Discussion Topic
Exemptions and rule-breaking in "The Giver."
Summary:
In "The Giver," Jonas is exempted from several community rules when he becomes The Receiver of Memories. He can be rude, ask personal questions, and is not required to share dreams or daily activities with his family. He cannot request medication for training-related pain or apply for release. Most significantly, he is allowed to lie, which makes him question the truthfulness of others.
What rules does Jonas's father disobey in The Giver?
In his role as nurturer, it's the job of Jonas's father to take care of babies in their first year of life. He takes his job very seriously indeed and even shows himself prepared to break the rules to achieve his professional goals. The names of the newborn babies are not to be publicly revealed until the Ceremony of One, in December. Yet Jonas's father breaks the rules by taking a peek at the committee's naming list to find out the name of a recent arrival at the Nurturing Center who seems not to be developing properly.
After consulting the list, Jonas's father finds out that the child's name is Gabriel. He wants Gabriel to fulfill his development goals, so he takes him home to give the child more care and attention. As part of the care program he's devised for Gabriel, Jonas's father calls the child by his...
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name, which is a clear breach of the rules. Until the Ceremony of One, he should simply be referred to as number 36, as that is his position on the committee's naming list. By calling Gabriel by his name, Jonas's father is recognizing his humanity: something that nurturers are not expected to do.