Discussion Topic
The significance of the unidentified aircraft at the beginning of The Giver
Summary:
The unidentified aircraft at the beginning of The Giver signifies the highly controlled and monitored society in which Jonas lives. It sets the tone for the strict surveillance and the lack of freedom experienced by the community members, highlighting the overarching theme of control and the suppression of individuality.
What does the unidentified aircraft in Chapter 1 of The Giver allude to?
Aside from illustrating quite a lot about how Jonas's community works by the way they respond to the sudden appearance of the unidentified aircraft, you could say that the flashback to the incident involving it alludes to several things. Let's consider them in turn.
First, the incident could allude to the general atmosphere of the community being a highly policed state. In general, if there are unidentified planes flying over you, you're in a state of war. And that raises a big question in readers' minds, because aren't we told that the community is completely peaceful? Perhaps there's an unknown war that exists outside the safe bubble of the community. Or perhaps the community has less control over its citizens than we are led to believe.
Second, the incident could allude to the fact that although the community is highly regimented and utterly safe, the unexpected still occurs. This...
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sets the scene for Jonas's unusual job assignment, as well as the highly irregular course of events that his life takes afterward.
Third, the incident could allude to the fact that, although people are taught to be precise and obedient in all ways in the community, people there (like the pilot flying the plane) do make mistakes. Or, perhaps they disobey and "fly" off in their own direction. In this case, the plane foreshadows Jonas's eventual break from the community.
Fourth, the incident could allude to the eventual ending of the story, when planes once again make an appearance as they search for the missing Jonas and Gabriel. Once more, the planes are an unwelcome source of fright for Jonas as he tries to avoid capture.
Fifth, because Jonas finds it especially unusual that the aircraft is a "single-pilot jet," the incident could allude to the fact that the community is not as united as it might seem: there could be a single person in the community who "flies alone" and exists outside the community's regimented order. In that case, the plane foreshadows the appearance of the Giver himself. Considering the Giver's conversation with Jonas in Chapter 14 about the aircraft incident, when we learn that the Giver was the one who prevented the community from shooting down the pilot, it's reasonable to believe that the aircraft and the Giver are thematically connected: that is, they both represent a deviation from the norm.
In The Giver, what was the unidentified aircraft at the story's beginning?
The unidentified aircraft that flew over the community was a jet plane.
One day a “needle-nosed single-pilot jet” flies over the community. This causes fear in Jonas and everyone else, because planes are not allowed to fly over the community. The Speaker orders everyone to stop what they are doing and seek shelter immediately.
He had seen it both times. Squinting toward the sky, he had seen the sleek jet, almost a blur at its high speed, go past, and a second later heard the blast of sound that followed. Then one more time, a moment later, from the opposite direction, the same plane. (Ch. 1)
The pilot-in-training is released for his error. He flew over the community by accident. The community is very intolerant of error, especially when it causes fear or discomfort for everyone. The Elders considered shooting the plane down, but The Giver urged them to be cautious and wait for more information.
The plane might have been a search plane. When Jonas and Gabe escape, they are dogged by planes who are searching for them, looking for their heat signature. Jonas is terrified of getting caught. He uses the memories to hide their body heat, making them both cold.
He knew they were search planes. They flew so low that they woke him with the noise of their engines, and sometimes, looking out and up fearfully from the hiding places, he could almost see the faces of the searchers. (Ch. 21)
Eventually, the planes give up when they do not find Jonas and Gabe. The plane Jonas remembers in the beginning of the book foreshadows this later trouble. Jonas is convinced that he will be released if the search planes find him. He has already broken too many rules and caused too much trouble.