The Influence Of Life In Chaim Potek's The Chosen

The Chosen, by Chaim Potek, is a novel written about two Jewish boys growing up in Brookyln. Though they lived only five blocks from each other, Danny and Reuven lived very different lives, primarily because of the influence of their fathers. Reb Saunders and Mr. Malters approached raising a child, their Jewish faith, and the world in general from two very different perspectives. Despite the profound differences, both men tried very hard to do what was right for their sons.

As fathers, Reb Saunders and Mr. Malters both loved their sons very much, however they demonstrated this love quite differently. Reb raised his son in complete silence, wanting him to learn compassion and to develop a soul to go with his great mind, talking to him only when studying the Torah. To be specific, unless it related to his religious studies, Reb did not talk to or with Danny after the age of 3. On the other hand, Mr. Malters placed a great deal of emphasis on good and frequent communication between himself and his son. Reb wanted Danny
Malters and Reb Saunders held opposite views on the world. Reb believed that he was simply passing through the world on his way to eternal life and that it was unimportant and burdening. In contrast, Mr. Malters thought life was important and needed to be productive. He said, " A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life." Mr. Malters felt it necessary to go out and change things in the world, while Reb shrank away from the world, in fear that it would corrode his faith. Believing he had to protect himself from the evil found in the world, Reb said, "A man is born into this world with only a tiny spark of goodness in him. The spark is God, it is the soul; the rest is ugliness and evil, a shell. The spark must be guarded like a treasure, it must be nurtured, it must be fanned into flame." Reb Saunders feared the world would take him further from God, whereas Mr. Malters felt he had to take God to the