The Community In The Giver By Lois Lowry

Jonas’ community appears to be a utopia, but, in reality, it is a dystopia. The people seem perfectly content to live in an isolated wreck—in a government run by a select few—in which a group of Elders enforces the rules. In Jonas’ community, there is no poverty, starvation, unemployment, lack of housing, or discrimination; everything is perfectly planned to eliminate any problems. However, as the book progresses and Jonas gains insight into what the people have willingly given up—their freedoms and individualities—for the so-called common good of the community, it becomes more and more obvious that the community is a horrible place in which to live. You as a reader can relate to the disbelief and horror that Jonas feels when he realizes

Jonas accepting his society because he's unaware of emotions of the other people in his community. Jonas follows the rule of having the share your feelings everyday. Not telling

Everything must be the same in this dystopian government, but this doesn’t apply to Jonas. Many settings are displayed through his mind when he receives memory. We gather, by the fact that his past is displayed as our present; this story is set sometime in the future. His town is something we can imagine, because it is slightly similar to many of ours. For example, many people ride bicycles, but

At the beginning of the novel Jonas does not know the truth about how his community works and he is happy. The text states “This morning we celebrated the release of

All ready we are seeing the government taking control at a young age giving people assigned positions so that everyone can live in peace and harmony. Jonas was given the role of being the keeper of all memories and as he learns more about the past and what people actually do the more he want to expose them. Like how he isn’t actually a product of his parents as the government made him to be a perfect child. He also learns that his parents professions aren’t what they say they are. Instead of working in the nursery, they actually release people (kill people with a lethal injection).

The community is stripped of individuality, freedom, and choice, things we need to live and things one cannot simply take away, because that is not equality. In the novel, Jonas eventually gets fed up with the sameness and intrigued by what he sees in the memories Jonas says, “‘What if we could hold things up that are bright red and bright yellow, and choose instead of sameness?’”(98) As Jonas receives more and more memories, it begins to feel real to him, receiving the memories is a guilty pleasure for Jonas. As he wakes up to reality he wants to experience freedom the way he does in the memories.

“I see humans, but no humanity,” is a famous quote by Jason Donahue, that perfectly explains Jonas’ community. Memories of emotion, individuality, and free will were taken from the people and given to Jonas, one boy in the community who has the job of Receiver. He “receives” all of the memories that the community used to have. All of the things that the community has tried to do to become “perfect,” are what makes them imperfect thus loosing a part of their humanity.

In the beginning of the novel, Jonas has a low maturity level and he does not understand what is going on in his community. He volunteers at many places, he doesn’t know what job he wants. He also plays games because he is young. He goes to school, which means he isn’t twelve years old yet. In the mornings he shares his feelings and dreams, he doesn’t think it is strange at all. He follows the rules as well, he doesn’t think that they are too stern yet.

Jonas’ Community have many rules. They are perfect because they live by a set of strict rules. There are only three books in the community that normal citizens can read. The book of rules, the dictionary for precise language, and the book of community for all the buildings, maps and descriptions. At the back room of the Giver’s Annex, The Giver has bookshelves of books. “But the most conspicuous difference was the books. In his own dwelling, there were the necessary volumes that each household contained” (74). The only books he knew were in his dwelling, but he is open to a new world, books full of the past that can answer all of his questions. “Jonas never thought about other things like books, he didn't know if they existed or not “ (74). The books in his own dwelling are the only books that Jonas has seen. He

Jonas lives in a society that eliminated hatred, pain, love, and fear. Spouses and children are assigned to each individual sharing no emotions towards each other. The people have no control of their lives, “Every aspect of one's life such as one's spouse, children, and job is decided by the Committee of Elders” (Lowry 56). Jonas did not question his society or his family because he was taught to follow the rules and to be politie. Until Jonas was given the highly honored assignment, the Receiver of Memory. Each citizen is assigned a job in the community at the age of twelve to serve until they are released into Elsewhere similar to heaven. Jonas began to view the community differently after he learned they were not living freely. Additionally, the Elders took away the memories and emotions to prevent darkness and war in the community. The former Receiver of Memory, gave the memories of joy and suffrage to Jonas. Jonas experienced his first memory, “He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too” (180). Jonas witnessed singing and dancing for the first time which the society hid. It was the first time Jonas had started to feel strange which he learned were feelings. Jonas did not understand the reason for the Elders keeping

This community is not a usual everyday community. Here people don’t have to worry about poverty, crime, starvation and basically any typical world problems. Although, this community still has many problems. People still think this is a wonderful place to live but this community is a dystopia. In Mrs. Lowry’s book “The Giver” she explains how families function here as well as the both negative and positive point of views for family.

Jonas is a boy in the elevens group about to continue on to the twelve group. He is very anxious for the ceremony that takes place every year in the month of December, but this year is different. This is the year when he will get his Assignment from the elders to be caretaker of the old, nurturer, an engineer, etc. At this point, Jonas had no idea what he would end up doing but not only because the elders were in completely control of what he would do, but because there was not one thing that caught his attention. The elders are the individuals that ran the community; they are the government. Jonas never really thought of how the community worked or why it worked that way until he got his assignment to be The Receiver. What Jonas once thought

Jonas changes from a completely acquiescent kid to a wise, and mature young man throughout the book. At the start of the book he's simply a standard eleven in his community. Jonas solely will do what he's told and does not question things, however he's terribly introverted and thoughtful. Throughout the Ceremony Of Twelve the Chief Elder describes Jonas. He's has integrity, is intelligent, has courage, wisdom and obedience. Once he receives his rules he is aware that he's totally different from his classmates. His rules are short and embrace weird ones just like the ability

Jonas is a 11 year old who turns into a 12 year old at the start of the book. He is contemplative and careful. Jonas lives in a community where memory does not exist. The Chief Elder, the leader of the community gives everyone tasks to do. Everyone in the community has an assigned job. Every so often everyone in this community gets their memory erased. In this community everything is perfect and scheduled. People are not allowed to lie and they are watched over by the government, also

Lois Lowry wrote a brilliant introduction to “The Giver”. By introducing a society so different to ours without explaining all its details, it becomes interesting and quite addictive to keep on reading. To know everything about this society and how it works, to get to know the characters and to understand their behaviour are only some of the many reasons to spend hours turning pages. Lois introduced a complex society consisting of ambitious