Who Is Tony Savo In Chaim Potok's The Chosen

“He was sitting up in the bed, playing a game of cards with himself and smiling broadly.” (39) Tony Savo sits there in his hospital bed for nearly the entirety of his appearance in The Chosen, by Chaim Potok. Reuven Malter, the main character, gets a bed right next to Tony’s and gets an in-depth look at Tony’s character. Tony Savo brings some much-needed comic relief to a situation and atmosphere of injury and suspense. This is accomplished through his carefree manner, and his slang vocabulary that makes the reader think about what exactly he means. But Mr. Savo is certainly not pure and flawless, for he does show an example of reading a book by its cover in the case of Danny Saunders. Mr. Savo brings much needed relief to a painful scenario by the light air that surrounds him and his informal speech, but he also demonstrates an inaccurate and insensitive way of judging people.

First off, Mr. Savo’s informal conversational manner gives relief to those around him and eases the mind. Reuven Malter’s softball injury to the eye puts him the bed next to Mr. Savo, and Reuven engages in many enjoyable conversations with him. Mr. Savo greets Reuven right away with an amiable hello and question: “Hello, there” … “How’s the old punching bag?” (39). And despite Reuven’s comparable silence, Mr. Savo continues to make conversation
Savo’s presence generally brings a light and carefree air, he demonstrates another trait: misjudgment. After Mr. Savo sees Danny when he came to visit Reuven, Mr. Savo gives Reuven a warning. “So I’m telling you, watch out for those fanatics. They’re the worse cloppers around.” (76) The only “evidence” Mr. Savo has to back this up is the way Danny dresses. This has utterly nothing to do with whether Danny is a clopper, as Mr. Savo puts it. Mr. Savo’s tendency to judge quickly could easily get him into hot water later, and could keep people away from him. Mr. Savo judges a book by its cover in the case of Danny