"The Chosen Novel" by Claim Potok (1967)

Student Name Professor Name Course Date The Chosen Novel The Chosen is a popular novel written by Claim Potok and published in 1967. As a Jewish-American, Claim has focused on two protagonists, Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders, and sight is the most prominent theme of this book. Belonging to diverse, strong, Jewish backgrounds, Reuven and Danny’s friendship gets stronger with time, and they develop desires for intellectual and spiritual growth. Their friendship is complemented by their dads, Reb Saunders and David Malter, both of them are well-mannered, educated, deeply grounded in their beliefs and traditions and politically influential (Potok 1977). Reuven Malter’s wounded and nearly blinded eye has played a significant role in The Chosen. Even when he gets recovered, the blindness continues to irritate him in one way or the other. In a world where there are various colors and attractive things to see, Reuven seems to have lost his interest in everything. This novel has been punctuated by all moments of blind misunderstanding and single-minded hatred, which can be overcome only when we carefully observe the nature and learn from it. Mr. Malter carefully uses “eyes as a symbol of life when he talks to his son and tries to leave a good impression on his mind.” At a point, he states that “the eye that blinks, that is something” (Potok 1977). Claim Potok has added power and strength to his use of eyes by calling them as the best means of perception and communication. He believes that “life is nothing without eyes; we use them not only to explore the beauty of this world but also to interact and communicate with others in a better way.” Danny and Reuven seem to be using their eyes to communicate with each other when they are not permitted to talk. Similarly, Mr. Malter’s eyes look dark when he is angry, and of course, Reb asserts that he was aware of Saunders’s decision of becoming a psychologist by claiming that he was able to “see his eyes.” It is enough to make us understand that eyes have been used for communication throughout the novel. Sometimes when the two friends are unable to discuss things openly, they use their eyes to speak (Potok 1977). In the second chapter, it’s written that “I could not imagine what it was like to know that no matter whether my eyes were clos...