Evans, a professor of English at Bemidji State University, discusses the friendship between Danny and Reuven and its importance within the context of the novel in the following essay.

When Chaim Potok published his first novel, The Chosen, in 1967, it hardly seemed destined for widespread popularity. After all, the novel contains no sex or obscenity, only a trace of violence, and its two principal characters are Jewish school boys who excel academically and enjoy engaging in theological debates with their fathers Even so, The Chosen, continues to attract a large and diverse body of readers in the United States and abroad. Surely one reason for its popularity is that it presents a compelling story of friendship, a subject of universal appeal.

The novel's plot line at its most basic resembles the folktale type of "The Two Brothers," a recurring type of narrative recognized and named by the...