Wednesday, July 28, 2010 . 8:50 AM
Jonas saw the colour red a second time when Fiona walked away from him. Her red hair is an indication of the unsuccessfulness of total genetic modification to make everyone’s physical characteristics similar. This event marked the point when Jonas started to distance himself from the rest of his friends as he could not share about his work experience with Fiona.
When the giver tried to explain the colour red to Jonas, he asked Jonas to recall the memory of the sled. When Jonas looked carefully, he could see that the colour of the sled was the same as the colour of the apple and of Fiona’s hair.
The giver, Jonas and Gabe all have pale eyes. Pale eyes are very uncommon in Jonas’ society and represents that that person is very different from the others. Pale eyes might also indicate that that person has certain traits that are useful for the position of the giver/receiver.
When the children in Jonas’ society become Nines, they are permitted to ride bicycles. Although there is a rule that prohibits children younger than Nine from riding bicycles, it is often broken. The bicycles are a sign of independence and maturity.
In the book, the people in Jonas’ society are required to take pills to prevent “stirrings”.In this way, the council of elders try to prevent the desire to procreate, thus eliminating babies that have different features from the rest of the society.