Elisha Moore
English 11- 6th period
17 November 2017
Symbols and Themes in “The Giver”
Many people wonder what it feels like to live in a utopian society. A lot of shocking things happened in the book, relating to themes and symbols. The themes that will be discussed are the importance of memory ,the relationship between pain and pleasure, and the importance of an individual. The symbols found in the novel are The New child Gabriel, The Sled, and The River. The themes and symbols are big factors in the characters lives who live in a utopian society. The first theme is ,The importance of memory, which will explain how critical not being able to remember things will affect decision making. One example ,given in the book is,”The Committee of Elders does recognize the practical applications of memory—if you do not remember your errors, you may repeat them—so it designates a Receiver to remember history for the community”(Sparknote.com). This quote signifies that the elderly ,who were in control of the job picking for Jonas, knew how dangerous being a receiver was. They knew it would be a risk that their perfect world ,(utopian society),could be ruined, due to Jonas might not being able to take all the emotions. Another occurrence is the people not being able to engage in activities and …show more content…
It symbolizes the journey Jonas takes during his training and the exploration he makes. The color red symbolizes the new, and world of perception and ideas that Jonas discovers. An example is, “The questions it asks about the costs of love, the structure of the family, the role of painful memories, the nature of the perfect society are all timely”(Critical Overview). This quote shows the reason why Jonas would want change. The utopian society in which he lives in is very boring. Jonas was given the job to be a receiver. Therefore has a lot of emotions and memories of which what people did when their community was not a utopian