Mr. Howell
Advanced World Literature
9 March 2017
Importance of Choice, Memory, and Feelings in The Giver
Would you live in a preset world? What would it be like to be placed in a nameless dystopian choiceless world, where all weather is controlled, and all memories belong to one person? The truths behind why memory exists and how feelings and choice play a role in a human’s life are explained through the remarkable novel entitled The Giver. The main character Jonas discovers the importance and roles of free choice, memories, and feelings. In Lois Lowry’s The Giver, the learning of memories leads Jonas to create new found feelings of love and isolation with the freedom to choose right and wrong, indifference to the straightforward, …show more content…
Jonas thinks of people’s attributes and differences both internally and externally. Memories create conflict in that people begin profiling differences and jealousies. In the end, the community leaders decided that common people would be happier and more productive if they did not remember the past” (Bruccoli). Most importantly, the role of memory in The Giver is utilized in the creation of true, thought provoking feelings and choices. Jonas realizes the truth of memories can convey as The Giver says,”And if I've learned anything through that river of memories, it is that we can't live in a walled world, in an "only us, only now" world, where we are all the same and feel safe. We would have to sacrifice too much. The richness of color would disappear. Feelings for other humans would no longer be necessary. Choice would be obsolete.” (Telgen) For the first time, Jonas is …show more content…
Garnering new uncontrolled memories, Jonas’ gaining of recollections is the most important component of a human because it makes the young boy differ from all of the others. Most importantly, the role of memory in The Giver is utilized in the creation of true feelings and choices. Through receiving flashbacks in The Giver, Jonas realizes the importance of feelings through color and isolation from false feelings. Throughout The Giver, feelings are suppressed in the nameless society, but the importance of feelings are revealed through Jonas’s unlocking of love and anger. Believing in the importance of sentiment and memory, Jonas learns the beauty of choice. New knowledge gives new found power and choice of perspective of right and wrong. Creation of choice gives Jonas the power of free will to choose between right and wrong. Undoubtedly, The Giver goes down as a brilliant novel that forces the reader to pause and reflect on how substantial it is live a life without hindrance or