The Chosen – Rueven and Danny In the novel The Chosen, Chaim Potok successfully captures the strange customs of a Jewish community through wit and satire. Potok's novel focuses on two Jewish boys, who live in a world where their families expect high standards of success from them. The desire to become an insightful leader in the Jewish community was always prevalent in the two families. But with hard work and perseverance, the two boys (Rueven and Danny) discover who they really are and what life they will lead in the future. The novel focuses on the desire to conceive a person's personal desires while respecting tradition. The basis of all conflicts in the entire novel arises from differences in family life, which are caused by discrepancies in religious beliefs. Rueven, who is an Orthodox Jew, attends a parochial school where Hebrew is taught instead of Yiddish (which would be considered the first Jewish language). Rueven school is also very integrated with many English language classes. But on the other hand, Danny, who attends a yeshivah (also a Jewish school), considers himself a true Jew because (unlike Rueven) he wears traditional side-curls and is educated in Yiddish. At first the two boys can't stand each other, many times Danny refers to Rueven as "apikorsim," (32) which basically translates to...someone who isn't faithful to their religion. These differences between the two soon become obsolete due to an unfortunate incident and make them realize that they could help each other get through the difficult times. "Silence is all we fear. There is redemption in a voice, but the silence is infinite." - Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson's quote can be connected to the novel in several ways. “Silence is all we fear,” may be about Danny's lifestyle and how he can't stand the silence his father lives in. The only time Danny converses with his father is when he studies the Talmud. “It suddenly occurred to me that not a single word had passed between him and his father all evening, except about the Talmud contest” (145). This silence is basically what made Danny look for guidance or someone to talk to. “There is a ransom in a rumor,” refers to Rueven being Danny's savior. As Danny explains to Rueven what he told his father, "I told him we were good friends, I really think we are" (119).