The Giver

Living in a society where freedom of speech, expressions, rights, and decisions has become the norm, you can only imagine what it's like to not have those privileges. In this book, however, following rules is what's normal. Having and expressing your own personal opinions and emotions is considered as something unheard of. Everything is prepared by the government, who adapted "Sameness" into the community. Things like clothes, hairstyles, jobs, etc, don't depend on our own preference. With the practice of "Sameness" for a prolonged amount of time, everyone acts in the same demeanor and no one is out of line, which also means nobody is truly unique in the world of the book. Hence, from start to finish, this book emphasizes on the importance of memories and individuality.

If you think about it properly, would you remember what physical pain feels like if you don't have any memories of the sensation? Would you feel great grief and regret if you cannot remember the events that caused them? The answer to both is no. At some point in time, in order to not be plagued by pain and emotions, the community in the story decided to give up the memories accumulated throughout human history and live with a new start. However, the leaders of the community also acknowledged the pragmatic use of memories with the thought: "if you cannot remember your mistakes, you may repeat them." Thus, the position of the Reciever of Memories was created to remember the history of the past. Yet again, although there is no pain without memories, there is also no true euphoria because you also forget about what fulfills you with happiness and joy, which at the same time, implied that the pain and negativity are too in focus, rather than positivity. Without memories, people in the story can only go so far to grasp the depth of emotions.

"Sameness", an idealistic policy enforced onto the community as a new start, also takes a significant part in the reason why. Within the community, everything appears grayscale, eliminating the possibility of color-based discrimination of anything. Everyone is given the same treatment as the government of elders assigns citizens similar houses and bicycles, standardized clothing to avoid jealousy, at the same time, strictly regiments and monitors the lives of all citizens. With that, it is difficult to differentiate themselves from one another, and over time, completely lost the sense of individuality. Although this factor favors the unity of the community, differences between individuals should be respected, instead of disparaging them or pretending they do not exist.

The protagonist, Jonas, who has been chosen as the next Receiver of Memories, later becomes aware of strong emotions, beautiful colors, and great suffering through memories, and decides to change the dystopian system in the community along with his predecessor and a baby he's attached with called Gabriel, who has the same light eyes as Jonas does, which is why they can share memories as they both have the same ability to see beyond. Therefore, Jonas can be considered as the symbol of change and Gabriel is seen as a symbol of hope for a brighter future.

In conclusion, the book creatively highlights the significance of memories and individuality with many metaphors that completely blend in the world of the story. After reading the book, memories are proved as essential, both bad and good ones, and individuality is not something to be ignored but rather recognized and accepted into our society.