Analysis of The Giver by Lois Lowry - Essay Example

Society has also eliminated individual choices from the members of society, and people are given jobs according to their abilities. Spouses are also assigned to the members of the society, and two children are assigned to each family. Jonas, the main character in the story on reaching 12 years is selected to occupy the position of the ‘Receiver of Memory.’ This position entails holding all the memories of the time before sameness was achieved.

Jonas upon receiving the memories also receives the gift of knowledge. This causes him to realize the actual situation that the world he is in-he begins to realize that the situation is dystopian as opposed to utopian. He is faced with the option of either running away or staying in a society devoid of any emotions, choices, or knowledge. What initially seemed like a perfect society is revealed to be a restrictive society in which freedom is taken away from the people. The conversations in the story revolve around the question of individual freedom and the effect that the withdrawal of freedom has on society.

The text shows how the intent to construct a utopian society can lead to a dystopian one that does not withhold the principles of utopia. Individual freedom is taken away from when the child is born. . But even those who came up with the idea of sameness knew that they would be forced to refer to the time before the conformity, and as a result, all the memories of life before sameness have been stored. While equality is one of the ideals that are pursued by a utopian society, Lowry’s work shows the effects of such a pursuit, and how that equality and sameness are achieved in the society.

The world that initially seemed inviting is then revealed for what it truly is. Any form of resistance to the system causes the individual to be eliminated (referred to in the book as being released) from society. The book seeks to warn of the concept of utopia through the way that society treats the concepts of freedom and memory. The collective memories of the society have been suppressed to enable state control. The suppression of memory has been seen to be an effective tool for control.

The regaining of the collective or even the individual memory leads to the potential for rebellion. Without their memories and access to collective memories, the citizens in their sameness are convinced that the utopian society that has been created for them is the ideal society for them to exist in. A utopian society is a highly ordered society. There is no deviation from the routine that has been set for the people. In the book, for example, there is a set time for the families to have breakfast and during the meal, there is a compulsory sharing of dreams and in the evening during supper, there is a compulsory expression of feelings that are supposed to avoid the buildup of any form of emotion.