Imagine a perfect society where there are no choices. Your job, spouse, children, and beliefs are chosen for you. Imagine this same society without animals, weather, music, and color. Imagine this society without love and pain.
The society you just pictured is the place where 12-year-old Jonas dwells. In The Giver, a fiction novel written by Lois Lowry, the Community has converted to Sameness. The inhabitants are subdued to a point of color blindness and no emotional depth, conforming to Sameness. Each individual is assigned to a job according to skill and interest when he or she becomes a Twelve. Spouses are matched up based on personality. Children are born to Birthmothers, and then the unit can apply for children. There is a limitation of one male and one female per family unit. As the children grow older and get involved in their work, they forget their foster parents and start a family unit of their own. The Community makes this possible by using pills, which get rid of emotions, including love, known as Stirrings.
There are numerous rules in the Community, which if broken require a simple apology. If a serious infraction is committed, he or she may be Released, sent Elsewhere, out of the Community.
A Committee of Elders is in charge of the decisions in the Community. They assign each 12-year-old the job at the Ceremony of Twelve, where all the Elevens turn into Twelves. At the Ceremony of the Twelve, Jonas is singled out to be the next Receiver of Memory, someone who holds all of the memories of before Sameness. Jonas receives special training from the Giver, the one who can experience pain and love and see color unlike everyone else. The Giver transfers memories of violence and sadness, as well as true love and joy. Receiving all this knowledge, Jonas realizes what a shallow life the Community lives but also realizes that they're happy because they don't know a better life.
The society you just pictured is the place where 12-year-old Jonas dwells. In The Giver, a fiction novel written by Lois Lowry, the Community has converted to Sameness. The inhabitants are subdued to a point of color blindness and no emotional depth, conforming to Sameness. Each individual is assigned to a job according to skill and interest when he or she becomes a Twelve. Spouses are matched up based on personality. Children are born to Birthmothers, and then the unit can apply for children. There is a limitation of one male and one female per family unit. As the children grow older and get involved in their work, they forget their foster parents and start a family unit of their own. The Community makes this possible by using pills, which get rid of emotions, including love, known as Stirrings.
There are numerous rules in the Community, which if broken require a simple apology. If a serious infraction is committed, he or she may be Released, sent Elsewhere, out of the Community.
A Committee of Elders is in charge of the decisions in the Community. They assign each 12-year-old the job at the Ceremony of Twelve, where all the Elevens turn into Twelves. At the Ceremony of the Twelve, Jonas is singled out to be the next Receiver of Memory, someone who holds all of the memories of before Sameness. Jonas receives special training from the Giver, the one who can experience pain and love and see color unlike everyone else. The Giver transfers memories of violence and sadness, as well as true love and joy. Receiving all this knowledge, Jonas realizes what a shallow life the Community lives but also realizes that they're happy because they don't know a better life.
This novel is very well written. There are many details but not an overwhelming amount. The setting is very well described throughout the book. I could almost feel what the characters were feeling. This book kept me intrigued throughout the entire thing but the end was disappointing. It was very unclear as to what happened to Jonas. I didn’t even have an idea of what could’ve happened. Although the end is not very clear, I still enjoyed this read. If you’re interested in fantasy and science fiction, I would definitely recommend this book.
This is really good, it makes mine look like crap.
ReplyDeleteGreat book review! It sounds like a very good book to read.
ReplyDeleteBrillant, fabulous, wonderful!
DeleteVery nice book review! I like how you vividly explained it!
ReplyDelete