The Giver Theme Essay

The Giver Short Answer by: William Nguyen (Core 2 Language Arts) While there are many themes that are present in "The Giver" and "Harrison Bergeron", one theme stands out. That theme is, memories are important and if they're lost, they can cause pain. In "The Giver", by Lois Lowry, there are moments when important memories cause pain. When Jonas is talking to The Giver about [The Giver's] daughter Rosemary, Jonas asks the Giver what happened when Rosemary was released. The Giver responds, "'The community lost Rosemary after five weeks and it was a disaster for them. I don't know what the community would do if they lost you.' 'Why was it a disaster?' '...the memories came back to the people. If you were to be lost in the river, Jonas, your memories would not
Hazel and George Bergeron had a son named Harrison. They live in a society where everyone was equal, and if you were smarter than someone else, they put handicaps on your body. These handicaps made sure that everybody was equal, and everybody was at an equal playing field. Harrison is way bigger, and smarter than everybody else, and was considered dangerous to the community. When Harrison breaks into the TV station, George Bergeron is quick to recognize that his son is on TV, and shouts, “‘My God -’ said George, ‘that must be Harrison!’ The realization was blasted from his mind instantly by the sound of an automobile collision in his head” (Vonnegut 4). This shows that George Bergeron had a memory of his son (Harrison Bergeron), but his mental handicaps hindered his ability to grasp onto that memory. George’s memories of his son was blasted away, and his feelings for Harrison went away with his memories. The loss of their son causes temporary sadness (Hazel was crying) and it causes pain for George. This passage shows that if important memories are lost (memory of Harrison), they can inflict mental or physical