Choices In The Giver

Options and choices are the best part of life. Choosing and making decisions is a part of becoming more independent and having freedom. But what if there was a restriction on family, the job one could have, or the memories one could make. In The Giver, Jonas’s society has no decisions, no choosing, or picking. Is this the idea of a Utopia where people take all the responsibility of making all of life's hard decisions? Or a Dystopia of having no freedom to make any choices or having a say? The three main differences between Jonas’s society are family, memories, and assignments. A Family is one of the most cherished things life have to offer. In Jonas’s society, citizens must apply for a Spouse and children. The Committee of Elder observes

In Jonas’s society memories are held by one person, The Giver. The Giver is selected by The Committee of Elders after being observed very closely; The Giver is the one who holds all the pain so the people of the community don't have to feel them. According to the novel, the narrator states, “‘Jonas was identified as a possible Receiver many years ago. We have observed him meticulously. There were no dreams of uncertainty”’(Lowry 62). This quote shows that there is only one person who contains all the memories. In Jonas’s community, unlike society today, people have their own memories and memories from other people that have shared them. If The Giver’s memories were released it would cause the community terrible pain. According to the novel, The Giver stated, “‘It was chaos,” he stated. “They really suffered for a while. Finally, it subsided as the memories were assimilated. But it certainly made them aware of how they need a Receiver to contain all that pain”(Lowry 104). This quote shows that there is a Giver. In Jonas’s society, there is one person who obtains all memories, people don't have their own memories, while in today's society, people make their own memories, and don't have someone else hold the memories for them. What would life be like if there was only one person to have all the good and bad