The Giver Changes

Words: 1342
Pages: 6

In the novel, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, a soon to be twelve year old boy named Jonas changes psychologically throughout the novel. The novel begins in a community full of deception and deep secrets in a life of no color or feelings. In his community he is assigned to be the receiver, which is someone who keeps all the memories of the community, so they don’t have to bear any pain. The memories are given to the receiver from the Giver, who was the previous receiver before him. Due to the many memories Jonas receives from the Giver, Jonas psychologically changes affecting him in a very deep, passionate way. Before Jonas receives all the memories, he is completely oblivious and thinks nothing is wrong with his dystopian community. When a plane …show more content…
He finds it normal for the release to happen and is unaware of what release really is. In fact, Jonas doesn’t even know what death is. He thinks that release is just being sent off somewhere but, it is never seeing the light of day again. Jonas isn’t curious to find out what happens to the released and doesn’t care to figure out what. Later in the book, Jonas finds that release of the old is a time to celebrate. When he was washing the old, the women told Jonas about the ceremony of release and how pleased they seemed to be. In the past people mourn when an old person dies, and they find it extremely dreadful. Jonas doesn’t understand murder and that the people are forced to end their lives early while they could live longer. He doesn’t realize that they execute the old before they die so none of the citizens of the community will see real death. Jonas finds it normal and that there is no other way to live life then under all the rules and restrictions. When he is late with his appointment with the Giver he …show more content…
Jonas is upset how he can’t tell any of his friends about everything that he has learned as the receiver. But, he is also frustrated that he can’t tell them because none of them will understand. When Jonas watches citizens of his community who have “ordinary lives free of anguish because he had been selected, as others before him had, to bear their burden” (121). This shows Jonas’ frustration and happiness that he wishes to have again. It shows that he is starting to understand that his community gives no freedom and how he had to be selected for the others to have ordinary lives. It shows how Jonas feels about having to hold all the memories. Jonas has completely peeled the veil off the community as he realizes that the community is full of secrets and deception. When he tries to tell his sister Lily that there were real elephants Lily doesn’t believe him and thinks Jonas is just kidding with her. Jonas also desperately wants to tell his friends, Fiona and Asher, that he feels great love for, that they shouldn’t play the game of war. Due to the memories Jonas receives he knows about the tragedy of death while his friends don’t. Jonas tries to tell them about all the memories in an indirect way without actually telling them about the game of war but, Asher doesn’t believe him. Jonas gets weary now that his friends that he used to play with, and the game they used to play and he used to enjoy