Karen Perez

Marti Schwartz
ELA 10E
10/5/2013
The Giver Core Paper
What does it really mean to live in a perfect world? In The Giver by Lois Lowry, the
main character Jonas grows up in a community that is rigidly controlled by a Committee of
Elders. In this civilization every single aspect of a persons life is controlled and chosen for
them. The community is based on strict rules that over power its people. The Committee of
Elders generate these rules and enforce them on the citizens. Throughout the book, it shares
Jonas story beginning when he is selected to be his communitys new Receiver of Memory.
With the most important job on his shoulders, the secrets of his community begin to unfold right
in front of him. The truth is soon revealed, and Jonas is left with a choice. The community Jonas
grew up to know so well is fooling its people and the people are too distracted by their perfect
world to notice. The community claims to be a Utopia when in reality the people of the
community dont have the right to make their own choices; without that right all the people of
the community dont have their freedom.
Family is important as shared in The Giver. To meet perfection, each family is created by
the committee of elders. When a citizen is of age, the person they spend the rest of your life with
is chosen for them. That way they are not allowed to feel love. When it comes to having
children every couple must fill an application in order to start their families. What child theyll
get and whether its a boy or a girl is all decided by the committee. Each family unit is also only
allowed to have two children, one boy and one girl. Having two boys or two girls is against the
rules and its never allowed. In this Community even their family they end up in is is chosen for
them. Every day was pretty much run the same. ...Morning ritual when the family told there
dreams, Jonas didnt contribute much(34) Each family shares their dreams from the night before
in the morning; each family members takes a turn to share, no questions asked. When night time
comes around and there is nothing but darkness outside, around the dinner table each family
member shares how their day has past. Each person is given a person to care about and and take
care of them. Those people are their family.
After a child reaches the age of twelve they are promptly put into training for their
selected jobs. Like everything else in the community, jobs were also chosen for them. The
process of getting a job is explained plain and simple. At the ceremony of twelve each new
twelve is appointed a designated job. The past couple years of each new twelves life determines
what job they are given. The Committee of Elders closely examines each child's interests and
characteristics closely and categorize based on the results. No one in the community knows what
job they will receive until the day of the Ceremony of Twelve. In Jonas case, as the new
Receiver of Memory, he is not allowed to quit. The importance of Jonas new job makes it this
way. If the Committee of Elders allowed it all the memories Jonas will receive in training would
be released to the community. This is forbidden because the community is sheltered from almost
everything, and the joyous and painful memories would be released to the people of the
community and cause mayhem.
Rules are what structure the community. They are so firmly laid that no one would dare
to break them. If broken, serious consequences will happen after three strikes. For example, one
rule the community has to endure is after evening meals are had in each dwelling, no one is
allowed outside. No exceptions are made when it comes to this. It seems like a way for the
people in the community to be safe so no one fought against it. When in comes to small children,
the girls have to wear their hair tied with ribbon at all times. The only times the ribbons could be
out is when they are about to go to sleep. Even pointless rules had to be followed and no one is
allowed to go against them. Another example would be that Children under the age of nine are
not allowed to ride bicycles. This rule is one of the only rules some people will discreetly
disobey. Older siblings take their little brother or sister and secretly teach them how to ride a
bicycle. Although some of the people went against this particular rule, the community was
controlled and managed by many more rules or laws the community has. The lives of the
citizens are dictated by these rules and they didn't even notice how much of their lives were
limited.
Overall the people of this community are being run by this committee and fail to realize
the things they could experience in life. Without this sense of choice each person is being
controlled, theyre not given the freedom to make their own decisions and learn from those
decisions. After witnessing, so much pain and the truth behind the community Jonas has chosen
to live with his own decisions and live life for himself. He no longer allows his life to be run by
other people,people he didn't really come to know. Jonas found his way out. Whos next?