Preview

Silence in "The Chosen"

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
740 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Silence in "The Chosen"
Silence in "The Chosen"

In the book "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok, there are many situations where silence between characters is present. Some characters, such as Reuven and David Malter, believe that this deprivation is a cruel and inexplicable way of raising a child. On the other hand, Reb Saunders, a Jewish Hasidic leader, raises his oldest son in silence to prepare him for his future as a Rabbi. Silence is a driving force to understand and learn about other characters and the world around them.
The four main characters have different beliefs on how children should be raised. Danny Saunders was raised in silence. Communication was cut off between Danny and his father, except when they were studying the Talmud. This way of parenting was to teach Danny how to think through things for himself. Rabbi Saunders also wanted Danny to grow up in the same manner he was raised.
Rabbi Saunders tries to raise Danny this way to help him lead his father's followers and mature. With this technique, Danny will produce a strong persona to handle all the pressures of being an influential Rabbi and mentor. Rabbi Saunders believes that only speaking to his son through the Talmud will develop his son's soul. This will improve Danny's ability to understand himself and create a greater sense of empathy and the world around him. Danny was always thought to be destined for great things because of his photographic memory and desire for learning. With this knowledge, it is understandable to raise a child the way Rabbi Saunders did. All he wants is that his son will become a great man and leader like he was and his ancestors were.
In the beginning of their friendship, Reuven does not like the silence that passes between him and Danny. Reuven was raised with an outgoing father who loves to speak his mind both through writing and talking. Mr. Malter talks to Danny and supplies him with knowledge that Rabbi Saunders would probably not approve of. Mr. Malter helps Danny discover more

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Silence are the words that are not said, rather then the words that are chosen. It is the fear of the truth as well as hiding from it. In the novel Obasan by Joy Kogawa, silence is a part of a culture and is a larger part of a family. The character Naomi allows silence to over come her life, which allows her to remain tortured inside the internment camp of her own body.…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the main conflicts in the novel is the struggle between Danny and his father, Reb Saunders. The tension between them escalates throughout…

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Silence serves as a symbol, signifying many things in The Chosen, by Chaim Potok. Throughout the book, Reb Saunders rarely converses with his Danny unless it is about Talmud or their religion. In chapter 18, he says that he did this to teach his son to understand and feel pain and suffering. In addition, he does this because this was the way he was raised by his own father. Reb Saunders wanted his son to grow up with the soul of a tzaddik so that he may be able to feel the suffering all over the world. Nevertheless, it is disputed whether or not Reb Saunders’ method was completely successful because Danny does not seem any more compassionate than Reuven. Also, when Reb Saunders imposed silence upon his family, Danny reluctantly hid things from his father, including his dream of becoming a psychologist instead of a tzaddik. However, at the end of the novel, when Mr. Malter asks him if he will raise his children in silence, he replies that he will if there is no other ways. This shows that Danny does not abhor the way he was raised, but he acknowledges that there are better approaches.…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the start of The Chosen Danny Saunders is a fifteen year old Hasidic boy, the son of…

    • 250 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Danny Saunders is a the brilliant child of the rabbi, Reb Saunders and is the protagonist of the novel “The Chosen” by Chaim Patok, and continues finding himself confused about his faith and who he is. As Danny continues to grow and mature he begins to comprehend his fathers silence. He also learns to peer into his own soul and find answers of his own. At the end of the novel, his father finally speaks to him bad decides to bless his career choice. He now understands and respects his fathers actions.…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Silent Ears, Silent Heart

    • 1336 Words
    • 6 Pages

    I thought that Silent Ears, Silent Heart was an excellent book. It really gave you a full prospective of what a family and a person has to go through living a life without being able to hear sound it also helps you realize what someone has to go through that can’t hear what is going on around them. The book starts off with a couple named the Clines there’s Mr. Cline who is Jack who runs his own multimillion dollar business in a glass production. His dream is to have his son at his side and follow in his footsteps and run the family business someday. Then there’s Mrs. Cline who is Margret who is a stay at home wife that is waiting the arrival of their child.…

    • 1336 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Chosen

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages

    David Malter and Reb Saunders parallel each other in an interesting way. Their paternal relationships with their sons dominate the novel. Potok stresses that there are a multitude of ways to raise a child, like Reb’s strict upbringing of Danny and David’s open nurturing of Reuven. He also emphasizes a…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is a prime example in the movie, Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Bruno, the main character in the storyline, moves to Berlin with his family because his father is promoted to being the commandant of the concentration camp that is basically in their backyard. Well, one day Bruno goes exploring and finds a boy at the other side of the fence in the concentration camp. Bruno is kind of a clueless kid, but knew enough to know that Shmuel, the boy on the other side of fence, was in trouble and he was not doing so well. But instead of telling his mother or anybody he kept Shmuel a secret and that eventually led to a lot more serious problems...and eventually violence. This shows silence perpetuating violence because Bruno could’ve helped his friend but instead, by being silent increased the violence upon himself and his…

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    And slowly a discussion begins-- as Morrie has wanted all along-- about the effect of silence on human relations. Why are we embarrassed by silence? What comfort do we find in all the noise?…

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Stephen Dedalus, the main character, is what many would consider a typical boy with a normal childhood. His family loves him and they support him with essentially anything he would need. Stephen is taught well as a young boy whose parents grapple with many problems for themselves, yet always seem to show the difference between right and wrong. As Stephen grows older his family’s struggles become his own problem whenever finances force them to move, therefore making Stephen the new kid at school.”No life or youth stirred in him as it had stirred in [his father and his friends]. He had known neither the pleasure of companionship with others nor the vigour of rude male health nor filial piety. Nothing stirred within his soul but a cold and cruel and loveless lust. His childhood was dead or lost and with it his soul capable of simple joys and he was drifting amid life like the barren shell of the moon.”(76) School shows to be a challenge in itself as he has problems fitting in, but eventually he finds his place in the “social circle”. As Stephen grows even older and moving now into his teenage years family is becoming one of his lesser problems. Although his family may not always physically be there, Stephen has roots for…

    • 921 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Silence is often characterized as a lack of sound, however, Shusaku Endo uses Silence to communicate the trials and tribulations of his religious journey as a Japanese Catholic. In his own words, Endo feels a large part of his life was spent, “re-tailoring with my own hands the Western suit my mother had put on me, and changing it into a Japanese garment that would fit my Japanese body” due to being baptized against his wishes to appease his mother. It was not an ideal fit; for a long time Endo struggled with trying to merge his new Christian life with his native culture. From Endo’s understanding, becoming Christian meant becoming western which was the root of all his problems upon the arrival to his native…

    • 1326 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Silence Essay

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Silence by Shusaku Endo is a religious historical fiction novel that has been considered a work of Literary Merit for almost 50 years. Endo weaves an all too real tale and poses questions to his readers through three specific characters in his book. Inoue , Father Garrpe, and Kichijiro, who all represent important people in the bible along with the circumstances that surrounded each.…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Listen for Love

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The problem in our world now is that people rarely listen to each other. They hear the words or the expression on the face. Simon and Garfunkel wrote that very haunting song, “The Sound of Silence.” It goes: “Ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Experience of Silence

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages

    I learned several things on my experience of silence. When I first began, I felt uneasy about the gaps of silence. I thought other people would notice because I am usually very talkative. However, I felt like I was the only one who even noticed any moments of silence. I believe I am more self-aware than people around me. My inner voice wanted to give in and speak more. I felt confined.…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays