Moon by Chaim Potok

Chaim Potok (35) loves to write nigh growing up pains and the conflict surrounded by family, the development of a Jewish young person and the way in which the young Jew seeks to integrate himself into the coating he is in while trying to preserve his own indistinguishability as a Jew. passim the passages of his stories, Potok manages to show the ugly social realities through the points of view of his characters. By dealing with such realities and through the interactions of the characters, they atomic number 18 changed and somehow, the world becomes a ruin place for the protagonist in his novels and short stories.This is similarly the same conformation he uses in his short story lunar month. Moon tends to be reclusive and rebellious because of his own identity as part of the minority. Throughout all of these, he still wishes to be educated because he sees it as a means to become a somebody in the world. Chaim Potok makes frequent reference to his age as a part of the importa nce of adolescence and the struggles that they go through.Moon, as is the case with a lot of the characters in Potoks collection Zebra and Other Stories, is disconnected with his parents. His parents tend to be foreign to him and they could not connect effectively. This also partially explains why Moon is reclusive and rebellious.The main character of the short story tends to enjoy music. This is one topic that most adolescents share with, hence, Potok writes an accurate characterization of Moon and his friends. Through the use of music, Moons career is taking a new turn and he gains a new perspective of his situation and the grounds why he has to strive for his education even though it is hard.Moons life changes when he meets Ashraf, a Pakistani teenager who lives in a neighborhood wracked by strife and violence. Given the understate of Ashraf and that of Moon, they still managed to establish a friendship that influenced them both. Through the visit of Ashraf to his home, he su ddenly had an insight about life, about education, and the ugly realities that are confronting the life of Ashraf and that of his, too.The changes engendered in the life of Moon became even more enounce when he learns that Ashraf has been murdered. This is the climax of the story yet the incident seems to afford helped Moon become a better person and a more determined one. The differences in his lifestyle from that of Ashraf is also an important aspect of his learning. As a child belonging to the middle class, he enjoys a lot of things that Ashraf does not. With this, the main character also saw the vast oceans of differences separating the haves from the have-nots. With this, he develops sensitivity for people like Ashraf who are suffering from difficult lot in life.The relationship of Moon with his parents is not a perfect one. In fact, even his parents do have conflicting attitudes toward him. This is due to his rebellious attitude and his desire to be left alone. His parents try to win his affection and ask about his experiences yet he remains unresponsive. Because their life is comfortable and they suffer no lack, Moon developed a self-conscious and selfish outlook of life shared by middle-class teenagers. Although his parents precious him to learn much about their heritage, he is a difficult nut to crack. Yet, only the loss of Ashraf shaken him to the painful reality of the need to learn about the world and the ugly realities that people have to boldness in order for them to have meaningful lives.Work CitedPotok, Chaim. Zebra and Other Stories. New York Laurel Leaf, 2000.