Equality In The Giver

In the book The Giver, by Lois Lowry, the author shows a government that takes total control over its citizen. For instance, Jonas, the young protagonist, learns that he is unable to make choices due to the law of equality, or “. He cannot decide the clothes he can wear or what activities he can do. As Jonas says to the Giver, Jonas’s mentor, “If everything's the same, then there aren’t any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things!” (97) This shows that the Elders have taken away the rights that prohibits Jonas from making his own choices or decisions. Furthermore, the Elders also decide the future of each individual in the society. They keep a watch on each kid ever since they were born. Later on, in the Ceremony of Twelve, the Elders assign each one a job. As the narrator explains, “... he hadn’t the slightest idea what assignment the Elders would be selecting for his future.” (19) This
For example, there are many amendments created by the government to maintain equality. On page 1 the narrator states, “The year was 2081 … All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th amendments.” This is demonstrates that the government adds many amendments to restrain citizens from doing things they do not like. No one should be smarter or stronger than anyone else, everyone must be the same. However, everyone who is smarter, stronger or prettier must wear a handicap. The handicap prevents the character from having more advantages or opportunities as the others. Sooner in the story Harrison is killed because he rebelled against the government. The narrator states, “...the handicapper general came into the studio. She fired twice and the Emperor and Empress were dead.” This is showing that in Harrison’s fight to regain his individuality, he was killed only because the government did not want him