The Giver Research Paper

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Chloe Byrd The Giver: Metaphorical Death. The truth of death is its mystery. Without death, there would be nothing, there would be no fear of the wrong or the good of the right. Our lives would be meaningless and our memories of others, our grief, would be stripped away from us. In Lois Lowry's novel, The Giver, these existential questions about morality, deception, and the shared human experience come to the forefront. Death, both literal and metaphorical, emerges as a central theme. Through these elements, the novel delves into the complexities of existence, the human experience, and the profound impact of both physical and metaphorical endings on individual and collective consciousness. Metaphorical death manifests itself through the memories …show more content…

In doing this process he learns about the generations before him, he learns about hunger, pain, and war as well as color, art, and love. In one such instance, Jonas was given the memory of hunger and being underfed. The book describes the memory as such, “.the hunger had caused excruciating spasms in his empty, distended stomach. He lay on the bed, aching. “Why do you and I have to hold these memories?” “It gives us wisdom,” The Giver replied.” This quote relates to this theme because it shows the pain and the hunger he feels of the past generations before him. Just as he feels he can't endure any longer and embraces the idea of death, he suddenly finds himself back in the safety of his own bed. These memories are of pain and someone close to death. Death is our memories and our grief, represented by the quote. What brings us close to death is our memories, what reminds us of our pain. Just as he feels he can't endure any longer and embraces the idea of death, he suddenly finds himself back in the safety of his own bed. Then further along the book we see Jonas, our protagonist, get introduced to the idea of …show more content…

Jonas is understanding his ability to “see beyond”. The Giver, his mentor, helps him understand this new concept he describes. Jonas, we come to understand, is seeing colors and the color red is the most evident one showing itself. The ability to “see beyond” is seeing something beyond their gray and dull world. Jonas recalls a memory The Giver has given him about sledding. When Jonas recalls this memory, he sees the color red and wonders how language is not precise enough to describe the beauty of the red. Then Jonas contemplates the decision of past generations on why everything has become the same and monotonous. The Giver replies to this question, “The Giver shrugged”. ‘Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, and back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with differences.’ He thought for a moment. We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others.’” This quote speaks to the theme of metaphorical death as it relates to the loss of individuality and the relinquishment of essential human experiences. The Giver explains the past societal choice to embrace Sameness, a decision that not only eliminates color and diversity but also represents a form of spiritual and emotional death for the community. This decision ultimately suppresses aspects of life that

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