In chapter 5 of The Giver, Jonas shares a dream with his parents. In the dream, he is in a tub of water. Fiona is there, and Jonas wants her to get into the tub with him. As he describes the dream, Jonas mentions a feeling of "wanting." His mother explains that he is experiencing his first "Stirrings." She explains that all boys and girls have these feelings around his age. According to the rules, citizens must take pills to keep the Stirrings from occurring. His mother says that he will take the pills until he enters the "House of the Old."

In chapter 16, Jonas receives a memory about family. There are grandparents, children, and presents in the dream. Jonas describes a feeling of "warmth." The Giver explains that Jonas feels love. At home, Jonas asks his parents if they love him. His father laughs and says, "Precision of language, please!" His mother explains that love is an "inappropriate" word to use. The next morning, Jonas doesn't take his pill. He believes "There could be love." Jonas no longer wants to suppress his feelings and obey the rules.

Jonas is going through puberty, and the Stirrings are feelings of sexual arousal. In chapter 5, Jonas explains his dream about wanting the bathe Fiona and his parents give him pills to suppress the Stirrings. The citizens in Jonas's community are forced to take pills that suppress their sexual desires in order to maintain a stable, organized society. Jonas is required to take pills for the Stirrings every morning and told that if he stops, the Stirrings will come back. Despite the warnings associated with the Stirrings, Jonas remembers enjoying the feelings of arousal in his dream. In chapter 16, Jonas experiences a memory of love during a session with the Giver, which alters his perception of his community. Jonas begins feeling more entitled and jaded about his community, which is why he decides to throw away his pill to suppress the Stirrings. Jonas is beginning to take control of his own life and starts by throwing away his pill. Jonas remembers enjoying the feelings associated with the Stirrings and no longer wants to comply with his community's rules.