Chaim Potok's The Chosen

“…Endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” This verse, Romans 5:4, explains the importance of good character. A person’s character, as defined by The American Heritage Student Dictionary, is the combination of qualities or features that makes one person, group, or thing different from another. In The Chosen, author Chaim Potok describes the personality of all of the characters skillfully. Danny, the son of Reb Saunders, demonstrates interesting characteristics. His intelligence, athleticism, and composure all distinguished him from the rest of the characters. Danny Saunders demonstrated his intelligence throughout the story. He had the unique gift of photographic memory. One example of his cleverness occurred during his
conversation with Reuven in the hospital. Danny recited a page of the Talmud that he had studied two years prior word for word (pg. 68-69, The Chosen). With his photographic memory, learning came easily to Danny. Danny also demonstrated his intelligence during Reb Saunders’ speech. During the speech, Danny caught the mistake that his father made, even though it was minor (pg. 130, The Chosen). Danny’s unique gift allowed him to learn a great deal of information very quickly. Danny was also very competitive. His competitiveness expressed itself in athletics. During the baseball game, the other players on Danny’s team could not throw the ball accurately, but thanks to Danny’s athleticism, he caught nearly all of the balls (pg. 29, The Chosen). He was the only player on his team that could regularly catch the balls. Danny’s drive for success inspired him to work hard to improve. He practiced baseball for a long time after studying the Talmud (pg. 68, The Chosen). This commitment resulted in him becoming an excellent player. Danny Saunders retained his calm and collected attitude throughout the book. Danny’s self-control allowed him to respond thoughtfully in tense situations. While Reuven was at the hospital, he began shouting at Danny when he came to visit. Danny had come to apologize, but Reuven would not let him. Staying calm, Danny responded that he would come back later when Reuven felt ready to talk (pg. 62-63, The Chosen). By doing this, Danny prevented an argument between him and Reuven. When Reuven stayed at Danny’s house, he mentioned that some people thought that they should create a Jewish homeland. Reb Saunders became very angry at this. Danny was able to stay calm and explain his father’s anger to Reuven afterward (pg. 187, The Chosen). Danny Saunders kept his composure throughout the book. Danny’s wisdom, drive, and calmness make him a very interesting character. Danny had a photographic memory which allowed him to learn very quickly. He also had a competitive streak. Danny played baseball, and practiced very hard to become the best player on the team. He also stayed calm, and he was able to prevent situations from becoming an argument due to his thoughtfulness. Danny’s unique gifts greatly affected him throughout The Chosen. A great character must have traits that make the reader fell connected to the character. Chaim Potok does this brilliantly in The Chosen. Danny Saunders truly makes the reader feel like they are a part of the story.