Seeking Perfection and Utopia

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Jonas gradually stepped outside his house. He turned left and right and saw Eights beginning to ride their bicycles and Twelves who were excited to be getting their job assignments. As he strapped on his helmet and edged his way onto his bicycle, he saw an apple his friend was throwing around change. It was instantaneous. There one second, gone the next. His friend threw a confused expression on his face when Jonas asked if he saw the change. Maybe it had been a hallucination. What had it been? It was color. Imagine a perfect society. One in which there is no fighting, no discrimination, no war. This is the society of The Giver. The Giver is filled with symbols and themes that reflect upon the lives of people in modern societies and the control of government in Jonas’s society. The underlying theme in The Giver is the idea of control that is enforced on society in order to achieve perfection, and the symbols, including the sled, the river, and Carl Nelson, illustrate life and the society in which Jonas lives in. Therefore, The Giver reflects upon contemporary society through its themes and symbols.

Within The Giver, there is a recurring theme of control and uniformity that was enforced by the government in order to achieve perfection and form a utopian society such as theirs. Color, being one of the primary sources of discrimination within countries, was a factor that was removed from society. Without the diversity that is achieved with color, their society was able to achieve uniformity and sameness. However, with the introduction of sameness in their community, they were not able to express individuality. Without the distinct colors that we have in life, there would not be any differences or creativity within community which...

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...g once able to see in color and eventually losing his ability, it illustrated his society which originally perceived the world with color but then relinquished it. Therefore, the sled, illustrating life and Jonas’s experiences, the river, shoswing change, and Carl Nelson, who represented the acts of the Giver and his society, were symbols within The Giver.

Conclusively, The Giver, through its use of an underlying theme and various symbols reflected on modern-day society and life. With the use of the theme, Lois Lowry depicted how control is necessary in order to form a perfect society; however, there are great losses that need to be endured as well. Furthermore, symbols, such as the sled, river, and Carl Nelson, illustrate the society and life as well. As the prominent Giver put it to Jonas, “We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others.” (95)

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