The Giver
The Giver, only a small novel in size, is an immense novel in terms of the messages it conveys. The story centers around a twelve year old boy named Jonas, who lives in a utopia, a seemingly perfect world. There is no violence, no pain, no crime, and no fear. Everyone has a role to play in the community. No one feels left out. There is food, clothing, and shelter for every person. None of the troubles of the modern world exist for Jonas. But there are also no choices. A person's role in the community is assigned to them, as is their spouse, and their children. Everyone is the same. Everyone eats the same food, and wears the same clothes. Everyone lives in the same houses and everyone uses the same bikes to travel. There is no color, and no music. There is no uniqueness, only Sameness. This is the world Jonas lives in. It is all he has ever known. Jonas is like all the other children, but at the same time he is different. He does not look like the other children, and sometimes he questions the world he lives in. He is a strong character and a likable one. When Jonas turns twelve, he participates in the Ceremony of Twelve, during which he receives his assignment and adult role in the community. Jonas is singled out from the other Twelves. He is to receive special training from a man called The Giver. It is through this training that Jonas learns the truth about the world around. The Giver, the only man in the community who holds the memories of the joys and the sorrows of the world, is sharing his knowledge with Jonas. At first, Jonas' world seems like a wonderful place to live. To a reader living in our day and age, a world where there is no pain and no hardship seems like a paradise. It is only as you follow Jonas' journey of learning, that you realize that his world isn't as perfect as it seems. He discovers that people who commit offenses are killed, as are the elderly, and some infants. He learns about the absence of color, and the absence of a sense of family...
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