Birthdays In The Giver

In the dystopian novel, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, and in the current American Society, birthdays are celebrated both similarly and differently. In both societies birthdays are acknowledged, however in unlike ways. In The Giver, Jonas’s society acknowledges birthdays through a mass celebration in December until they are 12 years old. Every child 12 or younger, celebrates their birthday on one out of two days reserved for celebration. “The Ceremony of 12,” on the second day, is the final celebration; after that, citizens do not keep track of their birthdays and they are no longer celebrated (45). In contrast, the modern day American society celebrates birthdays individually on their actual day of birth. Also, in both societies, Jonas’s and modern
Some of their presents are taken away at certain ages when they receive new presents. Opposingly, in the current American society, presents are usually wrapped, citizens typically receive multiple gifts, rather than one, they are a surprise, and specific for that individual. Lastly, the birthday celebration is similar and different between Jonas’s society and in the current American society. In Jonas’s society, the entire community attends the celebration and there is no privacy or specialty to individuals. “The entire community attends the Ceremony each year. For the parents, it meant two days’ holiday from work; they sat together in the huge hall. Children sat with their groups until they went, one by one, to the stage” (41). Instead, in the modern day society, birthdays are celebrated with family and friends often with a celebratory dessert. Rather than a community ceremony, it is an individual birthday party. In both societies, birthdays are celebrated, however with different traditions and customs which separate the distinctively different worlds. The knowledge gained from the novel, shows the differences and alikeness between Jonas’s dystopian society and the modern day American