Previous
Setting
Definition of Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often... read full definition
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—The Red Sea:
When Reuven attends a Hasidic synagogue service with Danny for the first time in Chapter 7, Reuven is overwhelmed by the busy and chaotic nature of the event. Danny, however, guides Reuven through the crowd with ease due to his own status as the tzaddik’s son. Reuven characterizes Danny’s unique religious position with a simile:
“That was like the parting of the Red Sea out there,” I said. “How did you do it?” “I’m my father’s son, remember? I’m the inheritor of the dynasty. Number one on our catechism: Treat the son as you would the father, because one day the son will be the father.”
The simile “the parting of the Red Sea” figuratively depicts the power that Danny Saunders holds within his religious community. Even though Danny is not yet a religious leader, he is in line to become one, and fellow Hasids are aware of his family lineage. Danny can navigate the busy scene at the synagogue effortlessly because he receives a high degree of deference as Reb Saunders’s son. In a sense, Danny is “the chosen”—hence the name of the novel itself. In this Hasidic community, as Danny says, one must treat sons like their fathers, as traditions and identities pass down through the male bloodline.
Reuven feels overwhelmed at his sudden and chaotic entrance into the world of Jewish Hasidism, a culture so different from his own Orthodox community. Potok’s use of simile illustrates how easily Danny can navigate his bustling community, unlike Reuven, who must follow along as an outsider. Further, the pointed reference to the “Red Sea” evokes the story of the Israelites escaping Pharaoh’s army as Moses parted the Red Sea, according to the Book of Exodus. In the passage above, Potok figuratively represents Reuven—a religious outsider—traveling through the “sea” of Hasidic Jews as Danny forges authoritatively through the crowd.
Related Themes:
