Our choices form who we are. We are built from the regrets and prides that are produced. There is pain, suffering, but also, joy, and love. Humans just have nothing without choices. Jonas learns this when he becomes the receiver, but his friends were left behind in their passionless lives. They lost so much to be “protected” that there was no triumph to life. There is never a rainbow without rain. But is it worth it to live a life of pain and misery just for the occasional joy? The gifts of the memories is special to Jonas, as it differs from the monotone life he lives. After receiving his first memory, Jonas asks, “Are you saying that I — I mean we — could do it again?”(Lowry 82). By using the word “again” Lowry implants the information that …show more content…
With the word “inappropriate”, the author shocks the reader. Love is such a fundamental part of modern society, but here it is being deemed unfit. Mother and Father are introduced similarly to most biological parents, a special connection between parent and child, love, but the reader discovers with time that their relationship is much different. This is the final pebble falling away before the pile crashes down. Jonas himself even believes that the pain is necessary to feel the bliss of life’s complexity. Jonas lets his feelings go,“If everything's the same, then there aren't any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things! A blue tunic, or a red one?”(Lowry 96). By explaining how Jonas feels so passionate about decisions, the author reveals how monotone the world can be without even the simplest choice. This is a stark difference from the lives of real life people , who seldom think about decisions so small. A life without choice is a life without freedom, and Asher and Fiona live in that world, albeit with ignorance of the concept of choice. Jonas breaks free of the “protective” chains that bind his society, and changes his life
Bang! Bang! Bang! Jonas knocked on the door. A tall shadowed figure came to the door, it was the giver. He let them in and put them on a bed. Jonas started to ask questions to the giver, “Where are we.”
Without memories, nobody can make the right decision, which will lead to a bad choice. Without memories, one cannot shape his or her future. In addition, when Jonas describes the pain he feel when experiencing a sunburn when, “‘It hurts a lot,’ Jonas said, ‘but I’m glad you gave it to me. It was interesting,”(Lowry 86). This quote show that Jonas does not understand
At this point, Jonas has realized what release really means. He finds out that the little baby Gabe that has lived with his family is being released at the very next morning. And the large plan that has been made with The Giver, to get rid of sameness within his community can’t be carried out because he knows that he must save Gabe’s life. He starts to really understand what it means to truly live and truly love. He knows he loves Gabe and, therefore he must sacrifice himself in order that Gabe might live. So, he quietly leaves in the middle of the night, and takes Gabe with him and they leave the community. Jonas is running for their lives because he knows they’re being hunted down. He hopes that they will just give up and assume that maybe
Jonas decides to leave and change the lives of his people so that they can experience the truth. “The Giver rubbed Jonas’s hunched shoulders… We’ll make a plan” (155). Their plan involves leaving sameness and heading to Elsewhere, where Jonas knows the memories can be released to the people. He has a connection with Gabe, a special child who has experienced the memories, unlike the rest of the community. Jonas has a strong love for Gabe, and he longs to give him a better life. “We’re almost there, Gabriel” (178). Even with a sprained ankle, Jonas keeps pushing forward because he wants everyone to experience what The Giver has given him. He wants them to have a life where the truth is exposed. His determination allows him to make a change for a greater future in his community. This proves that Jonas has the strength to change his community for the
Throughout the history of the world, there has been many societies. All these societies had similar structures and ideas, but they all are different by their own special traditions and ways of life. Similarly, both our society and the society in The Giver share similar ideas, but they are different in certain areas. For example, they both celebrate birthdays and have family units, but they have their own way of doing so. Based on the celebration of birthdays and the formation of family units, our society is better than the society in The Giver by Lois Lowry.
Finally, when he knew that he could bear it no longer and would welcome death itself, he opened his eyes and was once again on the bed,” (Lowry 120). Jonas has lived his life in a Community that does not learn about the past memories. Due to this ignorance that the Community instilled in him, it is harder for him to deal with the memory of war. Moreover, the Community uses ignorance as a temporary solution so that the residents feel a false sense of happiness. Jonas can only now see that this is a temporary fix by experiencing the memories through his training.
He starts to believe that a world of sameness where no one can decide or make choices for themselves is boring. Lois Lowry is warning readers that living in a world of sameness is not something to create as it is boring and dull, but if the world follows conformity and does not value diversity and difference enough, society could become that of Jonas’s. When he turns twelve, his job for the rest of his life is decided as the Receiver. His job is to receive all the memories the previous Receiver has held on to. While this is beneficial for Jonas as he is able to leave the society and his job of the Receiver behind and get freedom, the community is left without someone to take the memories from The Giver.
Like any child in the community, Jonas is uncomfortable with the attention he receives when he is singled out as the new Receiver, preferring to blend in with his friends. Once Jonas begins his training with the Giver, however, the tendencies he showed in his earlier life—his sensitivity, his heightened perceptual powers, his kindness to and interest in people, his curiosity about new experiences, his honesty, and his high intelligence—make him extremely absorbed in the memories the Giver has to transmit. In turn, the memories, with their rich sensory and emotional experiences, enhance all of Jonas’s unusual qualities. Within a year of training, he becomes extremely sensitive to beauty, pleasure, and suffering, deeply loving toward his family and the Giver, and fiercely passionate about his new beliefs and feelings. Things about the community that used to be mildly perplexing or troubling are now intensely frustrating or depressing, and Jonas’s inherent concern for others and desire for justice makes him yearn to make changes in the community, both to awaken other people to the richness of life and to stop the casual cruelty that is practiced in the community.
Therefore, we need to have memories and need to be shared with others to be socialized. For example, "'The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.'". This proves that the Giver was feeling lonely by not be able to share his memories with others. Also, memory is something that will never be lost. According to the Giver, the memories are something that can never be lost and we need to share with others to show them the experience that we experienced in past in form of communication. "If you were to be lost in the river, Jonas your memories would not be lost with you. Memories are forever". In other words, memories never die. In addition, without the memories, we aren't what we are now. The moral of this book indicates the importance of memories in human life. According to the Giver, "It's just that...without the memories, it's all meaning less". Therefore, the memories are one of the most important things in our life.
Jonas misses the way it was before he had memories where there was no pain or feeling, because everything was innocent. But he understands that although there was innocence nobody feels true happiness.Jonas thinks: “But he knew he couldn’t go back to that world of no feelings that he had lived in so long” (Lowry 131). Jonas wishes he could go back when everything was innocent and when he had no burden of pain, but although there was innocence the bad memories were stripped away to avoid the feeling of pain but also leaves everyone emotionless. But he knows it can never be the same again because of all the knowledge he gained from memories. He learns that memoires need to be valued, even the painful ones. Jonas feels that his community can change and things could be different. He thinks they should live in a world with memories. Jonas says: “Things could be different. I don’t know how, but there must be some way for things to be different. There could be colours [...] and everybody would have memories [...] There could be love” (Lowry 128). Jonas wishes that they could all have memories because everyone would be able to experience love. Love is one of the most important things in human life. He knows that there are bad memories, but without them, he wouldn’t be able to enjoy the good ones. Eventually, with his feelings
...s us to celebrate our differences. We also realise that we live with the same kind of memories that Jonas struggles to carry, every day of our lives. Although the fact that the memories are new to him makes it harder for Jonas to bear the pain, it also makes it easier for him to appreciate the beauty of the little things. We, on the other hand, being familiar with the sensations, do not cherish them as much as we should. None of us savors the warmth of sunshine or the beauty of snow the way Jonas does. Perhaps we need the darkness of the night to appreciate the brightness of the moon.
Feelings are a part of being a human being. However, we need memories, including those of pain, to experience feelings. Without those memories of pain, we can never fully appreciate others and therefore never feel pain. “”Warmth”, Jonas replied, “and happiness,” (page 155). Jonas experienced this through a memory of a Christmas day where everyone was joyful and together. Even though love, “Was a dangerous way to live,” (page 158), risk is needed to relish love. Without memories, life would be dull and without emotion, which is a mundane and tedious way to
Jonas’ community chooses Sameness rather than valuing individual expression. Although the possibility of individual choice sometimes involves risk, it also exposes Jonas to a wide range of joyful experiences from which his community has been shut away. Sameness may not be the best thing in the community because Jonas expresses how much he feels like Sameness is not right and wants there to be more individuality. Giver leads him to understand both the advantages and the disadvantages of personal choice, and in the end, he considers the risks worth the benefits. “Memories are forever.”
Imagine living in a society where all freedoms are stripped from you and your life is restricted. In The Giver, Jonas lives in a society where his job, spouse, even down to his family are chosen for him. After he is assigned the Receiver as his lifelong job, he learns the secrets of his society and is forced to retain memories the elders did not want the community to have. He decides he wants to leave his new life and the community. In the end of the book, the author, Lois Lowry, leaves the fates of Jonas and Gabriel up to the reader. Although some do not believe that Jonas and Gabriel survive and make it to Elsewhere, the entire last chapter supports the idea that Jonas and Gabriel survive and make it to Elsewhere. This is true because Gabriel is good news for the new community they arrive in, the Giver knew that Elsewhere existed when he gave Jonas the memories, and also because Lois Lowry confirms that Jonas and the baby make it to the community.
Imagine a world with no war, no disease, no hunger, no sadness, but there will be sacrifices made that we wouldn’t normally be able to do. Our lives would be owned by a complete stranger. The decisions we would make will have already decided. In this world your society would have no music, no color, our families would change entirely, and there would be no love. Is it all worth it?