Dystopian Worlds Compared: The Giver Vs. Fahrenheit 451

Introduction

Art is a way of expression, which speaks for itself. Art is a tool which we use to convey an idea or message to the audience, without directly saying it. Art helps create an open mind, as well as the use of imagination. There are various forms of art such as: Literature, Poems, Paintings, photography, dance, films etc. Each form of art has a message which is meant to be interpreted by each individual. The form of art in which I plan to compare and contrast within this essay is literature, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. These books both take place in societies that are very controlled, contained and strict when it comes to their societal expectations. The Giver and Fahrenheit 451 are both similar because the protagonists were both exemplary citizens until a certain person came along and shifted their view on society as well as their lives. However, each society has a different priority when it comes to marriage, and family. In the end, The Giver is more important than Fahrenheit 451, as I will demonstrate below, for three reasons: First, it explains and identifies the importance of color, and being unique. Second, it focuses on the importance of knowing your history. Third, the giver gives insight to the community's values as well as the importance of them.

First, in the book The Giver, the story revolves around a young boy named Jonas, as well as his close friends/family, and the community. Throughout the story, the audience learns about society, and the way it is controlled. One of the biggest ways in which the citizens are controlled, is the way in which they all take pills, and daily injections. The pills and daily injections seem to be tied to the fact that everyone sees black and white. They are all happy, they all get along, and they are all assigned jobs at the age of 12, based on 12 years' worth of observations of course. For example, in The Giver, people were "not allowed to change their schedules and express themselves. With that said, the community was very controlled, and were never actually free. The way in which the community was controlled made Jonas unsure of his given job. He was unable to tell anyone about the memories he received. He was unable to tell anyone about the color he could see, or the pain in which he felt. He was forced to keep everything in, and act as if everything were okay.

While the story unfolds, the audience learns about the giver, and what he does. Jonas is not assigned a 'normal role' but a role that is only for those who are believed to have a gift. Jonas is assigned the role of the new receiver of memory! The giver is the person who holds all of the communities' memories, and he is also the one in charge of sharing the memories with the receiver of memories. While Jonas receives memories, he begins to see the world around him differently. He begins to see color, he notices hair color, the color of the trees, and the color of apples. He is introduced to more than just color, the giver introduces Jonas to various emotions, such as, pain, excitement, and genuine happiness. The book does an amazing job at identifying the importance of color/differences, history, and values. An examination of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and The Giver by Lois Lowry, proves that any social structure must insure that the Cruz3 citizens have equal opportunities to have their basic needs met, opportunities to pursue personal goals, and aspirations, and freedom to be unique. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury introduces the main character named Guy Montag. He lives in a society where there are strict rules and expectations. Montag lives in a society where firemen start fires, rather than stop them. They have outlawed books because they believe that books are like a poison for one's mind. In the book Fahrenheit 451, a woman stayed in her house along with her books, as the place burned. Montag said, "There must be something in books, something we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing. Montag then began to realize the imperfections in his society. He began to open his eyes to the importance and impact of literature, as well as the way in which the citizens are blinded by the ban of books. Montag eventually gave into the temptation and curiosity, and hid books to read them. He soon realized that books were important, because they were history, they encouraged the use of imagination. Montag mentioned, "the magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us. Therefore, The giver is a better book because of the main characters growth, the emphasis on the importance of color, being unique as well as the values of the community.

Conclusion

In conclusion, The Giver is a better book because of the way in which it goes into depth about community values, growth within the main character, as well as the importance of being unique and recognizing color. The giver recognizes it communities imperfections, and Jonas then saves a baby who has the same gifts that he does. He escapes with him, rather than letting them kill the child off. He sacrifices his life in the name of justice. Rather than Montag, who brought the importance of books to the light, he made it known that books werent the problem. However, Jonas was a more impactful character in my opinion. He started off as a young boy, who followed all the rules, saw life in black and white. He then grew into a hero. He learned to embrace his differences and encourage others to do the same. He learned to embrace his ability to see color and feel feelings. He began to see his community and its members in a different light. He realizes that they were blinded, they had no sense of imagination. They were color blind, and blind to the fact that they were all being controlled by a government who had expectations of perfection. A community that failed to encourage individuality. Jonas learned the importance of individuality, throughout his journey along with the giver. He was able to feel snow, he was able to experience various emotions. The giver is more impactful to the audience because we get many perspectives on multiple characters as well as their experiences.