The Giver
A Closer Look at the Sameness
Can you imagine a world without pain, warfare, poverty, hunger, or terror? Sounds pretty good so far, right? Now, take away feelings, love, diversity, choices, and even the ability to see colours. It doesn't sound so great anymore, does it? Some people may consider such a place a utopia, shielding its inhabitants from all evil; others would say it is a dystopia, in which no one has the right to speak out, have choices, or to love one another. In the novel, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, a 12-year-old boy called Jonas finds himself in a dystopia when he realizes that there is more to life outside of his sheltered community. Although the people of Jonas' community know no different than their way of life, the society is a dystopia, rather than a utopia. " 'It wasn't a practical thing, so it became obsolete when we went to the Sameness.' " (84) The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is told from the perspective of a twelve-year-old boy named Jonas growing up in a Utopian society. At the Ceremony of Twelve,where every Twelve receives their life-long occupation. Jonas finds out he has been selected to be the Receiver of Memory, the most honored of Elders. The current Receiver, called Giver by Jonas, transfers memories of pain, joy, feelings, and color to him. As he receives each memory, he yearns for a life outside of the one he has been trapped in for so long. This book proves that being "perfect" is not as great as it sounds. The Sameness, what the Utopian society Jonas lives in was based upon, has no real benefits to the community because there are no feelings, no diversity, and no choices.
Everyone in Jonas' community feels the same way towards each other, which means that they have no feelings. This makes it harder for them to have empathy. " 'It was your first Stirrings...you're ready for the pills.'....he swallowed the pill...the feelings had disappeared. The Stirrings were gone." (37-39) This quote is evidence that there are no feelings in
Can you imagine a world without pain, warfare, poverty, hunger, or terror? Sounds pretty good so far, right? Now, take away feelings, love, diversity, choices, and even the ability to see colours. It doesn't sound so great anymore, does it? Some people may consider such a place a utopia, shielding its inhabitants from all evil; others would say it is a dystopia, in which no one has the right to speak out, have choices, or to love one another. In the novel, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, a 12-year-old boy called Jonas finds himself in a dystopia when he realizes that there is more to life outside of his sheltered community. Although the people of Jonas' community know no different than their way of life, the society is a dystopia, rather than a utopia. " 'It wasn't a practical thing, so it became obsolete when we went to the Sameness.' " (84) The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is told from the perspective of a twelve-year-old boy named Jonas growing up in a Utopian society. At the Ceremony of Twelve,where every Twelve receives their life-long occupation. Jonas finds out he has been selected to be the Receiver of Memory, the most honored of Elders. The current Receiver, called Giver by Jonas, transfers memories of pain, joy, feelings, and color to him. As he receives each memory, he yearns for a life outside of the one he has been trapped in for so long. This book proves that being "perfect" is not as great as it sounds. The Sameness, what the Utopian society Jonas lives in was based upon, has no real benefits to the community because there are no feelings, no diversity, and no choices.
Everyone in Jonas' community feels the same way towards each other, which means that they have no feelings. This makes it harder for them to have empathy. " 'It was your first Stirrings...you're ready for the pills.'....he swallowed the pill...the feelings had disappeared. The Stirrings were gone." (37-39) This quote is evidence that there are no feelings in