism as passive, which ordinarily would do little harm, but during a holocaust crisis became a reason for America’s inaction.
Reuven and Danny are friends when they enter Hirsch College. While they are at college, many of the students and faculty members have different stances on Zionism. During this time, David Malter organizes a pro-Zionist rally at Madison Square Garden that turns out to be very successful and over joys Reuven. However, when Reuven returns to school, he finds out that Danny is not allowed to be friends and talk with him anymore because of the rally. Reuven is extremely upset and furious. He calls Reb Saunders a "fanatic" and cries about Danny. Danny and Reuven do not talk for the whole semester and Reuven feels horrible about the situation. He thinks that silence is "cancerous, [and] was death" (221). By the next semester, Reuven promises to forget Danny and his silence; but he can't, even if he's mad. Later, Reuven and Danny start communicating in silence. David Malter told Reuven in the beginning of the novel that "two people who are true friends are like two bodies with one soul." (74) This shows the reader that Danny and Reuven still had to communicate with each other, even in silence, because they were bonded with a "true" friendship.
Even though they did not get along at first, their difference brought them together and bonded them. They were able to help each other through a majority of the most difficult times in life. Their differences taught them more about themselves and what they wanted out of life. Danny’s struggle to get away from a religious future confused Reuven at first, but it gave him a new perspective on his choice to become a Rabbi. Reuven’s refusal to follow his father’s plan for the future helped inspire Danny to choose a different career path and continue on to graduate school at Columbia. This type of relationships also teaches tolerance patience with other people 's points of views, which make us more are of our own. The fact that they did not follow their father 's wishes for them in a career shows that they are stronger and more well rounded having experienced each others point of views in
Chaim Potok’s The Chosen explores two father son relationships, one between the Malters and one between the Saunders. In the final chapter of the book, Danny and Reb Saunders finally come to an understanding of each other, but not without the help of Reuven. Although they are a strong family, the Saunders need an outside force to help them communicate and solve Danny’s problems overall. The last chapter covers the need for suffering and pain and shows how Danny grows with Reuven’s help.
Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 film Inglourious Bastards entails a Jewish revenge fantasy that is told through a counterfactual history of events in World War II. However, this story follows a completely different plot than what we are currently familiar with. Within these circumstances, audiences now question the very ideas and arguments that are often associated with World War II. We believe that Inglourious Basterds is a Jewish revenge fantasy that forces us to rethink our previous understandings by disrupting the viewers sense of content and nature in the history of World War II. Within this thesis, this paper will cover the Jewish lens vs. American lens, counter-plots with-in the film, ignored social undercurrents, and the idea that nobody wins in war. These ideas all correlate with how we view World War II history and how Inglourious Basterds muddles our previous thoughts on how these events occurred.
In The Chosen by Chaim Potok, vision is a metaphor for perceptive growth. During Book One, Reuven is naïve, and he fails to see through the eyes of others. However, after he meets Danny, the two boys progress into Book Two with more empathetic and mature eyes. In Book Three, at the end of the novel, the two boys – now young men – have grown perceptively to see and understand the paradox of the significance and insignificance of their existences.