55 pages • 1 hour read
Chaim PotokA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
The boys begin Hirsch College, but the college only teaches experimental psychology, and Danny is upset: He doesn’t understand how mazes and rats relate to the mind. Yet Danny soars with Jewish studies and the Talmud. The department raves about him, and people ask him to settle Talmudic spats. Rav Gershenson likes to spend three days on two lines, so Danny learns a lot from him.
Reuven and Danny discuss the psychology professor and chairperson, Nathan Appleman, who dismisses Freud’s followers as “Dogmatic Freudians”—they don’t want to challenge his theories but confirm them through “dubious” inferences and analogies. Reuven wonders if Appleman is on to something, and Danny says any followers of a genius are “dogmatic,” and Freud was a genius. Reuven jokes about turning Freud into a tzaddik.
Reuven’s dad has had three colds in five months, and he’s dedicated himself to the increasingly violent Zionist movement (people who support the creation and preservation of Israel). With his Zionist activities and teaching duties, Malter often comes home after 11 p.m.
By Chaim Potok
Coming-of-Age Journeys
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Community
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Fathers
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Friendship
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Hate & Anger
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Jewish American Literature
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National Book Awards Winners & Finalists
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Religion & Spirituality
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Required Reading Lists
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School Book List Titles
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