The Parallels Between The Society In The Giver By Louis Lowery And Our Society
In Louis Loweryś ¨The Giver¨ we are introduced to a utopian society, but quickly realize, it is acutally a dystopian society. This community, and our community, has many similarities, and differences.
The society in ¨The Giver¨ is controlled by a very small group of individuals, they are called the committee of elders. In our society we are controlled by a large group of individuals, they our elected forms of government. It is how these groups of people control each society that make them vastly different.
In The Giver, in chapter one, we learn about the position of Nurture. This is a person who works with the newborn children. In this society people must be part of a couple, must apply to have a child, and the mother doesn't carry the child. The children in The Giver are created through science to ensure that they are as close to perfect as possible. Children then spend time being monitored and observed and then, if they are not meeting the appropriate milestones they are released, or killed. Also, when a couple apply to have a child and are awarded one, a ceremony is performed to welcome the child into the family, and the child is named for them. In our society we value all children born. We have baby showers to help prepare and make sure the family has what it needs for the babies. Parents name their own child, and can name them whatever they want. In our society, when we are born, we leave the hospital with our parent(s). Our parent(s) name us, they nurture and raise us, and guide us to make the right decisions until we reach adulthood.
In Tthe Giver we never read about any animals, except fish. This means that people are not free to have pets, or to ranch, or raise animals. In our society we value animals in a variety of ways. People have pets - cats, dogs, fish, gerbils, hamsters, mice, even snakes. All animals can be pets, and all animals are pets. Outside of the family, animals are kept for racing, riding, farming, showing, and a variety of other reasons. We have farms that raise cows for beef, milk, and farms that raise chickens, and lots of other animals.
In The Giver, chapter 6, we read about matching of spouses. A committee of Elders, they decide who you get to marry. In order to get married you have to apply and the committee determines if you will get married, and to who. In our modern society we get to choose who we marry. We do have to apply for a marriage license but they only get denied for extreme reasons - like underage.
Jonas lives in a utopian society and community that conforms to what they are told. Children and assigned to jobs at a early age and have no choice in the career. Jonas was assigned to receive memory for the community. The Givern shows memories to Jonas like snow, love, pain and colors. There is no freedom in the community everyone wears the same clothing to conform to the rules of the community. In the book we learn the importance of memory. Jonas receives memories memories from ¨The Giver¨. It opens up a new world of pain for Jonas. Jonas also starts to realize that it is important to be an individual. To be an individual one can experience. Jonas start to realize the of being an individual jonas knows thats one cannot experience joy in their life when they never had to dual with pain jonas knows that life is not complete without the good and bad of everyday life experience.
