What Is The Difference Between The Chosen Danny And Reuven

Thesis: The novel The Chosen by Chaim Potok inspired me to become a better person by demonstrating how religious barriers can be broken. In The Chosen Danny and Reuven are boys who grow up in the same neighborhood but do not talk and are not friends because they are from different Jewish Sects. After injuring Reuven in a baseball game, Danny bonds with him in the hospital and the two become friends. This is a shocker to a lot of the people in the Brooklyn community because Danny is a Hasidic Jew while Reuven is Orthodox. The two sects would normally not mix. Once the boys became closer, Danny invited Reuven over to a Sunday service at his synagogue, which also doubled as his house. Before the service, Reuven got some stares from different
people, and felt “like a cowboy surrounded by Indians” (Potok 122). Although he was uncomfortable, Reuven attended the whole service and even went though Reb Saunders’s (Danny’s father) rigorous questions about the Talmud (Potok 130-8). This inspired me to go outside my comfort zone, and showed me that doing so can be a great thing. I can meet people of all different cultures, religions, and beliefs. Once outside of my comfort zone I could even meet a great friend like Danny and Reuven did. By expanding your knowledge on the world and the multitude of cultures within it, you will ultimately better yourself. A scholar will want to know the cultures and religions of the world, be exposed to them, then encounter them. The Chosen inspired me to explore the world, and dive into these cultures. By doing so I could even meet life long friends.