Discussion Topic

The significance of the term "dwelling" in The Giver

Summary:

In The Giver, the term "dwelling" signifies the controlled and uniform living spaces within the highly regulated society. It reflects the community's emphasis on order, predictability, and the suppression of individuality, as each family unit resides in identical, monitored homes that lack personal expression or uniqueness.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Why are homes referred to as dwellings in The Giver?

In Jonas's community, which is founded on the concept of Sameness, family units are manufactured and created by the Committee Elders, who choose compatible partners and process applications for parents to have non-biological children. In the society founded on Sameness, family units do not share genuine, loving bonds, and are not loyal to each other. Family units in Jonas's community consist of emotionally shallow individuals and there is a lack of love and comradery among the members. The word "home" implies a place of comfort, where families grow together and form lasting bonds. In contrast, the term "dwelling" implies a shelter of no significance. Given the emotionally shallow relationships and lack of love between family members in Jonas's community, the word "dwelling" is better suited to describe their homes.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Why are homes referred to as dwellings in The Giver?

Probably the best answer for this is to compare the words "home" and "dwelling". A home implies a place where people care about each other, love each other, and are connected in a variety of deep ways. Dwelling, on the other hand, is simply a place where people live, a roof over their heads. To turn the question back to you, how does that difference relate to how deeply the people in Jonas' house really care about each other?

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Why does Lowry use "dwelling" instead of "house" or "home" in The Giver?

A word like dwelling has much less of an emotional impact on people than a word like home. In this society, deep and fruitful connections between individuals are discouraged. Intense emotion, in general, is discouraged. It is, after all, intense emotions like passion and anger and jealousy and resentment that cause war and destruction and conflict. If intense emotions such as these can be drained from a society, then that society would be able to avoid these negative effects. Of course, the flip side of this is that the society will also lose other, more positive intense emotions like love. Just as mother has a more emotional connotation than parent, or husband or wife has a more emotional connotation than spouse, dwelling seems almost completely devoid of feeling while home conveys so much feeling.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Why does Lowry use "dwelling" instead of "house" or "home" in The Giver?

Question deals with the connotation and denotation of the author's words.

For the denotation of the words, all three--house, home and dwelling--have very similar meanings--they are places in which people live.

It is in the connotation--the way these words are used in common speech--that you can find the difference.

The words 'house' and 'home' imply family, decoration, warmth, safety and security. It implies personal touches and time spent on making the structure, the building, into someplace one would feel comfortable.

The word 'dwelling,' on the other hand, implies a physical structure only--four walls, a roof and a floor. To dwell is to live, but not necessarily to create a sense of warmth and security.

This fits with the impresonal setting that Lowry has created in her dystopic society.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial