The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is a dystopian novel narrating the life of Jonas, a boy almost near adulthood who lives in a fictional world where people are wiped of their memories of many things in order to ensure their safety. Everyone is given a job or career by the Elders when they attend The Ceremony of Twelve and when they become adults. Jonas’ father tells him about his own experiences after he receives his assignment as a Nurturer. The Elders would often pay visits to the school The Elevens attended, and write notes about each of their interests, habits, and passion, in order to grant them a suitable assignment in the future. Jonas’ father has always shown a liking for newborn babies since he was young and had spent almost all of his volunteer hours in the Nurturing Center. All this, of course, was seen by the Elders, and so therefore he received his ideal assignment. Jonas, still extremely nervous about the upcoming Ceremony of Twelve, asked if anyone had received an assignment they did not like. His father reassured him that the Elders were cautious and that they could guarantee Jonas an assignment to his liking. However, he warns him, saying that after he gets his assignment, there will be changes to his friend group. He will gradually lose communication with the other Elevens as each of them follows their own careers and he will socialize more with his own assignment group. His parents emphasize that while there will be differences, all changes in his new life will be good changes.
Most of the time, a community where everything is recorded, analyzed, and offered to people in the society to prevent any mistakes or casualties might seem like a peaceful, flawless world of utopia. However, in cases where people’s personal choices are influenced and made by external forces rather than themselves, this just seems like an oppressive community that disguises itself as a utopia. This case is similar to the society in Jonas’ world, where everyone is deprived of their own personal decisions, and instead must work in a career the government of this community gave them. In Jonas’ community, life decisions such as people’s jobs, daily routines, and career groups are all dictated and controlled by external forces. At the Ceremony of Twelve, a commemoration that all the Elevens must go to once they reach adulthood. There, the Elders of the community will give everyone a job, or assignment, that they must follow. Accordingly, the Elders will often observe the Elevens before they receive their assignment, and note down their habits, interests, and passions, in order to give them the most suitable job. Jonas’ mother warns him that: “After Twelve, age isn't important. Most of us even lose track of how old we are as time passes, though the information is in the Hall of Open Records, and we could go and look it up if we wanted to.” (Lowry, 2). In this community, most people don’t remember their ages after Twelve, because after their youthhood stages, they are completely controlled by external forces, whether it is their daily lives, assignments, or even their careers. It is stated in an article about dystopian literature that: “The concept of individuality is often portrayed as a threat to the stability and order of dystopian societies, while conformity is seen as the means through which these societies control and suppress their citizens.” (Gradesfixer, 1). The uniformity and complete flawlessness the community attempts to create are supposed to ensure conformity but instead, oppress each individual to maintain power.
Once a community gets too oppressive or starts to manipulate people, the members of the society will feel more emotional impact when they start to make their own choices. Under an environment where people lack the habit of making their own, personal decisions, they will gradually lose the concept of controlling their own life choices, instead of leaving it to external forces like the Elders to deal with. In the Ceremony of Seven, children are given jackets that button up at the front for the first time; in the Ceremony of Eight, the children’s Comfort Objects are taken away from them; in the Ceremony of Ten, everyone is given a uniform haircut, where girls lose their braids and boys are to have haircuts that reveal their ears. During the Ceremony of Twelve, even his job would be chosen for him: “He pictured his father, who must have been a shy and quiet boy, for he was a shy and quiet man, seated with his group, waiting to be called to the stage. The Ceremony of Twelve was the last of the Ceremonies. The most important.” (Lowry, 2). There are 13 ceremonies in total in the novel, each offering changes to the lives of each individual that may seem absurd or overly oppressive to modern-day readers. When Jonas gets assigned to be the Receiver of Memories, he undergoes emotional stress, as he learns more about the true world locked behind the oppression and uniformity of his community. According to The Mental Health Foundation, emotional stress is often strengthened when a certain individual experiences change. This is related to Jonas’ case, where he is unfamiliar and alien to the concept of a past world where everyone can make their own choices. Once the ability to make personal choices in a certain community is taken away for a long period of time, people will feel more alien to the concept of controlling their own lives, rather than getting controlled by their community.
Even in real-world parallels, there are some factors in the community or government that may influence people’s decisions. While this problem is definitely not nearly as severe as Jonas’ oppressive life, it does contribute to people’s choices when they are making certain decisions. In modern times, the community learns to utilize factors like propaganda, identity, and the human instinct to give in to conformity. However, whilst almost every society must use one of these factors to ensure security and maintain power over a certain community, the real world nowadays is still organized in better ways than Jonas’ life. There might be criminals in the modern-day era, but at least people are actually able to live a full life, where they can make their own decisions and control their own paths in the future, rather than getting manipulated by external sources in every way of their lives. According to Helen Keller, a notable American author and political activist, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.” (Keller). In Jonas’ community, life decisions such as people’s jobs, daily routines, and career groups are all dictated and controlled by external forces. At the Ceremony of Twelve, a commemoration that all the Elevens must go to once they reach adulthood, were they are given an assignment or career. However, with such strict rulings and oppressive government, the people in this community wouldn’t be able to live their own lives to the fullest. After Jonas is chosen to be the Receiver of Memories and learns about all the greatness and freedom people experienced in the past, he reflects on the oppressive community he is living in currently. At the end of the novel, Jonas decides to risk his life by fleeing away with Gabriel, rather than continue living in such a dark and manipulative society, where he can barely live a true, human life. The society in The Giver mirrors some governmental systems in the real world, where several factors may influence people’s opinions and choices.
The Giver narrates the life of Jonas, a boy about to reach adulthood and find his own job, who lives in a community where everything is uniform and organized flawlessly. Most of the time, a community where everything is recorded, analyzed, and offered to people in the society to prevent any mistakes or casualties might seem like a peaceful, flawless world of utopia. However, in these cases where people’s personal choices are influenced and made by external forces rather than themselves, this just seems like an oppressive community that disguises itself as a utopia. At the Ceremony of Twelve, a commemoration that all the Elevens must go to once they reach adulthood, where they are given an assignment or career. However, with such strict rulings and oppressive government, the people in this community wouldn’t be able to live their own lives to the fullest. When Jonas learns about all the freedom and experiences people had in the past, he realizes that it is better to risk his own life than to continue living a life that is unlived. According to Natalie Babbitt, an American writer, “Do not fear death, but rather the unlived life. You don't have to live forever. You just have to live.” (Natalie Babbitt).
Works Cited
Lowry, Lois. “The Giver”, fliphtml5
“Individuality & Conformity in Dystopian Literature”, gradesfixer
Keller, Helen. Quotes, goodreads
Babbitt, Natalie. Quotes, goodreads
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