Sunday, June 27, 2010 . 7:14 AM
Initial Response to The Giver by Lois LowryIn my opinion, The Giver by Lois Lowry is a very interesting and exciting read which I enjoyed very much. It left me in a reflective mood in which I contemplated whether the society I currently live in is better or worse than Jonas’ “utopia”.
When I first started reading this book, I immediately felt that something was wrong with this particular community. Yes, the people of the community were free of pain, and yes, there was no risk in their lives. These factors are seemingly ideal for a utopia. However, as there was no pain and no risk, there was also a lack of emotional depth in their lives; and the entire population was undiversified and lacking of individualism. I felt that they did not make any real decisions of their own as everything in their lives were calculated and decided for them. They could not even choose what they wanted to wear or when they wanted to learn how to ride a bike. Without a personal stake in their decisions, how could they feel passionate or satisfied about the outcomes?
As I was reading the book, I felt constantly enraged that the Council of Elders had been controlling the lives of so many people to such an unreasonable extent. They controlled their people by eliminating everything they thought posed a threat to their power, such as freedom, emotions, colour, history, memories and even pain, suffering, and so on. I feel that this was inhumane and that what the Council of Elders had done was to essentially turn everyone into living robots, devoid of their own hearts and minds and who operated on auto gear.
I was glad that there was a loophole in the system and that The Giver and Jonas could be catalysts to overthrow the Council of Elders and as a result, destroy the dystopian society they lived in. I admire their bravery, as they were severely outnumbered by those around them who did not realize there was something wrong in the way they lived. Yet they still had the courage to stand up and make a change to better their society for the common good.
p.s. I found it amusing that they released one of the babies if it was a twin. I’m not sadistic or anything and I don’t support the practice. Honestly, I think it’s cruel. It’s just…
THEY ADVOCATE “SAMENESS”.