The Chosen-Journal On First Half Of Book

Danny Saunders reminds me of Asher Lev. He finds that the restrictions of his religion are stunting his growth as a human being. Although his father strongly disapproves, Danny shows interest in many different subjects and areas. Danny's extraordinary baseball skills are similar to Asher's talent in art.

At the baseball game between the Hasids and the Secular Jews, there was definitely a lot of friction going on between the two teams. Danny and Reuven are especially rude to each other, and then Danny ends up hitting Reuven in the eye with the baseball. When Danny visits Reuven in the hospital, Reuven refuses to listen to him. Later on, his father scolds him for not giving Danny a chance. Reuven tried to forgive him, but he wasn't ready to yet because of all the pain and anguish he was suffering. After he realized how terribly he had treated Danny, he regretted it. Reuven must be very mentally strong, if he is able to so quickly forgive Danny.

When Reuven first meets Danny's father, he sees Danny's father quizzing him on what he learned at school that week. If Danny gets a question or even a small part of a question wrong, his father seems to be very disappointed in him. He begins asking Reuven some questions, and when Reuven gets them right, Danny's father accepts him as worthy to be one of Danny's friends. Reuven observes that the relationship between Danny and his father is not very good. They are not close to each other at all, only having a conversation when Danny's father is quizzing him. Reuven is even more shocked when he finds out that Danny was raised in silence, with his father very rarely talking to him in all of his childhood. Reuven finds this to be very shocking because he has always been very close to his father. Reuven's mother died when he was born, so Reuven and his father have a very good relationship. Neither of them can grasp the idea that one might actually raise their son without talking to him.

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