The GiverJonas, an eleven year old boy , was very intellegent and outstanding.
In fact he surpassed the other kid’s intelligence. He grew up with her sister Lily and a special visitor named Gabriel very well educated by his parents . He was almost a perfect son, he was friendly and good hearted. In fact he fell in love with a girl named Fiona.
. He learned very quickly all about his community, a community where all the people lived happy and peaceful lives. Jonas life was perfect, even the community were he was living seemed to be perfect. But one day when he became twelve, according to the community rules, it was time to receive his life’s assignment just like all the other kids that became twelve. Jonas was given a special assignment. To his astonishment he was given the most respected job of all.
The assignment designated for Jonas was called “The Receiver”. Jonas, being the Receiver, was obligated to receive all the memories from the actual Giver and past Givers whether they were nice or horrible. He learned many things about the past that no one else knew. At first Jonas was living peacefully in his community. He used to do all the things that a eleven year old kid does, like play, ride bicycles and go to school every day. There was no pain or fear or things to worry about.
Jonas had many friends, some of his best friends were Asher and Fiona. They used to work voluntarily, helping and taking care of the old people. The elderly were lovingly cared for as were the newest members of that place. In that community every single person was given a certain job for which he or she was suited emotionally, physically and mentally at a certain age, in annual Ceremonies. Every family in this community had a mother, father, and two children, one of each sex. Jonas had two parents, a mother who was happily employed at the Department of Justice, and a father who was happily employed as a Nurturer.
There was much laughter and obvious joy. There was no rudeness, no crime and no disease. When people did get hurt they took a pill and the pain went right away. No one ever broke bones or anything.
There were no criminals, and there were no locks on any homes or buildings. The only bad thing about The Giver’s community was Release. The community was controlled by a committe of older citizens from the community called the committe of elders. The committe told the community what to do and when to do it, using speakers that were installed all around the community. There was also one speaker in each house of the community, the society was ideal.
When Jonas turned twelve the committe of elders told him at the time of receiving the assignment that he was selected to be trained to become the “Receiver of Memory”. The Receiver’s job was to listen to their proposals and just tell them whether or not they should do it based on the lessons of history. The present Giver’s job was to be giving the memories, all of them to Jonas. He did so through all of the senses. Jonas learns of war and hate, of snow and trees and colors all of which were not present in this society.
He also learned of the horror all around him. However, they didn’t want to make decisions or changes which, in the past, had led to disaster so they have assigned one person to keep all the memories of history, their own and that of all societies. As a Receiver Jonas was to able to do many things that citizens of the community were not allowed to do. Also, as a Receiver, Jonas learned amazing things some of them were horrible and painful for him, one of them was Release. When a person broke a major rule, was too old, or wasn’t right as a baby they got released.
Release was killing. One day Jonas saw his Father nurturing a baby. He saw his father turn and open a cupboard. He took out a syringe and a small bottle.
Very carefully he inserted the needle into the bottle and began to fill the syringe with a clear liquid. To his surprise, his father began very carefully to direct the needle into the top of the newchild’s forehead, puncturing the place where the fragile skin pulsed. “The newborn squirmed and wailed faintly”. Jonas instantly knew that his father had just killed that baby. Once again he saw the face of the light haired, bloodied soldier as life left his eyes. The memory came back.
“He killed it! My father killed it! Jonas said to himself, stunned at what he was realizing”. After he saw these he inmediately remembered that his little brother Gabriel was going to be released. Jonas did not want his little brother to be released so he make a serious decision to leave the community and take his litle brother with him. He did not even plan it, everything happened so quick that he was barely able to take some food along. Besides the food that he had stolen he also stole his father’s bycicle, in order to carry Gabriel in the back seat. Once Jonas had crossed the river there was no turning back.
He started pedaling faster and faster trying to reach the other community as soon as posible. Jonas pedaled the entire day and night. He was very tired until he realized that the sun had started to set and he decided to stop, rest and eat some of the stolen food. Days and days passed and Jonas was still clueless about the other community.
He was hungry and Gabriel was too but the problem was that they had no more food left. After this they just keep going until Jonas was unable to continue riding his bycicle in order to get to the other community and Jonas rested again. This time for a longer period of time. Then he continued again. Gabriel was sleeping, weak and hungry. Jonas continued riding the bycicle slowly, tired and hungry hoping to finally get to his destiny.
Suddenly he heard some music and lights. Immediately Jonas began thinking that it was the other community celebrating and waiting for him. Whether there is a perfect community or not, killing is killing, no matter what the rules are to keep the perfectness. The Giver’s community seems very fantastic and mystycal, but I would not be able to live in one of those communities knowing that there is a rule to kill people. For example when someone from the community had twins or they were just sick, the committe would immediately sent them to released them or in other words to killed them.
For me Jonas acted very bravely not caring about the consequences. In fact if I had the chance to live in one of those communities with the rule of Releasing I would do the same thing that Jonas did.
