The Giver Research Paper

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The idea of a perfect world seems easy, however actually making it happen is almost next to impossible. In the beginning of The Giver by Lois Lowry the community is portrayed as a perfect utopian society. Slowly as the reader reads on, they realize that there is no such thing as a perfect world. Each component of the community has a problem in The Giver it is based on equality and sameness. As a result of the foundation of the community many problems arise such as; no freedom of choice, no connections or feelings, and division of citizens by intellect, ability, class. The community is a dystopia because it is bland and there are no opinions.

Jonas’s community is a dystopia because there is no freedom of choice. At the end of December every …show more content…

One day in Jonas’s training with The Giver, he asks him what his favorite memory is. The Giver does not seem reluctant to give it away so Jonas lays down on the bed and is given the memory. Lois Lowry then describes a scene which sounds like christmas eve on a snowy winter night. When Jonas wakes up he is amazed by the memory but is also confused. There were old people in the room, this is confusing to Jonas because in the community when someone is too old to produce and to help the community they get released. Also Jonas is confused because he claims there was a feeling in the room and he just could not describe it. He says it is a warm feeling, then The Giver tells Jonas that the feeling he felt was called love. He is perplexed by the amazing feeling he felt. Later that night at dinner he asks his father, “‘Do you love me?...Your father means you used a very generalized word, so meaning less that it has become almost obsolete’” (127). In the community your are assigned a spouse and do not get to fall in love. Then you and your spouse can apply for a child, you do not get to have your own child. Also at a young age you are given special pills for what is called “stirrings” these pills minimize feelings towards the opposite sex. This means Jonas’s parents have no feeling towards Jonas or each other, if he were to die they would not really care and they would go on with their regular lives.

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