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Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:
The Chosen primarily takes place in Brooklyn, New York, specifically in the neighborhood of Williamsburg during the 1940s. In real life and in the novel, Williamsburg has a deep history as home to generations of Jewish families, many who once migrated from Europe in attempts to escape religious and ethnic persecution. Specifically, Williamsburg is home to a large population of Hasidic Jews, who observe strictly orthodox practices in adherence to their spiritual leader, the tzaddik.
As Reuven—a non-Hasidic Jew—discovers, World War II and the Holocaust have caused immense upheaval within the American Jewish community. Debate rages amongst Orthodox sects over how to proceed with Jewish self-determination in a post-Holocaust world. Throughout the novel, Potok explores the unique perspective which Jewish Americans brought to the formation and continuation of the Zionist movement. The social settings which Reuven and Danny encounter—such as Jewish temple, Hirsch College, or even their family dinner tables—inform their awareness of tensions within the Jewish community in New York City.
On one hand, these settings additionally become homes for both Reuven and Danny, particularly because the two boys do not travel far from Brooklyn throughout their lives. On another hand, Reuven and Danny face conflict when they become unable to interact with each other, due to their differing Jewish backgrounds. Although Hasidic and Orthodox Jews worship the same God, Reuven and Danny discover that many in Williamsburg actively oppose the mixing of the two groups. The two characters eventually bridge this religious, cultural, and social gap by becoming friends despite their differences. However, their temporary split towards the end of the novel also exemplifies the enormous influence of cultural settings upon individual relationships.
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