Have you ever wondered if there was a world that was the same? You couldn’t see a color or hear a sound. How would you feel? I know if I couldn’t see the color I wouldn’t be happy because I couldn’t see the joy in the world. The book where it’s the same is called “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. One of the main characters Jonas learns many things from the Giver. Throughout the book, Jonas goes through many challenges and risks but still succeeds somewhat. Jonas was able to grow and bring meaning to his life, despite his challenging environment, by discovering the importance of memory, pain, and choice.
When Jonas was learning all the new memories it helped him realize what other people in his community are missing out on. Jonas is facing whether to like the memories he receives from the giver or not. “He could see a bright, whirling torrent of crystals in the air around him, and he could see them gather on the backs of his hands” [page 102.] He recognized that the crystals were bright and happy from previous memories. Jonas kept on having people looks just change. “It was happening to him again, seeing color, people changing.” [pg. 102] But he learned that seeing new things about people was cool and exciting. Overall Jonas learned the importance of memory because without memory there would be no laughter, or bringing back information in a good or bad situation. This helped him grow as a person by, taking advantage of the memories he’s received in his daily life.
Jonas’s experience with pain is another factor in how he grows as a person in the difficult environment of The Community. Jonas was getting really confused about why other people in his community were the same and he wanted to tell everyone but he couldn’t. “Why do you and I have to hold these memories?” [ pg. 139] It really hurt him that he couldn’t tell the rest of the community want seeing color or hearing sound was like. The Giver was talking about how it used to be in the community. Where people could enjoy seeing things and having feelings. “The worst part of holding memories isn’t the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories should be shared.” [pg. 189] The problem for this isn’t the pain it’s the weird way the community chose for everyone to be the same. Overall Jonas learned the importance of pain by, using pain as an advantage to help everyone in the community. This helped him grow and learn as a person by, knowing that pain is wisdom.
Jonas experiences with choice are another factor in how he grows as a person in the difficult environment of The Community. The Community had made a mistake which has never happened. They got Jonas’s job mixed up. “Jonas has been selected.” [pg.68 ] Jonas didn’t get to chose his job, he had gotten chosen because the head of The Community though Jonas had the courage and could handle pain. The way the community lived wasn’t how Jonas lived now. He lived knowing that people were killed and that it was the same for everyone. “ It’s the way they live. It’s the life that was created for them. It’s the same life that you would have had if you had not been chosen as my new receiver.” [pg. 153.] Now he learned that choices could be good and bad. Overall Jonas learns the importance of choice by, realizing without choice no one has to go through facing consequences of making bad choices. But nor they get to feel what it’s like to to make the right choice. It’s difficult but it’s better for the people. This helped him grow as a person because he stopped getting frustrated why everything was the same but realizing that’s sometimes it’s better not to have a choice.
In this book, Jonas learned about pain, memory, and choice. He learned and grew as not only as a person but how to be a better person. Taking risks, like bringing baby Gabriel out of The Community so he wouldn’t die. But yet he didn’t know what was out there, that took bravery. That shows pain leaving his family behind, but overall courage for doing what’s right. Jonas reminded us of many things of life but one is, doing something right for someone isn’t about the glory or joy you get out of it. It’s about how others surrounding him can learn and grow about the choices he made.
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The Giver: Pain, Memory, And Choice.
(2022, July 08). Edubirdie. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/the-giver-pain-memory-and-choice/
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2022 Jul 08 [cited 2024 Apr 25].
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