Euthanasia In The Giver

The practice of euthanasia is often done in animals shelters, to the ones who are not healthy to be adopted or those who no one would adapt, in order to keep from bankrupting. But animals shelters are built to protect and give the animals a place to live. So why is euthanasia is performed on the animals they were originally supposed to protect and shelter? In the novel The Giver, author Lois Lowry created an world with similar concepts like the pet shelter. But instead of the animals, us, humans are the ones euthanasia is practiced on. This novels explores the bad side of euthanasia, because in the community, they did it to people who only broke the rules twice, newborns not to their standards and the Old who spent their life contributing to

Which I think the novel is purposely making us think that so we will condemn it. In the world of “The Giver”, there is a rule that must be performed after dinner called: “sharing of feelings”, in which you talk with your family about your daily felling. This quote is by Jonas-the protagonist's mother who was a judge when she said why it made her sad when a second offense came before her for judgement. (P. 11)“You know that there’s no third chance. The rules say that if there’s a third transgression, he simply has to be released.” In this quote from Jonas’s mother, it was explained how there is only 2 rule breaking chances until you are released/killed. But with only 2 chances in your whole life doesn’t make sense. Because if a person lived for 60 years, he can only make a mistake per 20 years until his death. I think the novel purposely state that so we will feel remorse against euthanasia. Another evidence that shows that the community performs euthanasia when people make mistakes is when a pilot still in during had accidentally flew the plane over the community, causing terror over the community. Below is a quote from the Speaker (a person who broadcasts the announcements) after the accident had happened. (P.3) “Within minutes the speakers had crackled again, and the voice, reassuring now and less urgent, had explained that a Pilot-in-Training had misread his navigational instructions and made a wrong turn.

Which I think the novel is purposely making us feel that so we will condemn it. This is when Jonas the protagonist and Receiver-in-training had requested to watch a ceremony of release in the Giver’s (the previous Receiver) dwelling. Not just any release, but the release ceremony performed by his father. (P.185) “He heard his father laugh. "Good," his father said to the woman. "I thought for a moment that they might both be exactly the same. Then we'd have a problem. But this one," he handed one, after rewrapping it, to his assistant, "is six pounds even. So you can clean him up and dress him and take him over to the Center." The woman took the new child and left through the door she had entered. Jonas watched as his father bent over the squirming newchild on the bed. "And you, little guy, you're only five pounds ten ounces. A shrimp.' "(P.188) {“He killed it! My father killed it!” Jonas said to himself, stunned at what he was realizing. He continued to stare at the screen numbly.”}This was the scene where Jonas realize what release-euthanasia really means. Jonas father had killed one of the twins (the smaller one) because the community's rules forbid two identical twins to be around. It does not make sense to me why twins have to be killed if they have the same face. If they don’t want confusion, they could send the other to another community or something other than killing.