Some people say that the difference between real life and stories is that real life always contains loose ends, unfinished plots, and indescribable feelings. It is when authors like Chaim Potok embody these inexpressible feelings in their works that realism in literature is created. Through plot, character relationships, setting, and imagery, Potok creates a realistic vision of Reuven and Danny's lives and friendship. While Danny's prickly relationship with his father is extreme, it speaks to realistic tensions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The novel illustrates Danny's relationship with his father as unique and interesting, but at the same time difficult and difficult to explain, as real-life relationships often are. Danny tells Reuven about his father, “For years his silence baffled and frightened me, though I always trusted him, I never hated him” (278). Danny's paternal relationship is one of independent learning, as his father never teaches him life skills, only the Talmud. Parents often let their children figure things out on their own, to teach them to be self-sufficient and not have to rely on others. Danny also explains how he feels his father is pushing him to become a tzaddik by saying, "It's like a dynasty: if the son doesn't take the father's place, the dynasty falls apart" (129). The children grapple with the possibility of disappointing their parents, just as Danny doesn't want to disappoint his father by confessing his mixed feelings about his future. Parents place their hopes in their children and sometimes fail to mask their disapproval when that child takes another path. When asked if he would raise his son in silence, as he was raised, Danny responds with "Yes, if I can't find another way" (284). All Danny has to go on is the way he was raised by his father. Faced with a difficult decision, he chooses to use the method he has seen work in the past and, instead of passing on the role of tzaddik, he passes on his father's silence. The relationship between Danny and his father, as expressed by Potok, is based on difficulties that echo the tensions present in most parent-child relationships. Potok also displays realism through his diction and imagery in his character's portrayal. Reb Saunders, for example, is described as having "a reputation for brilliance and compassion" (112). Although Reb is seen throughout most of the novel as the antagonist, being the driving force in Reuven and Danny's separation, towards the end, he is portrayed more as a father figure. In real-life relationships, someone's story has many sides, and Potok shows the many sides of Reb Saunder in his writings, shedding light on both the tzaddik and the father within him. Reuven's character also deepens, as Chaim has him express: "Suddenly I had the feeling that everything around me was out of focus" (72). From the very beginning of the novel, Potok's characters begin to develop and come to life. The “blindness” helps him see Danny, not only as a Hasid, but also as a boy his age. Danny expresses his career this way: “People expect me to be their rabbi now,” (129). His difficult decision not to be a tzaddik parallels the difficult decisions many young adults make in their lives. Danny is forced to choose between his bloodline and what Chaim Potok eloquently constructs believable characters his novel and supports them with authentic dialogue The novel also expresses the well-known conflict between.