Five positives of the society in The Giver
that are actually flaws
Every dystopian novel is an expression from the author of
what the world might look like after its destruction. Like Divergent and
Hunger Games, the fairness and control that the government is
trying to maintain is in fact an exaggeration what life might be like; The
Giver is no exception. Despite the utopia that the character's attempt to
create, nothing can achieve this perfection.
1. Politeness is the law
If someone comes across as rude, there is a customary
apology and response that everyone in the town uses. The main character Jonas is given memories by
The Giver, so he is the only one that knows honest emotions. During a fight, Jonas’
best friend, Asher grumbles, “I apologize for not paying you the respect you
deserve” (Lowry 134). To which Jonas (who knows that Asher could never understand
how true emotions feels) wearily says, “I accept your apology, Asher” (Lowry
135).
2. All children are educated in the exact same way
Equal education sounds incredible. All children are given
the same chance and environment to learn and grow. However, a world without
options for education results in everyone learning to think in the exact same
way. Examples from The Giver include: every child goes to the same
daycare, every child goes to the same school, as the children grow up they will
go through the ceremony of One, Two, Three etc., during each ceremony an age
signifying gift is given to them like front-buttoning coats or a bicycle, and
finally they graduate from the ceremony of twelve to be put in a chosen job
training. Since every child has the exact same process there is no further opportunities
to learn through a specific learning style or going away to a college to think
differently.
3. Everyone is placed into a job that they will likely
succeed at
Playing to everyone’s strengths is the goal of job
placement. However, there are many negatives to this system. A person may be placed
into a job they hate. A certain percentage of the population always is down
casted to be a Laborer. The job is given to a child at twelve where most
people don’t have a clear idea of their interests or identities. For example,
the most important job of being the Receiver of all memories of the past was
given to a girl that couldn’t handle the pressure of her role and left the
society.
4. Everything is safe
Meaning there are rules for everything. Accidental deaths
are very low in the society in The Giver,
but at what cost to its inhabitants? Childhood is very structured, and
there no opportunity for children to experience pain or suffering. These
experiences are necessary to being human. Everything is safe to the point that
if a twin infant is born with a slightly lower weight, the smaller baby is immediately
released (killed) in order to ensure the very best quality of life (Lowry 149).
5. The Old are sent to a facility that gives them the
care that they need
The best care for the elderly, but if a person becomes
unstable they are immediately released. Almost as bad as premature death is
that the Old are not living in the same area as the rest of society. All of
their wisdom and knowledge is trapped inside the facility they live in with
only their caretakers to listen to them. A society without knowing about grandparents
(Lowry 124) allows for history and mistakes to repeat themselves especially because most
of the histories only exist in the mind of The Giver who is only allowed to
share it with the receiver.
Bottom line:
Everything seems good with control. But, as most communist
nations could testify, a life of control is not really living as a human.
Humans need free will, room to be creative, and the ability to make mistake and
learn from them. The society in The Giver
may produce momentary peace, but it is far from perfection.
Work Cited
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print.
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