The Chosen
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: The Chosen
Pages: 11
Rating: 3 stars
Download Links:
• The Chosen.pdf
• The Chosen.doc
In The Chosen, silence plays an important aspect in the characters lives. Reb Saunders forced silence and suffering
upon his son Danny by not talking to him about anything other than his studies. He says he does this because he
feels that Danny is so brilliant that he might not understand the suffering of others. Reb Saunders feels that
silence is suffering by imposing non-communication, however, silence is really how Reuven, Danny, David Malter,
and Reb Saunders communicate with each other and the world around them.
Reuven and Danny are friends when they enter Hirsch College. While they are at college, many of the students and
faculty members have different stances on Zionism. During this time, David Malter organizes a pro-Zionist rally at
Madison Square Garden that turns out to be very successful and over joys Reuven. However, when Reuven returns
to school, he finds out that Danny is not allowed to be friends and talk with him anymore because of the rally.
Reuven is extremely upset and furious. He calls Reb Saunders a "fanatic" and cries about Danny. Danny and
Reuven do not talk for the whole semester and Reuven feels horrible about the situation. He thinks that silence is
"cancerous, [and] was death" (221). By the next semester, Reuven promises to forget Danny and his silence, but he
can't, even if he's mad. Later, Reuven and Danny start communicating in silence. David Malter told Reuven in the
beginning of the novel that "two people who are true friends are like two bodies with one soul." (74) This shows
the reader that Danny and Reuven still had to communicate with each other, even in silence, because they were
bonded with a "true" friendship.
"I saw Danny all the time in school, but the...