What Is The Theme Of Friendship In The Chosen By Chaim Potok

Friendship, one of the great relationships of this world, and it goes without saying that a good friend is a true blessing. Indeed, if you have a good friend who will remain true to you throughout your life and theirs, you have received more than you deserve in this world, and a true companion, one to hear your troubles and to help you through them, and you to do the same. But imagine for a second that you and your dearest friend come from families that are complete opposites. So goes the tale of Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders, two friends in an extremely odd relationship who were brought together through an injury from a baseball game. Out of the two book of the first semester, I enjoyed The Chosen written by Chaim Potok because of three

Reuven’s father brings him up in a normal way, advising him to be wise and act wisely and actually was the one to encourage his friendship with Danny. Danny’s father, raises him differently, and in quite a unique method to too! He brings him up “in silence,” meaning not speaking to him or answering any questions he may have. At the end of the book, he reveals why he raised him in silence, and this is the most powerful display of affection he has given in the book, and arguably the most powerful display of affection throughout the book given by any character. The reason given for this is because he believes that all people have souls and minds. Danny, however, seems to have only a mind, and how brilliant a mind that he has! It constantly seeks knowledge and absorbs it like a sponge, and it seems as if he does not have a soul, which can be dangerous to a religious person. It is revealed that Mr. Saunders had a brother just like Danny, and he went off in search of knowledge, eventually dying in a gas chamber at Auschwitz, and Mr. Saunders does not want Danny’s life to end in the same way that his brother did. So he brings him up in silence, so that Danny may reflect and develop his soul, to have compassion and not only seek

These three themes (Friendship, parental love, and conflict) have been woven together into a wonderful journey taken together with them. As we read this book, we see that the author has written in sagacious insight into these three themes, as well as ways that we can carry out and express these three themes in out own lives. Philia, friendship, to our friends, to always help them and listen to them, though they may come from differing backgrounds. Storge, parental love, which Mr. Malter expresses the almost ideal way to bring up your child in bringing up Reuven. Conflict, that we should not avoid it completely, but we should instead try to look at things from different perspectives and constantly challenge our own beliefs to better understand them and the beliefs of others. Those three life lessons and themes have blended together to make The Chosen, my favorite book of the first