The Giver Language

“He searched for the right word to describe his own feeling. Jonas was careful about language.”(Lowry 3)-The community is very precise about their language, they speak with great precision. Their vocabulary is based strictly upon dictionary definitions. It is ironic because in a society eradicated of emotion, words are meaningless. Before his memories Jonas was very careful about precision of language, but, after he became aware that some words mean more than can be described by a dictionary definition. He no longer attempts to explain all words and feelings because he learns certain feelings are unexplainable considering they are not meant to be explained, they are meant to be felt. This relates back to the importance of human emotion, an

Jonas yearns for these emotions within his family. Because Gabriel is able to accept Jonas' love, the two characters form a family bond that causes Jonas to sacrifice a lot for his younger brother. The Giver and Jonas understand if the community felt love, they would understand their actions. Due to the fact that the citizens do not have the ability to separate right from wrong, they feel no guilt committing unjust acts. In addition, Jonas understands the beauty of love through the memories he experiences, and hopes the entire community could feel that way. Jonas uses his love to benefit the greater community, which shows the benefit the memories have had on his character and could have on the community.

“Don't say that. There is very little honor in that assignment” (Lowry 21)-The word Birthmother is associated with shame. The inhabitants of the community see little honour in Birthmothers because the Birthmothers are simply there to bear children out of necessity because they have stopped spouses from having their own. This shows the dystopian society in the community. Parents are not allowed to have their own children because their emotion and choice is controlled. This is a clear consequence to the abolishment of choice and free

Robert Hutchins explains “books are the means of understanding our society and ourselves. They contain the great ideas that dominate us without our knowing it”. In the community, the book of rules is the only book the citizens have. To begin, Jonas cannot comprehend what all the books could possibly be filled with; he later learns the importance of books. The word `book` holds the connotation of the past for the Giver and Jonas. Through the past Jonas gains wisdom and is able to understand what he must do to alleviate his community of their own