I’m Giselle, currently a sophomore in AHSNCCU. Although primarily studying science subjects in school, I’ve always been passionate about language arts, and am pursuing those interests by self-learning foreign languages such as German, along with reading about a wide range of topics, especially literature. As George R. R. Martin once said, “A reader lives a thousand lives, and the man who never reads lives only one.” I believe that reading allows one to experience different lives with the mind, provoking thoughts and expanding one’s horizon. Thus, it is a great honor to have the opportunity to participate in this event.

What is equality? While politicians and scholars worldwide offer their sides of the story, it is crucial to see the interpretation of others, those who are not in a position of power. Dystopian novels, for instance, have been exploring this theme for decades past. In spite of the genre’s reputation for exaggeration, it conceals bits and pieces of truth when extrapolating into possibilities of the future; as one of the most famous dystopian novels of the last century, The Giver, set in a world of absolute equality, inviting the reader to ponder to which degree would equality benefit humanity the most.

At first, the Community appears to be a utopia, everyone’s lives disciplined but tranquil, with friends and family closely bonded. However, the façade slowly cracks, revealing the rot underneath, as the reader follows the protagonist, Jonas, through his journey into the heart of the Community. For one, the assignments, where Elders of the community assign occupations to each citizen, involve no free will: “What if…they chose their own job…Frightening, isn’t it” (Lowry 98). By implying the “fright” of choosing one’s own job, Jonas’s father reveals the citizen’s fundamental aversion to liberty. Moreover, the way Jonas’s father poses this hypothetical situation as a rhetorical question, assuming the answer to be affirmative, further reinforces the blindness by which the community members follow the elders’ edicts. Thus, Jonas’s father’s attitude proves that this equality is inherently flawed because it requires blind trust rather than transparent awareness. Later, an old woman tells Jonas about the role of Birthmother, a simple job but “without honor,” recalling the characteristic of a Birthmother she knew: “She was a Birthmother…never even had a family unit…I don’t think she was very smart” (31). This suggests that unequal treatment still exists and that the Community may have overlooked disabilities in order to eliminate all forms of inequality, one of the first signs hinting at the Community’s dystopian nature. Yet, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Problems with the system continue to drift to the surface, one of which is the countless bans forced on citizens. Art, the reflection of times, expression of self, is dead and gone, for colors and music and imaginative language have been stripped from the world, replaced by grayness and precision. Books and knowledge of history are forbidden to citizens, cutting off sources for citizens to learn and potentially become better people. To make matters worse, feelings, any other than basic emotions such as joy and anger, have been eradicated, as Jonas is crestfallen to find out when he asked his parents if they loved him: “You used a very generalized word, so meaningless…You could ask, ‘Do you enjoy me?’ The answer is yes” (127). The shocking use of “enjoy” other than “love” indicates to what point the community had inflicted mass equality upon citizens. To them, equality means to treat everyone the same way, with no regard for special relationships based on uncontrollable human feelings. Romantic love is absent as well, and spouses have to be applied and matched, and so are children. Furthermore, unity ensures the lack of rebellion, with no one willing, or able, to stand up against unfairness: “The decision was made long before…nothing could be changed” (113). Thus, discrimination of all sorts is eliminated, but with it, gone is the beauty of humanity, the distinctive intellect, and desire for something more than survival, love and lofty ideals, that mark our kind, but instead replaced by sameness and nonchalance.

With complete equality comes the price of freedom, fairness, and growth. In a world where humans and everything related are identified by their diversity, equality is nearly impossible; no one can be free of prejudice and judgment, for it is one of the most crucial survival instincts. Hence, the community in The Giver views stripping away all differences as the easiest solution to these problems. At the same time, doing so can just as easily exacerbate existing inequalities by allowing a few elites to make decisions for the entire community and impose an ultimately unequal structure, even demolishing necessary traits of humanity. Indeed, equality is a goal worthy of pursuit, but requires objective consideration and careful contemplation.