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Similes
Key Examples in The Chosen
Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis—The Break-Up:
When Reuven and Danny experience a break in their friendship due to rising tensions over the Zionist movement, Reuven feels a sense of incredulousness over the fact that the two boys separated over Zionism, rather than any of their other differences. When narrating Reuven’s frustration over this perhaps-preventable life event, Potok highlights its situational irony:
I felt cold with the look of helpless pleading I saw in them. It seemed so incredible to me, so outrageously absurd. Not Freud but Zionism had finally shattered our friendship. I went through the rest of the day alternating between violent rage at Reb Saunders’s blindness and anguished frustration at Danny’s helplessness.
Related Themes:
