Themes: The Individual versus Society
In the beginning of the novel, Jonas accepts the rules of his community and wants to fit in. There are rules against bragging or pointing out differences or any other indicators of individual distinction. The community rules ensure that people will not do or say anything that breaks or threatens the homogeneity of the community.
However, when Jonas is selected to be the Receiver, he is immediately set apart from the rest of the community, and this new experience of distinction, of becoming an individual, makes Jonas profoundly uncomfortable. Paradoxically, though the Receiver of Memory is precisely what allows the community to exist in a stable, peaceful, homogenous state, Jonas’s personal experiences in this role are what convince him to reject the community’s teachings. When forced to confront the fact that his society is indifferent to the things his Receiver trainings have taught him to care deeply about, Jonas is unable to maintain his relationships with his friends and family and eventually realizes that he can no longer be a part of his society.
Expert Q&A
Rules and Laws in The Giver's Society
In The Giver, Jonas's society is governed by strict rules to maintain order and suppress individuality. Rules include precise language use, mandatory apologies for tardiness, and rituals like the sharing of feelings. Families are assigned by the community, limited to two children of opposite genders, and spouses are chosen, not self-selected. Breaking rules can lead to "release," a euphemism for death. Children must volunteer from ages eight to twelve, and public displays of strong emotion are discouraged. Jonas initially accepts these rules but questions them after learning the truth about "release."
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