What are the advantages and disadvantages of Sameness in The Giver?

The primary advantage of Sameness concerns the stability and safety of the community. In Jonas's community, Sameness ensures that each citizen will conform to society's standards and occupy a designated role that is specifically chosen for them based on their abilities by the Committee of Elders. The lack of independent choice creates structure and contributes to the community's stability. Individuals who do not conform to society's standards or expectations are released upon their third transgression.

Sameness also enhances economic productivity and efficiency by dramatically changing the natural environment to improve transportation and developing various sectors of the economy. Jonas's community is also a very safe place because citizens do not have the opportunity to participate in risk-taking behaviors.

The primary disadvantage of Sameness concerns the lack of independence and individual choice. Citizens' lives are completely controlled and determined by the Committee of Elders. People do not have the freedom to choose their occupations, spouses, or children. Knowledge is also censored, and people are under constant supervision, which is reflected by the Speaker's indirect chastisement of Jonas when he breaks a minor rule. In addition to the lack of personal freedoms, Sameness also eliminates color, music, and strong emotions from society. Feelings like love do not exist in Jonas's community, and only he and the Giver have the Capacity to See Beyond.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Sameness in The Giver?

In The Giver, Lowry presents the reader with the idea of Sameness, which is just as the name suggests, the same for everyone.  The residents of Sameness are told who to marry, what to wear, how many children they can have, where to live, what to feel, and what job they will have; no matter how tempting it may sound to have all of these decisions made for you, and believe me, as an adult, it would sometimes be easier to have them made for you, I can not begin to imagine a society where I had no choice in any part of my life.  Think about it in terms of your own life; how would you feel in this situation.  As a teenager, life would be devastating to be controlled by others.  No video games, no color, no choice!  Surely the disadvantages are evident; the advantages are not as readily evident, other than the fact that you don't have to worry about the judgements of others about your clothes, shoes, etc.  Sameness would take many of the stressors out of everyday life.  It could reduce anxiety due to social differences and probably reduce prejudices, as well as certain social stigma. 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Sameness in The Giver?

The entire book is evidence of the disadvantages of sameness, don't you think?  If you were in this community and knew what possibilities existed outside the community, what would you be missing? 

Do you like deciding what to wear every day?  You would not have that choice in the community. And even worse, there would be no choices between a blue shirt or a red shirt because there would be no colors.

What is the furniture like in your house?  What if it were exactly the same as the furniture in every other house? Your room probably reflects your individuality and taste, an option not available to you in the community,where everything in your room would be the same.

Do you like to read? You would have about two choices in the community because everyone receives a copy of the same books.  

Even the weather is the same all the time. And in fact, there really is no weather.  I do not know where you live, but I live in an area that has four seasons. Right now, my city is buried in about four feet of snow, but I would not trade that in for the same climate every day.

Sameness might seem like a safe choice for some people, with the security of not having to make any choices or decisions.  But as Jonah learns, sameness also eliminates most of the joy in living!  I do not think there is a page in the entire book that does not provide an example of how horrible sameness really is. 

What are three disadvantages of sameness in The Giver?

Sameness is the concept that everyone gives up choices and feelings.  The main disadvantage of Sameness is that the community commits terrible atrocities in the name of sameness.  Anyone who does not fit in is killed.  An example of this is the newchild who is born a twin.  Since two identical people would be too “confusing” for everyone, they kill one of them arbitrarily because it is a bit smaller.

He killed it! My father killed it! Jonas said to himself, stunned at what he was realizing. He continued to stare at the screen numbly. (ch 20, p. 150)

Jonas knows that the infant is dead.  His father must too, since he throws the child down the garbage chute.  Yet in this society, there is nothing wrong with what he did.  He feels no remorse.  The community also “releases” anyone who breaks three rules or makes a mistake, such as the student pilot who flew over the community by accident.  This is no way to live.

Another disadvantage of Sameness is that there is no love. People feel mild affection for one another, but couples are joined solely for child-rearing purposes and do not love one another.  They are paired by committee, apply for children, and have children given to them by committee.  There is no closeness, or concept of family.

When Jonas sees memories of love, he wants that concept for himself.  He asks his parents if they love him, and they tell him they enjoy him but scold him for imprecise language.

"Your father means that you used a very generalized word, so meaningless that it's become almost obsolete," his mother explained carefully. (ch 16, p. 127)

When Jonas’s parents ask him if he understands, he tells them his first lie.  He realizes that they are the ones who don’t understand, and never will.

A third disadvantage of Sameness is that people have no choice.  Choice is what makes life worth living.  Yes, choices can cause pain.  But they can also cause great happiness.  A world without choice is a dull one indeed.  Jobs are chosen for you.  Your spouse is chosen for you.  Your children are chosen for you.  Even when you die is chosen for you.

Jonas chooses to leave, but then he regrets his choice.

Once he had yearned for choice. Then, when he had had a choice, he had made the wrong one: the choice to leave. And now he was starving. (ch 22, p. 174)

In the end, though, he is able to come to terms with his choice and safely make it to elsewhere.

Lowry, Lois (1993-04-26). The Giver (Newbery Medal Book). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.

What is "Sameness" in The Giver?

Sameness also refers to everyone in the community thinking and feeling the same things.  Intense and passionate emotions are absent in this place because they can often make us uncomfortable and cause discord between individuals who feel differently.  If everyone thinks the same way about everything, then there is never going to be any disagreement over basic ways of life, community values and priorities, government, community leadership, and so on.  It would certainly make life a great deal easier if everyone were brainwashed and programmed to think and feel alike because there would be no wars, no terrorism, no political fights, and no disagreement about anything.  However, diversity of opinion is lost as is the ability to feel wonderful, intense feelings.

What is "Sameness" in The Giver?

Sameness is total control over everything in order to make it the same.

The government in The Giver wants total control over everyone and everything.  They feel that it is necessary to keep everyone comfortable, and being comfortable is the most important thing to these people.

In addition to enforcing social rules to make sure everyone dresses alike, has the same haircut, and has only the job and family that the community elders decide they need.  However, the technological advances allow the community to avoid divergent hair colors and eye colors too.  They can even control the weather.

"Climate Control. Snow made growing food difficult, limited the agricultural periods. And unpredictable weather made transportation almost impossible at times. It wasn't a practical thing, so it became obsolete when we went to Sameness.” (Ch. 11, pp. 83-84)

The darker side of Sameness is that when people have to be the same, those who are different are targeted.  When identical twins are born, they are weighed and the lighter one is released, which means killed.  The community values avoiding confusion so much that it is willing to kill infants, but that is not common knowledge.  When Jonas realizes it, he is so upset that he makes plans to leave the community.

The sins that are done in the name of Sameness are a good example of why utopias often turn into dystopias.  A perfect world is not so perfect when you are killing babies in the name of keeping people comfortable.  Differences should be celebrated, not feared.  They are part of what makes us human. 

Lowry, Lois (1993-04-26). The Giver (Newbery Medal Book). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.

What is "Sameness" in The Giver?

In Jonas's community in The Giver, efforts are made to reach "Sameness," which is supposed to guarantee that there can be no discrimination because there are no differences among people.

Those who have structured the Community have even tried to guarantee that there is no variation in nature:

Climate Control. Snow made growing food difficult, limited the agricultural periods. And unpredictable weather made transportation almost impossible at times. It wasn't a practical thing, so it became obsolete when we went to Sameness.

And hills, too," he added. "They made conveyance of good unwieldy . . . So—" He waved his hand, as if a gesture had caused hills to disappear. "Sameness," he concluded.

Instead of facing challenges, the community has decided to simply eliminate those obstacles; therefore, the land is equally level and the weather is completely predictable.

There is no racial variation in Jonas's society, either:

The Giver shook his head. "No, flesh isn't red. But it has red tones in it. There was a time, actually—you'll see this in the memories later—when flesh was many different colors. That was before we went to Sameness. Today flesh is all the same . . . ."

Of course, the only way to ensure that "flesh is all the same" is by removing the ability for humans to reproduce with whomever they wish. Instead, the community leaders orchestrate human reproduction, producing offspring with a much greater sense of outcome over things like skin color.

Long ago, people who lived in Jonas's society actually chose to relinquish those parts of their world that created differences:

Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with differences.

Jonas is appalled that people chose to willingly give up things like the ability to see colors and the presence of sunshine just to "gain control of many things." He is quick to assert that this was a poor decision.

Sameness robs people of the ability to make their own choices, which Jonas considers as he watches Gabriel:

But now that I can see colors, at least sometimes, I was just thinking: what if we could hold up things that were bright red, or bright yellow, and he could choose? Instead of Sameness.

Jonas's society is a well-organized place at least in part because no one ever has to make personal decisions. Their jobs, spouses, children, meals, and free time are all decided in order to benefit the society as a whole. Jonas recognizes the loss inherent in not having any freedom of choice, even as an infant.

When Jonas leaves his community, he encounters a world that isn't nearly as predictable:

All of it was new to him. After a life of Sameness and predictability, he was awed by the surprises that lay around each curve of the road. He slowed the bike again and again to look with wonder at wildflowers, to enjoy the throaty warble of a new bird nearby, or merely to watch the way wind shifted the leaves in the trees. During his twelve years in the community, he had never felt such simple moments of exquisite happiness.

There is beauty in diversity, and because Jonas's life has been ordered around Sameness, he recognizes the inherent brilliance in a world full of differences.

Why did people choose Sameness in The Giver?

The people chose Sameness in order to control everything in their environment and their citizens, to prevent anyone from feeling discomfort.

At first, Jonas does not see anything unusual about Sameness.  Things are just the way they have always been.  However, when he begins training he sees snow, love, and war for the first time.  He realizes that there is pain, but also greatness in what is missing.

The Giver explains that the choice to go to Sameness involved tradeoffs.

"Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with differences….We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others." (Ch 12, p. 95)

The Giver asks Jonas to consider what might happen if people were allowed to have choices, and Jonas realizes that they might make the wrong ones.  He understands that there are benefits to having everyone’s choices made for them.  He realizes that there are choices he wishes he could make, such as simple choices about what color to wear.  He does not make that choice, because there are no colors.

Jonas accepts that people might make the wrong choices, and therefore it might not be good to allow them to make them.  Yet Jonas and The Giver come to the conclusion that it is better to give people the chance to mess up than to never give them choices at all.

Lowry, Lois (1993-04-26). The Giver (Newbery Medal Book). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.

In The Giver, how are sameness and differences treated?

Jonas's community is established on the concept of Sameness, which is meant to eliminate individuality and ensure stability throughout society. Citizens in Jonas's community do not have the opportunity to exercise their independence, and they are essentially controlled by the Committee of Elders, who create marriages, assign occupations, and even determine the birthrate. The ruling officials felt that independence and spontaneity in life were detrimental to society and would result in chaos and instability. Therefore, citizens are required to dress the same and must obey the strict laws or risk being released. Citizens not only look the same but also share the same thoughts and pay careful attention to their use of language. Differences and individuality are not celebrated in the community, and citizens are subjected to harsh punishments if they do not conform, which is depicted by Asher's treatment as a child when he struggles to accurately pronounce words. Conformity is the defining feature of Sameness, and the absence of individuality makes the community perfectly stable, secure, and efficient.

In The Giver, how are sameness and differences treated?

In the society where Jonas lives in The Giver, sameness is considered important.  When everyone is the same, the society has more order.  Acceptable behaviors are required rather than recommended.  Conformity is expected of the citizens.  

Differences are not accepted.  When children behave in a way that is considered unacceptable, they are corrected by their parents or teachers.  We see this when Lily says something unkind.  Asher had an especially difficult time when he was young with following the society's rules.  He often was the victim of the "discipline wand," which was a switch used for punishment by teachers.  This was his consequence for disobeying the rules.

If a person (be they a baby or an adult) has an especially difficult time conforming, they might be released.  This happens to some of the new children who cannot sleep through the night.

Why is sameness beneficial for society in The Giver?

Sameness is the idea that everything and anything that interferes with a citizen's safety and comfort should become obsolete, and is represented in Louis Lowry's utopian society. Sameness is a result of climate control and the committee's decisions to eliminate painful experiences from society through rigorous changes to the environment and social structure of the community. Conformity, predictability, and compliance are hallmarks of Sameness, which create a stable, comfortable, safe environment for each citizen.

Despite the stability and absence of pain and unpredictability in citizens' lives, individual freedoms are compromised. Citizens also lack emotional depth and knowledge of society, and completely sacrifice their independence to live safely. Jonas becomes upset after discovering that his parents have absolutely no concept of love or despair. The citizens also live relatively mundane lives as they go to work, attend community functions, and enjoy time with their selected family members. Freedom of choice is an abstract concept, which Jonas believes should be allowed in society. Overall, Sameness has its positive and negative qualities. One must acknowledge that life with Sameness is safe and relatively comfortable, but is definitely not exciting or fun. Many people would rather enjoy their personal freedoms and risk their health instead of being forced to conform to society's standards.  

Why is sameness beneficial for society in The Giver?

The community in the book has chosen Sameness because they do not ever want anyone to be uncomfortable.  Everyone follows the rules, and everyone does the same things.  People don’t have individual identities, but they don’t have social problems either.  People who commit three infractions are killed.  There is no overpopulation, because no one has their own children.  There is no emotion, no love, and no memory.  There are no good emotions, but there are also no bad emotions.

Although there are few differences, they keep enough individuality amongst the people to avoid confusion.  Consider Jonas’s explanation of why there can’t be identical twins in the community.

"Well, they can't have two identical people around! Think how confusing it would be!" Jonas chuckled. (ch 19, p. 146)

Sameness also means no love.  When Jonas asks his parents if they love him, they scold him for not using precise language.

There was an awkward silence for a moment. Then Father gave a little chuckle. "Jonas. You, of all people. Precision of language, please!" (ch 16, p. 127)

Amusement is the last reaction Jonas expected when he asked that question, but he realized at this point that his parents have no concept of love.  A society without love is dehumanized.  Jonas cannot stand it, so he leaves—hoping to return the memories to the people and bring about change.

Lowry, Lois (1993-04-26). The Giver (Newbery Medal Book) (p. 146). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.

What does "sameness" mean in the context of The Giver?

The community in which the story of The Giver is set made a conscious decision many years in the past to eliminate differences in its living conditions and society. This came to be known as "Sameness."

Sameness means that conditions that can be controlled are kept uniform. The weather in the community doesn't vary from day to day and there are no seasons, for example. Clothing is provided by the community, and all citizens wear the same type of clothes. As the Giver explained to Jonas, "We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with difference. We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others."

Differences that could not be eliminated are not acknowledged. The standardized responses to every situation and the expectations of how residents of the community were to act supported the goal of treating everyone the same. "it was not a rule, but was considered rude to call attention to things that were unsettling or different about individuals."

Why is sameness important in Jonas's community in The Giver?

Sameness in The Giver is a means of controlling the people in a few ways.  It is human to want to acquire more than you have, and if there are no choices of things to acquire, the temptation should at least theoretically be removed.  People who have no reason to strive are far easier to control than those who do strive. You meet their basic needs and they remain content. This sameness eliminates what might be class tensions in a normal society.  Everyone, with the exception of the elders, is the same, one class of people who are not competing with one another. Given one class of people who are the same, the governance of the society is far easier, one set of rules for everyone, with a blanket application for all, no need for any judgements or discretion. Sameness makes everyone in the society fungible in most ways, so that any woman can be designated to set up household with any man, and any two children can be chosen to be placed into that household. So there is an ease of administration for the ruling elders.   Sameness is also meant to remove envy, which prevents arguments and theft.  If everyone has the same possessions, the same sort of housing, and so on, there is no reason to envy anyone else, which keeps resentment and argument down and which removes any motive to take from others. This, too, makes the community easier to rule and control. 

How does "Sameness" eliminate sunshine in The Giver?

The concept of Sameness only has a few references in the book that describe how it works. When Jonas receives his first memory of sliding down a snowy hill on a sled, he asks the Giver afterwards why there is no more snow. The answer is that when the community decided to live under Sameness, they had to give up certain things in exchange for others. For example, they gave up snow in order to elongate agricultural periods. With Sameness, whatever a community wants to do away with is given away to the Receiver of Memory to hold onto. As a result, the people do not remember it, nor do they perceive it.

The second memory that Jonas receives is of sunshine.

"He could feel it through his clothed parts, too: a pleasant, all-over sensation; and when he licked his lips this time, the air was hot and heavy. . . He was simply alone someplace, out of doors, lying down, and the warmth came from far above. It was not as exciting as the ride through the snowy air; but it was pleasurable and comforting" (84-85).

Jonas perceives the word sunshine without any help from the Giver, as well as the word sky. This would suggest that Jonas has no knowledge of what the sun or the sky is; but, it doesn't say what he does know instead. For instance, do they live in a bubble or under some type of dome? If there are agricultural periods, and there is no sun, how do they grow their food? These questions are never answered within the text. All we know is that Jonas does not perceive the sun because he cannot feel it or see it; nor can he store memories of it. 

What is known is that everything that was given up is stored by memory inside the Receiver of Memory. In order to save the people from feeling any unnecessary discomfort or pain, all memories are transferred to him. Hence, memories of sunshine exist only in the Receiver. It is possible that once all memories of sunshine are stored with the Receiver, people simply do not notice it anymore. If there is no memory of sunshine, then the sun might also not have any effect on them. Or, if there is no memory of sunshine, does it therefore cease existing? 

What the community is left with, really, is a two-dimensional, black and white world. Without sun, there is no reflection of light; with no reflection of light, there is no perception of color; and without color, nothing can be differentiated from one to another. If there is no differentiation, there is no preferences and no available choices--only Sameness. 

Is our society moving towards "sameness" as depicted in The Giver?

The modern world is moving closer and closer to the elimination of the individual every day. Children in school are prevented from excelling past their classmates, and competing school sports teams have no scores and no losers; everyone gets the same result, everyone gets a meaningless participation trophy. Another example is the strict two-child policy; created to keep overpopulation at bay, similar real-life policies have been used in China for decades, resulting in the deaths of many "unwanted" children even after birth. People with different opinions are shouted down; people who try to create new and interesting things are told that they must conform to societal norms. Fringe ideas are taken by media and turned mainstream; people wake up repeating slogans and thoughts that they heard the day before. If the "sameness" of The Giver is the removal of the individual from society, replaced with "the common good" and "the collective," then society is moving towards that end quickly and without thought to the future. The only result of this sort of homogenization is the complete subordination of citizens under rulers who, by necessity, are better-informed, empowered, and unwilling to live by the same rules that they enforce on their society.

What are some negative consequences of Sameness in The Giver?

Sameness is the phenomenon that makes it possible for one person to absorb the memories of the world in order to make people live as equals in Jonas's society. In order for Sameness to work, though, sacrifices must be made. For example, the Giver explains to Jonas in chapter 11 that the community gave up snow in order to control the climate for longer agricultural periods and effectiveness. As a result, kids never get to experience sliding down a snowy hill on a sled, but they always have something to eat each day. That seems like a minor sacrifice to make, but there are many others that take away freedom of choice as well as the ability to choose things based on preference. 

One example of something people are unable to choose is color preference because everyone is color blind. No one has the ability to recognize colors. Colors are stored in the memories held by the Receiver. Unbeknownst to citizens, the option to make choices based on preference to colors is not even available to them. When Jonas finally understands colors, his reaction is as follows in chapter 13:

"It isn't fair that nothing has color! . . . If everything's the same, then there aren't any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decided things! A blue tunic, or a red one?" (97).

Another one of the biggest sacrifices that the citizens must make, but they seem to be unaware of, is that they are not able to choose their own path in life. They can't choose to have their own mates or biological families; they can't live with their families throughout life; and, they don't get to experience real love without families. The trade off for these sacrifices is that they live in a very structured culture that runs on following rules rather than emotions. There's no emotional turmoil due to divorce because it doesn't exist. There is also no devastation due to the loss of life because people don't die, per se, they are "released".

Being released is probably the biggest negative consequence related to Sameness because it is just a cover-up for the word "death." This society believes that it is ethical to kill a baby simply to control the population, or as a punishment for not following the rules. If anyone questions the stability or authority of the elders, he or she can be released without question. Jonas's mother says that in their judicial system, people are given three chances to break rules before they are simply released. There are no jails; they just get rid of a problem citizen when they feel it is necessary. This does not uphold a person's right to live and it can devalue any system of government.

Why is Sameness important in the book The Giver?

Jonas is twelve years old and has just been appointed to be the Receiver of Memory. He works with the Giver, who teaches him about Sameness, which is what the community calls their way of life. It's how the community is able to live without deep emotional, physical, or mental pain—and it all hinges on someone bearing all of these burdens for everyone else. The first time Jonas learns about Sameness is after he receives his first memory about going down a snowy hill on a sled. Jonas asks why they can't have snow and the Giver explains it to Jonas as follows:

"Climate Control. Snow made growing food difficult, limited the agricultural periods. And unpredictable weather made transportation almost impossible at times. It wasn't a practical thing, so it became obsolete when we went to Sameness" (83-84).

Climate Control is just one aspect of Sameness, which overflows into all other realms of life, such as families, jobs, behavior, and anything else Jonas can think of. With every gain, though, there is a sacrifice. As Jonas starts to understand what the community sacrifices each day to gain a life of Sameness, he assesses its value more and more. The main conflict in the story is, in fact, Jonas vs. Sameness. Jonas must first discover his nemesis, which is camouflaged within his home, family, school and friends, and then decide if it is worth keeping around for another lifetime. If Jonas fully accepts his duties as the new Receiver, that's exactly what he would be doing—perpetuating Sameness for at least his lifetime, until another Receiver in Training is called.

What does The Giver mean when he says the society went to Sameness? Is Sameness the absence of difference?

Yes, Sameness is the absence of differences within the community in which The Giver takes place. Long before the time in which the story is set, the community made the decision to adopt Sameness as the basis of its existence.

Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with difference. We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others.

Sameness meant that all aspects of life were controlled so as to be as uniform and unchanging as possible. Weather was controlled so that there were no extremes or variations. Housing and meals were provided by the community so all could have equal conditions. Children were dressed in the style of clothing designated for their age. All citizens were provided with a bicycle for transportation when they reached the appropriate age. Work assignments for adults were determined by the Committee of Elders and were not open for debate or change - all persons did what they were told to do.

What is "sameness," and why does Jonas's community decide to practice it?

You will need to find your own reasons why you feel the community adopts the policy of sameness. Readers may interpret the story and the actions of the elders in following that policy in different ways. Some will say Jonas's community is good because it provides a stable and comfortable lifestyle for all its residents; others will say the community is bad because it destroys any opportunity for individual self-expression.

''Sameness" reflects the efforts of the community members to create a society in which all citizens enjoy equality in all things. All residents are cared for by others within the community - infants by those whose job it is to be a nurturer, children by the man and woman to whom they have been given to create a family unit, the elderly by children who help out in the senior living facilities. All are assigned work based upon the abilities and interests they exhibit as youth. All are provided with food, clothing, shelter and transportation to give them the ability to function as contributing members of the community.

All are also controlled so as to be conforming members of the society. Language is expected to be exact and based on observable facts, with no unverifiable emotions allowed. Medication is routinely given, starting when an individual reaches adolescence, to suppress unacceptable thoughts and dreams. In the name of sameness, originality of thought or action is actively discouraged.

What are the disadvantages of sameness in the giver's community?

Sameness is the fundamental goal of the powers that be in The Giver’s community. Everything about the society is geared toward uniformity. From the drugs given to youths at the onset of puberty, to the artificially structured family units and the control of language, every aspect of life is kept carefully in the neutral zone.

The drawbacks of sameness are seen through Jonas’s eyes when he becomes the receiver and begins to see things more truthfully, through the memories he receives. One of those drawbacks is the absence of love. If everyone is the same, and emotions are kept in check, there is no opportunity for love to grow. Nurturing of infants is done by professionals instead of parents. Old people are shipped off instead of being able to develop relationships with the younger generation. Parents are expected to minimize differences between their children, and the rules of society dictate every reaction, feeling and response allowed to them. All relationships are superficial.

Another drawback is that without differences there is little progress. Things stagnate as they are, because no one is allowed to excel in any particular area. Even though career selections are made according to interests, no one is allowed to pursue a passion or deviate from the already proscribed set of rules and expectations.

Beauty is denied the people of Jonas’s world. They are not able (or permitted) to see color. Landscapes are flattened and made uniform. Hair color, eye color and anything else that might differentiate someone as different or striking are controlled and made “the same.” The implication is that there has been a lot of genetic manipulation, though Jonas and Gabriel and a few others slip through the system with blue, not brown, eyes (perceived only as “light”). No one produces literature, art or music because both the object of those art forms and the creators of them would be deemed “different.”

A flat, neutral world where no one is ever sad, but no one is every happy either, is inhabited by “content” people living a numbed life without realizing what the alternatives really are.  

What are the advantages of Sameness in the book The Giver?

Jonas's stable, organized, and highly structured community subscribes to the concept of Sameness, where individuality does not exist and the natural environment is altered to ensure stability, efficiency, and comfort. Sameness completely eliminates spontaneity and chance from life in order to ensure safety and security. Sameness is an umbrella term that also includes climate control as well as the absence of color, music, and individuality. Despite the obvious negatives associated with creating a community with a completely manufactured environment and a society void of authenticity, there are many positives to Sameness. Sameness prevents individuals from making potentially harmful decisions and also prevents conflict among the citizens, which is typically influenced by differences in race, ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, or gender. Since the environment is altered and climate is controlled, transportation is easier and the citizens are safe from natural disasters. Controlling the climate also benefits the agriculture industry and enhances the stable economy. Since the citizens all have the same opportunities and must obey the Committee of Elders, social strife is greatly reduced and each citizen contributes to the community in some way.

What are the disadvantages of sameness in Jonas's community in The Giver?

If you are expected to write just one paragraph on the disadvantages of sameness in The Giver, you will need a topic sentence to let the reader know what the paragraph is about, you will probably want to explain what sameness is, and you will need to write some sentences listing the disadvantages, using the book as evidence of what you have to say. 

To write a topic sentence, you need to let the reader know the name of the book and its author, and you also need to let the reader know this is going to be a paragraph about the disadvantages of sameness.  So, for example, if I were writing a paragraph about "The Lottery," I might have a topic sentence like this:

In "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, there are clearly many disadvantages to following a tradition. 

The topic sentence is meant to set the reader up to understand what the paragraph is about.

I think a good paragraph should probably explain what sameness is in this story, for a reader who has never read the book.  You can explain, for example, all the ways in which people are expected to live in the same way. This includes the same kinds of houses, the same kinds of clothing, and the same number of children. 

Most of the paragraph should consist of what you think the disadvantages are in a community of sameness. If you read carefully about what Jonas thinks of sameness, that is going to help you a great deal because, as Jonas receives memories from the Giver, he begins to understand how much people are missing out on when there is sameness.  You can also think about what you would miss if you were in a world of sameness, such as color, clothing choices, and the beauty of hills and valleys.  In my own opinion, it would be a miserable world, and as you think about this, I think you will be able to think of many disadvantages.  Use examples from the book about Jonas' thoughts on this, as well as examples of sameness that you think are disadvantages. 

Has there been a real-life instance of sameness similar to what's depicted in The Giver?

In Jonas's community, which is founded on the concept of Sameness, virtually every aspect of society is completely regulated and organized by the government. The climate and landscape have been altered to make transportation easier and farming more efficient in order to create a comfortable, safe environment, where the citizens never have to worry about natural disasters. Scientists have also successfully altered the citizens' genes, and the Committee of Elders makes every significant decision, which includes regulating the birth rate, creating families, and choosing each citizen's occupation. Citizens are also expected to obey every law and use precise language at all times. There is also a practice known as "release," where citizens are killed if they commit three transgressions.

While there has never been a nation or society exactly like Jonas's community, certain totalitarian regimes share some common similarities with the government in Lois Lowry's The Giver. The Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin's leadership and the current Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) share many similarities with the ruling government in Jonas's community. In both the former Soviet Union and current DPRK, individuality was oppressed while conformity was praised. Citizens were required to obey the rules or suffer extreme consequences, and both governments controlled virtually every aspect of society. Currently, citizens of the DPRK are prohibited from leaving the country and have little control over their lives, which is similar to the situation in Jonas's community.

Has there been a real-life instance of sameness similar to what's depicted in The Giver?

There has never been a community with actual Sameness, as in the book.  This is only because we don’t have the technology for it.  We haven’t yet developed the capacity to control the weather, and genetically engineer a population.

The strongest example of Sameness is Nazi Germany.  There was strong social control, and choices were made for people.  Also, Hitler was very concerned with creating a “Master Race” and encouraged blond, blue-eyed citizens to reproduce.  He also murdered people who did not fit his idea of what a German should look like, including countless Jews.  Individuals with disabilities were also sterilized or sent to concentration camps.  Anyone who broke the rules was sent to a Concentration Camp or just killed, just as those who break the rules are Released in The Giver.

I often use The Giver as an example of what the world would look like if Hitler had succeeded in creating his Master Race.  There are certainly frightening similarities.  If there had been access to the technology, Hitler certainly would have used it.