This novel ends on an optimistic note, although it is very ambiguous. Having used the last of his energy to climb the hill, Jonas and Gabriel get on a sledge and shoot off down the hill, where he sees a village full of light, a village that Jonas instinctively knows that create and keep memories and celebrate love.  Jonas then has a certainty that the people in the village he can see below are waiting for him and Gabriel and  he hears singing which he has never heard before. He also hears music from behind him, though he is unsure of this.

In this interesting ending it is possible to read the final lines as a hopeful new start for the Community that Jonas has left. Having left, the memories will return to the Community, giving them the opportunity to be more human and feel emotions and remember. Also, Jonas experiences emotions such as joy and is able to hear singing, that he has never heard before. If this village Jonas sees does not exist and it is just something out of his imagination, it is suggested that he has created it in his old home through leaving and giving his memories to them. The book ends with the impression of a society that is moving forward whilst looking back.