Chaim Potok Biography And Writings Essay Research

Chaim Potok: Biography And Writings Essay, Research Paper

Chaim Potok

Chaim Potok, arguably the most powerful writer of modern Judaism, was born on February 17, 1929, in the Bronx of New York to Benjamin and Mollie Potok. At age 8, Chaim Potok showed talent in the realm of drawing and art. His father and teachers of the Talmud, a compilation of Jewish law, greatly discourage him from pursuing art. This was because it was considered nothing more than a waste at best and breaking the commandment .thou shalt not make any graven image. at the worst. Eventually, he gave up his interest in art to pursue another, writing (Current Biography, 1983).

At the age of 14, Potok began to tire of simple childish fiction and sought to read more adult oriented books. At random, he chose the book Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. He was completely overwhelmed by the fact that such a seemingly real world could be created with words on paper. Potok knew from that time on that writing was what he wished to do. Anything he read from that time on he would he would carefully analyze to understand how to create fictitious worlds (Contemporary Authors, 1992).

His enthusiasm for writing was not met well with his parents or Talmudic teachers. His teachers were quite disappointed that Potok would devote his bright mind to the .frivolous. nature of writing fiction. His mother told him, .You want to be a writer. Fine. You be a brain surgeon, on the side [you will write stories].. Potok told in an interview with Studies in American Jewish Literature that he was quite angry with the way people reacted to his dream. Jewish tradition has always cast a very condescending view of fiction. He was quoted as saying .Scholarship is what counted in the Jewish

tradition, Talmudic scholarship, not the product of imagination.. Today, many of his novels represent themes of religious values versus secular ones (Current Biography, 1983).

For the next five years he allocated much of his spare time to analyzing pieces of fiction. During his education as a major in English Literature, Potok eventually concluded that it would be extremely difficult creating fictitious literature in the orthodox atmosphere in which he was a part. After receiving a B. A. in English Literature, he became drawn to another sect of Judaism called Conservative Judaism. Conservative Judaism takes a more modern, Westernized, and historical approach to the study of Jewish literature and texts. Eventually he transferred his studies to a Conservative Judaism school where he could get a quality rabbinical education. This helped to strengthen his writing; however, he became sort of an outcast of the orthodox setting in which he grew up (Current Biography, 1983).

In 1954, Potok graduated from college and was ordained as a Conservative Rabbi. From 1955 to 1957 he served as a chaplain in the US army in Korea. The experiences he had there lead him to right his first novel. Although unpublished, it was the source of inspiration for the first five of his novels (Current Biography, 1983)

In 1965 he completed his doctorate in philosophy. In 1973, he and his family settled in Israel but moved back to the USA in 1977. From there to the present, he has spent most of his time writing and lecturing. He has a wife, Adena Potok, and three children. He now lives in Pennsylvania and currently enjoys writing, painting, and traveling (Abramson, 1986).

He has written the novels The Chosen, its sequel The Promise, the critically acclaimed My Name is Asher Lev, In the Beginning, Wanderings: Chaim Potok.s History of the Jews, The Book of Lights, Davita.s Harp, (Abramson, 1986) and I am the Clay (Internet). He has also written several children.s books, short stories, and plays. In 1982, The Chosen appeared as a major motion picture (Internet).

Chaim Potok.s writings, like that of many other writers, have been influenced by both experiences in life and the age in which he lived. Potok largely emphasizes on the concept of religion and its relationship with the changing world, and with the struggle of religious people trying to cohabitate worldly and secular ways in their lives. Potok himself has been forced to deal with these issues, especially because of his love of art and writing. These things have made him compromise his values by adopting a new way of viewing Judaism itself. He neither wished to alienate himself from his Jewish heritage, nor forsake his passion for things of a secular nature. Indeed, most of his works follow youths who are torn between their Jewish roots and the thirst for worldly knowledge.

His later works such as The Wanderings and The Book of Lights deal with another equally important theme: tracing your roots to discover who you and your people are, and the search for new methods to explain the universe. Of course all of these themes are universal to any time; after all, the three questions that have plagued mankind are .Who am I.., .Where did I come from.., and .Where am I going... In almost every age people have had to answer the question and themes Potok has raised, though Potok is obviously trying to put things in the perspective of the world as it is today.

The Chosen is a tale of the expectations of your roots versus the temptation of the world. The story revolves around two characters, Danny Saunders and Reuven Malters who are each from opposing se