Jonas In The Giver

Have you ever recalled the best or worst memory that made you extremely happy or sad? In The Giver, the citizens of the main society are unable to do this. TheOur main character ,Jonas, has lived in this society for his whole life. He enjoys life there and hangs out with his friend Asher. Once children reach the age of twelve, they are given a profession that they have for the rest of their lives. Jonas doesn’t have a specific job he really desires, but is worried due to his well rounded abilities he may get an occupation he doesn’t like. At the ceremony Jonas is selected to be the next Receiver of Memory in the community. He gains memories he likes and some he doesn’t from his mentor, The Giver. But they are the only two people in the
At the ceremony of twelve, Jonas’s spot is skipped and he becomes flustered and ashamed. But at the end of the ceremony the Chief Elder addresses Jonas. “‘He has shown all of the qualities a Receiver must have’… ‘Intelligence, we are all aware that Jonas been a top student throughout his schooldays’ … ‘Integrity. Jonas has, like all of us has only committed only minor transgressions’ … ‘Courage. Only one of us here has ever undergone the rigorous training required to be a Receiver. He, of course, is the most important member of the Committee: The current Receiver’ … ‘The fourth essential attribute, is wisdom. Jonas has not yet acquired that. The acquisition of wisdom will come through his training.’”(pgs.78 & 79) This quote shows that Jonas already has very advanced attributes and is worthy of this occupation. But it says that Jonas will learn wisdom throughout his training. The quote used about war shows that wisdom in effect. He now understands the difference between right and wrong and tries to apply and explain it to his peers. Jonas is watching the release his father performed on two twins earlier in the morning. He sees everything his father told him about up until, “‘His father began very carefully to direct the needle into the top of the new child's forehead, puncturing the place where the fragile skin pulsed. The newborn squirmed, and wailed faintly.’ ‘Why’s he-’” (p.186) While Jonas is
Jonas is given the memory of love, family, and warmth by the Giver. He hasn’t experienced anything like it before, it was different. “‘I liked the feeling of love,' Jonas confessed. He glanced nervously at the speaker on the wall, reassuring himself that no one was listening. 'I wish we still had that,' he whispered. 'Of course,' he added quickly, 'I do understand that it wouldn't work very well. And that it's much better to be organized the way we are now. I can see that it was a dangerous way to live.’ ...'Still,' he said slowly, almost to himself, 'I did like the light they made. And the warmth.’” (p.158). This quote shows that Jonas has a stronger mind due to the memory of warmth and love. It shows this because when Jonas admits he likes the idea of love, you can tell that his mind is racing. Although all of this it shows he hasn’t reached his full self run life. This is shown when he says that it wouldn’t work and he added it very quickly to show he was flustered and didn’t want to say anything he might regret. At dinner the night prior, Jonas’s father brought up that he had to release one of two newborn twins the next morning. The Giver tells Jonas that he can access it just by asking. So, Jonas finds out that when someone is released they are killed by his own father and thrown down a garbage chute. “Jonas felt a ripping sensation inside himself,