Full title The Chosen
Author Chaim Potok
Type of work Novel
Genre Bildungsroman; Jewish-American Literature
Language English
Time and place written 1960–1967,in Philadelphia, Israel, and Brooklyn
Date of first publication 1967
Publisher Simon and Schuster
Narrator The Chosen is narrated by ReuvenMalter, who reflects several years after the events of the novelon his coming-of-age in Brooklyn.
Point of view Reuven Malter, the narrator, speaks in the first-person.He explains events in chronological order, adjusting his perspective overthe course of the novel to reflect his increasing maturity. Reuven’snarration is not omniscient, as he does not know what others arethinking or feeling. Instead, he reveals Reuven’s observations ofothers’ behavior and analyzes other characters’ thoughts and emotions.
Tone Reuven is an introspective, highly intellectual youngman. As a result, he is rarely quick to judge others, and usuallyspends time considering multiple perspectives, trying to be as thoughtfuland open-minded as possible. These qualities only improve as his relationshipwith Danny alters the way he looks at the world. It is importantto note that for the majority of the novel, Reuven is very quickto judge Reb Saunders and rather harsh in his judgment. Only atthe very end of the novel does he learn that he has not been seeingthe complexity of Reb Saunders’s character.
Tense Past
Settings (Time) Early summer, 1944 tofall, 1950
Setting (Place) The neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NewYork
Protagonists Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders
Major conflict Danny’s struggle between his family and religiousobligations, and his desire to become a psychologist is the novel’scentral conflict. Reuven experiences this conflict indirectly—ashe helps Danny struggle through it, he struggles to understand ithimself.
Rising action After Danny injures Reuven during a softball game,the two boys become friends and teach each other all sort of lessons.After many years, Danny’s father, Reb Saunders, decides to end Danny’sfriendship with Reuven. Eventually the boys are permitted to becomefriends again. Reuven discovers that Danny has applied and beenaccepted to graduate programs in psychology, even though Reb Saundersexpects Danny to take over the leadership of his Hasidic community.
Climax Using Reuven as a buffer through whom he can speakto his son, Reb Saunders confronts Danny. He asks his son abouthis plans and explains his reasons for treating Danny with silencefor so many years.
Falling action After Reb Saunders issues his approval of Danny’splans for psychology, Danny and Reuven leave and walk together in silence.Reuven and Danny graduate from Hirsch College, and Danny goes onto graduate school at Columbia University. Reuven says farewellto Danny.
Themes The importance of parallels to individual growth;silence as a path to the soul; the conflict between tradition andmodernity; choosing versus being chosen
Motifs Father-son relationships; perception; suffering
Symbols Eyes and eyeglasses; the Talmud
Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is prevalent throughout TheChosen. The warm silence between Reuven and Danny at thehospital foreshadows the positive side of Reb Saunders’ silence.David Malter’s comments to his son about the dangers of being abuffer foreshadow the uncomfortable role Reuven will play as a buffer betweenDanny and Reb Saunders. Danny’s revelation that his father inheritedhis role as a tzaddik when his brother (Danny’s uncle) abandonedthe family dynasty foreshadows the fact that Reb Saunders will havea complex and perhaps sympathetic response to Danny’s own situation.
