The predicament of Danny Saunders lies at the core of Potok's The Chosen: Should Danny remain in the very ethnic world of the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jews, or should he reach out to join mainstream American culture? In this regard, Danny's predicament symbolizes the concern of many Jews in the United States.
The background against which Danny must make his decision about how much to assimilate into popular culture is the changing political and cultural situation of Jews in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. For hundreds of years, Jews were excluded physically and intellectually from the predominantly Christian civilization. They lived in their own world. As long as their communities, called ghettos, paid taxes and acted in a passive, almost subservient manner, they were allowed to exist peaceably. Their schools taught mostly traditional Jewish texts, with little instruction in secular affairs.
The French Revolution of 1789 had a great impact on Jews and their communities. To a certain extent, more and more Jews were prompted to enter mainstream society. However, a new dilemma arose for them — the same kind of dilemma that Danny Saunders faces in The Chosen: How much of the secular culture can a Jew absorb without completely giving up religion?
This question seems to be answered better by Reuven than by Danny. Reuven has integrated his Modern Orthodox faith and American culture. But Danny is not allowed to go to movies and must wear the same kind of clothing that his ancestors did. At the end of the novel, however, Danny decides to cut off his earlocks, wear modern clothes, and yet still observe the Jewish commandments in an Orthodox fashion as he always has done.
