The Chosen - Malter's Development
The Chosen - Malter's DevelopmentOne 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 D\fanny 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...
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