Summary: Chapter 17
In the fall, Reuven and Danny begin their final year of
college. One day, Reuven makes what he thinks is an innocent joke
about hearing silence. Danny responds that Reuven is being more
insightful than he realizes. Danny explains that he has begun to
hear silence—he listens to it and hears it talking to him. He also
tells Reuven that he cannot start dating because a wife has already
been chosen for him.
Reuven attends Levi Saunders’s Bar Mitzvah in October.
The next day, Levi becomes violently ill and is taken to the hospital. Reuven
tells his father about Levi’s illness. He also reveals to his father
that Danny is panicking about the illness because he has been relying
on his brother to take over the dynasty. David Malter encourages
Reuven to speak with Danny about how he plans to break this news
to his father. David Malter also enigmatically reveals more about
the custom of raising a child in silence, saying it is an old Hasidic
tradition that is used to teach children compassion. But again,
he refuses to give Reuven any specific information.
The following week, when Danny tells Reuven that he is
applying to Harvard, Berkeley, and Columbia for a fellowship in
psychology, Reuven urges him to figure out how he will tell his
father. Danny tries to brush aside Reuven’s concerns, but soon realizes
that his father will inevitably see the mail from the schools to
which he has applied. He becomes panicked, and Reuven urges Danny
to come over and talk to David Malter. That evening, Reuven’s father cautions
Danny that he must carefully consider all that his decision entails,
including breaking off his pre-arranged marriage. He also warns
Danny that he must thoughtfully plan exactly what he will say to
Reb Saunders on the day of the confrontation. Before Danny leaves,
David Malter asks him if he can, in fact, hear silence. Danny replies
that he can, and asks Reuven’s father if he understands the way
his father has raised him. David Malter refuses to explain the matter
to either Danny or Reuven, saying it is a private matter between
Danny and his father.
Danny receives acceptance letters from all three schools
he applied to. Though Reb Saunders has obviously seen the return addresses
on the envelopes, he has not approached Danny about them. Danny
decides to go to Columbia, but he is still too afraid to broach
the subject with his father. While discussing his dilemma with Reuven,
Danny mentions that Reb Saunders has been asking again why Reuven
has not come over for a Shabbat Talmud session.
In the months that follow, Reb Saunders, through Danny,
continues to drop hints that he would like Reuven to come over some Shabbat
afternoon. Because of his dislike for the rabbi, Reuven continues
to ignore the requests. Later that spring, Danny tells Reuven that
Reb Saunders has made the special request that Reuven come over
on the first or second day of Passover. That night, Reuven tells his
father that Reb Saunders has been asking to see him. David Malter
becomes quite angry with his son, saying he should speak with Reb
Saunders if Reb Saunders wishes him to do so. He points out that
Reb Saunders wants to use Reuven to talk to Danny. Reuven quickly
calls Danny and tells him he will come over the following Sunday,
during Passover.
Analysis: Chapter 17
Reb Saunders’s silence continues to be the central mystery
of The Chosen. Potok uses Reb Saunders’s silence
as a literary device that allows us to empathize with both Reuven
and Danny. By not explaining the meaning of Reb Saunders’s silence,
the novel imposes a kind of silence on the reader. Because we are
confused and frustrated about the meaning of silence, we can better
understand Reuven and Danny’s frustration with Reb Saunders’s mysterious method
of parenting.
