The Chosen Characters

Danny is, in some ways, a classic hero. He has a distinct struggle, which lasts the span of this coming-of-age story and is resolved at the end. In other ways, Danny is a unique hero. At the beginn...

Reuven Malter is our narrator, and, as we discuss in "POV/Narrative Voice," he is not the hero of his own story – Danny is. Reuven's own story is surely compelling, but he chooses to highligh...

David Malter is the voice of reason in the novel. At first, it seems Reuven has inherited many of his prejudices from his father, but it turns out that he just hasn’t been listening closely e...

Reb Saunders is an extremely complex, but almost larger-than-life character. He saved his entire Russian community from probable destruction by bringing them to America – after losing his wif...

Levi is scarcely a character at all. Reuven only tells us that he’s sickly, pale, and constantly picking at his nose and his food. He strikes Reuven as more of a ghost than a young boy. He do...

You might be wondering what the deal is with the women in this novel. We never learn the name of Danny’s mother, or the name of his sister (who Reuven thinks is cute), or the name of the girl...

He’s the coach for Reuven’s baseball team, and the guy who takes Reuven to the hospital when he gets glass in his eye. He’s a flat character, but not quite as flat as some of the...

A prizefighter in the eye ward with Reuven. He loses his eye just before Reuven gets out of the hospital. He’s a completely flat character, meant to help Reuven see how precious his own eyes...

A preteen boy also in the eye ward of the hospital. He was blinded in the car accident that killed his mother. His father was driving the car, although the accident wasn’t his fault, and is s...