This has been a powerful book for me ever since I first read it in the
sixth grade. Something resonated from then and I return to it over and
over. In fact, I credit it with developing my love of dystopian fiction
in general. And while this book has its flaws, it's so much a part of
my love of books that I simply don't care.
Jonas is an eleven
year old living in his community. He has an assigned family unit and
the coming December marks his transition to a twelve year old. This is
the year that his job assignment happen and he learns his role in the
community. However, the unexpected happens when he is chosen to be the
new Receiver for his community, a role that is only granted to one
person and the previous Receiver is growing old. It isn't until his
training though that Jonas learns what this job actually entails. He is
the receiver of memory, good and bad, and the only holder of true
feelings besides his mentor the Giver, in a world that has chosen
sameness over choice and life.
Jonas is pretty compliant. He was
designed to be that way from his birth to his training at home. But
his experiences with the Giver make him grow and he slowly drifts away
from obedience to wanting something better for a community that doesn't
want the same thing. The Giver too is a wise but pitiable figure as he
has all this knowledge and wisdom and can't really share it with anyone.
He has to suffer alone. The other characters are two-dimensional, as
they are supposed to be. They have so long been brainwashed and
chemically controlled that they are arguably not true humans, but more
like robots. And their reactions to each other are so superficial that
it's painful to read.
The theme is definitely dystopian. So much
so because Jonas does live in the perfect world. No war, no bullies,
everyone is polite; but there is no true life. There is no art or music
or all the wonderful things that we take for granted in this world.
That the quest for perfection and easiness has a high price to pay, and
people shouldn't get complacent. And the ending, without giving too
much away I do want to comment on it. It gives you a choice, and it's
interesting too what people think of the ending and why. I tend to
choose the more tragic route. The only thing I could really want more
from this book is detail about Jonah's society. There is so much about
its past and its everyday workings that I would have loved to
understand.
This is definitely a book that will make you think.
It will always remain on my shelf and is one that I take with me on long
travels. There's a plethora of feelings that come from reading it.
The Giver
Copyright 1993
180 pages
No comments:
Post a Comment