Examples Of Sameness In The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowery centers around twelve-year-old Jonas, who exists in a society which, at first, appears to be utopic. But is revealed to be dystopic. The society has eliminated pain and suffering by converting to Sameness, which is total control over everything in order to make it the same. The government wants total control over everyone and everything, however, there are some who may disagree with this approach due to the lack of individualism and emotion.
By the novel’s definition, Sameness is when everything in the society is the same. Everyone experiences the same things and no one is greater than anyone else. The weather is always the same and there are no colors. Also, there are no emotions. Sameness may be good because it keeps people out of danger. As the Giver showed Jonas a memory of pain, “Jonas was jarred loose and thrown into the air. In his agony, he perceived the word “fire” and felt flames licking at the torn bone and flesh. He tried to move, and could not. The pain grew.” (Lowery 137) The government does not want anyone to feel sad or angry or anything at all for that matter and there would be no drama or …show more content…

There’s no weather which means there is no rain or snow – the weather is always the perfect temperature. They don’t know of different feelings. For example, Jonas asks his parents, “Do you love me?” and they reply, “Jonas. You, of all people. Precision of language, please!” Jonas did not understand so he asked for clarification. “Your father means that you used a very generalized word, so meaningless, that it’s become almost absolute,” (Lowery 159-160) Jonas’s mother explained. She goes on to explain that their society could not function smoothly if people did not use precise language. This serves as another stage of Jonas’s development that he loves people who can not love him because they are lost in Sameness they do not know the