What Is The Suffering In The Giver

The novel, The Giver, written by Lois Lowry, closely relates to the song “Every Day is Exactly the Same” by Nine Inch Nails. The story takes place in a dystopian society that is stripped away from all emotion, color, music, and love. Of all the citizens, one person is selected to be The Receiver of Memory, whose responsibility is to hold onto all of the memories from the past. At a certain age, The Receiver will take on the role of The Giver, who passes down these memories to the new Receiver.

To begin, when Jonas turned twelve, he received the honor of becoming The Giver’s apprentice. In his new position, Jonas is given memories of what life once was; both beautiful and painful. Soon after his selection, Jonas begins to question the new way of living, often calling it unfair and incomplete. After bringing up his opinions, The Giver replies, “‘Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine

and did away with the differences’” (Lowry 95).

This statement made by The Giver exemplifies the true suffering that comes from knowing the truth and possessing wisdom. Both Jonas and The Giver endure through the desire to let these memories known and to return to a life consisting of ‘“sunshine’” and “‘color[.]’” However, this yearning will, most likely, never be fulfilled due to the fact that their people made “‘the choice to go to Sameness[,]’” leaving behind all of their agony and anguish. What they do not know, however, is that, in the process of abandoning their pain, they also extirpated their happiness, love, and diversity. This concept relates to the meaningful lyrics in the song “Every Day is Exactly the Same[.]” This song also goes into depth about living an unchanging life. The artist writes, “Every day is exactly the same. Every

day is exactly the same. There is no love here, and there is no pain. Every day is exactly the same” (Nine Inch Nails). This song can be interpreted into the thoughts and emotions of one taking antidepressants and, thus, living an emotionless life without “love” or “pain[.]” The singer is expressing his life of “‘[s]ameness’” as he loses sight of what the world once was. This conception applies to those in The Giver, who, too, are required to take daily pills to remain in this state of monotony.
Additionally, The Giver often deliberates the concept of their society and questions its effectiveness. This can be seen when he states, “‘Sometimes I wish they’d ask for my wisdom more often--there are so many things I could tell them; things I wish they would change. But they won’t change. Life here is so orderly, so predictable--so painless. It’s what they’ve chosen’” (Lowry 103). Here, The Giver mentions his frustration of watching those around him live such an “‘orderly’” life. The Giver desperately wishes that others would come seeking his “‘wisdom’” in hopes that he can persuade them into “‘chang[ing]’” their harsh ways of living. The Giver even acknowledges the fact that their lives have become so dreary and invariable that the days have become “‘predictable[.]’” Similarly to this, Nine Inch Nails expresses the hardships of his immutable life in his song. The artist writes, “I believe I can see the future, because I repeat the same routine” (Nine Inch Nails). By making this statement, the singer portrays the uniformity of his life. Since his days are all exactly the same, he “believe[s] [he] can see the future,” expecting no alterations. This relates to The Giver’s opinion that his society was “‘so predictable’” without any change of routine, all of which was brought forth once they renounced their emotions. Conclusively, both the song, “Every Day is Exactly the Same[,]” and the novel, The Giver, convey the suffering that resides in those who experience “‘[s]ameness.’”