The Giver

I could talk about memory. I could talk about pain. The givers pain, Jonas's pain- both emotional and physical. I could talk about my empathy- my sympathy for Jonas's character- for all his frustration and loneliness. But, I feel this has all been covered before- I feel I've written and thought about all these topics before, whether in fourth grade or in seventh.

Every single person who writes one of these entries or essays talks about Jonas, talks about the giver. But, more interesting than their characters almost, more heartbreaking than them, I think, is the rest of the community.

They do not feel.
They do not feel pain or hate or stress.
They do not hug or kiss.
They do not see colors.
Everything is the same- Everyone is the same.
Spouses are chosen, children are given, jobs are assigned.
Feelings of passion are prevented with a pill.
There is no hurt, but in return, there is no love.

To deprive so many people of these things is, I think worse than to let one feel it all. And although many people will argue the point that they don't know what they're missing- so it's not so bad, I think that that makes it even worse because, at least Jonas can feel the good in addition to the bad, at least his life was not a lie. There is a point at which Jonas is talking to The Giver about his parents life once Jonas and Lily grow up and move out of their house-
"They'll go and live with the other childless adults and they won't be part of my life
anymore. And, after that, when the time comes, they'll go to the house of the old. And they'll be well cared for and respected and when they're released, there'll be a celebration"

"Which you won't attend" pointed out the giver.

"No, of course not, because I won't even know about it. By then, I'll be so busy with my own life. And Lily will, too. So our children, if we have them, won't know who their parents-of-parents are either"
This quote broke my heart into a million pieces. It, to me, is worse than anything else in this
community or this book. The fact that they would simply forget about their family without a
second thought. The fact that they would erase the people they have spent their entire lives with from their from their future, forever, and never look back. Many people in our world today do the same, including my own dad. Many people, like the people in Jonas' community, never talk to their family again, try hard to forget. The difference is, they have to try hard, the difference is it's not the automatic thing to do, the difference is, they have the choice. The people in The Giver were taught to do this, they were told that it was the way- the only way- anything else was dangerous. These poor people are trapped in this tiny world, there are so many things that they don't know and never will.

Some say that ignorance is bliss. It's a trade off, though, when you think about it- all or nothing.
Personally, I would chose all- the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the mad and the
glad. And, maybe the people in The Giver would chose nothing, maybe they would chose all but,
that's not really what matters- what matters is that they didn't get the choice.