In Lois Lowry's "The Giver," the protagonist, Jonas is chosen as the next Receiver of Memory in his community, and through this role, he discovers that memories can be both a blessing and a curse. This is because while memory can hold our highest and most cherished moments, it can also hold pain and grief. While pain is not what we want to experience, it is also important and essential for us to go through it as it helps us grow as a person and understand the way of life differently, just like how Jonas went through when learning about the different memories, made him look at the world in a different perspective. The importance of memories is significant to human life, reflecting the past as the past, and offering the possibility of reusing all past and present experiences, as well as helping to ensure continuity between what …show more content…
The community's memories of the past are erased, which ensures that citizens do not question the decisions of the Committee of Elders. This lack of memories means that citizens are not able to appreciate the beauty of life and the importance of relationships and the world around them. The quote "They know nothing and are therefore totally dependent on us" (Lowry 33) highlights the fact that the citizens of Jonas' community are completely reliant on the Committee of Elders and the Receiver of Memory to guide them, as they have no memories of their own to draw from. This means that the citizens of the community are unable to make informed decisions for themselves and are instead forced to rely on the decisions made by the Committee of Elders. As a result, the citizens of the community are unable to exercise their own free will and are unable to experience the full range of human emotions and experiences. This quote supports the argument for the importance of memory because it shows how memory empowers individuals to make their own decisions and to live fulfilling