The Giver Essay
The Giver, written by Lois Lowry (1993) is a fictional novel about a boy called Jonas and how he responds to his community’s lack of choice and individuality. The novel explores Jonas’ encounter with memories of the past, and how he feels towards the lack of freedom within his highly controlled society. As the novel develops Jonas starts to question the ways in which his community work and disagrees with the strict laws of his society.
People in the community in The Giver are unable to make choices on their own, much of their lives are pre-planned and organized. The community believes that in order to up hold a safe and painless lifestyle, people are forbidden to decide things for them selves. In the society that Lowry has created, people are told who to marry, what to wear, how many children they can have, where to live, what job they will have and what to feel, resulting in living predictable and controlled lifestyles with out choice. Due to the fact that the community has no knowledge or memory of the past, they cannot make choices of the future and are instead governed by a strict set of rules. Jonas’ community fears that if people are given the freedom to make their own choices they might make the wrong one, thus destroying the illusion of their ‘perfect’ society.
When Jonas discovers memory, he realizes that choice is power and is essential to human happiness. At the start of the novel Jonas is as oblivious as anyone else about the way he is living. He has grown up with strict rules and discipline, and has accepted this way of life because he doesn't know any other type of existence. But as he receives The Giver's memories, he learns the truth about his community, that it is hypocrisy and that the people have sacrificed their individuality and freedom to live as robots. As the story continues the author changes Jonas’ character and he experiences an external conflict between himself and the community. He is frustrated and angry because, as Jonas has
People in the community in The Giver are unable to make choices on their own, much of their lives are pre-planned and organized. The community believes that in order to up hold a safe and painless lifestyle, people are forbidden to decide things for them selves. In the society that Lowry has created, people are told who to marry, what to wear, how many children they can have, where to live, what job they will have and what to feel, resulting in living predictable and controlled lifestyles with out choice. Due to the fact that the community has no knowledge or memory of the past, they cannot make choices of the future and are instead governed by a strict set of rules. Jonas’ community fears that if people are given the freedom to make their own choices they might make the wrong one, thus destroying the illusion of their ‘perfect’ society.
When Jonas discovers memory, he realizes that choice is power and is essential to human happiness. At the start of the novel Jonas is as oblivious as anyone else about the way he is living. He has grown up with strict rules and discipline, and has accepted this way of life because he doesn't know any other type of existence. But as he receives The Giver's memories, he learns the truth about his community, that it is hypocrisy and that the people have sacrificed their individuality and freedom to live as robots. As the story continues the author changes Jonas’ character and he experiences an external conflict between himself and the community. He is frustrated and angry because, as Jonas has