Why did Danny's father raise him in silence?

Reb Saunders reveals that the silence he imposed upon Danny was a way to teach him compassion, to teach him to feel the suffering of others. His own father raised him that way. ... He says that bearing this burden of suffering is a fundamental part of being a tzaddik.

What religion is Danny Saunders?

Main characters

Daniel (Danny) Saunders: a Hasidic Jew, who is also a teenager.

What does Reuven want to be when he grows up?

He is a smart, athletic, popular and thoughtful young man and spends much of his time and energy on academic and religious study. He is especially talented at mathematics, but wants to be a rabbi when he grows up. The Chosen follows Reuven's friendship with Danny Saunders.

Why does Reuven narrate the chosen?

Reuven works well as a narrator because we share his position as a curious outsider looking in on the unfamiliar, secret world of Hasidism. Reuven is a more accessible character than Danny; it is more difficult for us to relate to Danny's unique genius and his Hasidic lifestyle.

What is Danny's father in the chosen?

Danny Saunders

Danny is the son of Reb Saunders and heir apparent to his father's Hasidic dynasty. He is a brilliant scholar with a photographic memory and a deep interest in Freud and psychoanalysis. Danny attends his father's Hasidic yeshiva, but he reads secular books in secret at the public library.

What is the reason why David is not teaching at Hirsch college?

Reuven realizes that his father's controversial writings are the reason he is not teaching at Hirsch, even though he is a brilliant scholar.

What profession does Danny want to enter?

Danny is being groomed to succeed his father, Reb Saunders, as the leader, or tzaddik, of a group of Hasidic Jews. But Danny does not want to follow this path — an intellectual person with a brilliant mind, he wants to be a psychologist.

What does Reuven understand about his teacher Rev gershenson?

What does Reuven understand about his teacher, Rev Gershenson, when he is unable to find his name listed in either Hebrew or English catalogues of his college library? ... If Rev Gershenson expressed his belief in controversial Talmud scholarship, he would not be allowed to teach at the conservative college.

What happens in the chosen?

The Chosen traces a friendship between two Jewish boys growing up in Brooklyn at the end of World War II. Reuven Malter, the narrator and one of the novel's two protagonists, is a traditional Orthodox Jew. ... Tension quickly develops as the Hasidic team insults the faith of Reuven and his teammates.

What accounts for Reuven's reaction to this revelation?

What accounts for Reuven's reaction to this revelation? Reuven is surprised because he believed all Danny did was study the Talmud all day.

What happens in Chapter 7 of the chosen?

Reuven and his father wake up early on Shabbat morning and walk to synagogue together. They return home, eat lunch, and then Reuven falls asleep thinking about the colors of Billy's and Danny's eyes. Three hours later, Reuven wakes to find Danny standing over him.

How do Danny and Reuven become friends?

This sets up what will be the most important relationship in the book: friendship. They meet as enemies during a brutal softball game in which Danny injures and nearly blinds Reuven, but they become fast friends when Danny comes to visit Reuven in the hospital for the second time.

What does David Malter do in the chosen?

Malter teaches Jewish studies and writes academic papers on the subject. He has created an educated and religious home for his son and teaches him from early on how to be caring, thoughtful and honest.

What is the point of view for the book The Chosen?

narrator The Chosen is narrated by Reuven Malter, who reflects several years after the events of the novel on his coming-of-age in Brooklyn. point of view Reuven Malter, the narrator, speaks in the first-person. ... Reuven's narration is not omniscient, as he does not know what others are thinking or feeling.

What is ironic about Reuven receiving an injury that impairs vision?

Reuven's eye injury foreshadows the coming radical change to his opinion of Danny. Just as Reuven's eye heals and he learns to see again, so too does he eventually learn to see Danny—and the whole world—differently.

What qualities do Reuven and Danny have in common?

Reuven finds he and Danny have a lot in common, including an intense competitive drive and a fervent intellectual passion.

How long was Reuven in the hospital?

Upon his return, Reuven remarks that the hydrangea bush, something he had never really noticed, “seemed suddenly luminous and alive.” Later, he comments that after his five days in the hospital, “the world around seemed sharpened now and pulsing with life.” Reuven's encounter with suffering has taught him to appreciate ...

What is Danny Saunders studying in the library?

Danny says he has been studying German so that he can read Freud, and Reuven is astonished, thinking about the parallels between Danny and Solomon Maimon. ... In Danny's absence, Reb Saunders reveals to Reuven that he knows about his son's secret reading at the library and studying with Reuven's father.

How does Danny feel about his father?

Danny never felt unhappy or illness because he got all of the affection of mother from his marvelous father. One day, Danny found out his father deepest darkest secret. Knowing the fact that his father is a poacher, Danny was shocked and disbelieved but it led him to a brilliant idea.

How does Danny feel about his father the chosen?

At the beginning of the novel, Danny is tense and unsure about how to deal with his inner desire to rebel against his upbringing. ... By the end of the novel, Danny has resolved his conflict with his father; furthermore, like Reuven, he has developed a broadened, more balanced sense of himself and the world around him.