My Summer Reading Reaction: The Giver by Lois Lowry

This summer, one of the books I read was The Giver by Lois Lowry. I decided to read it because one of my friends, who is a Japanese person working as an educational consultant, told me that this book was the first English novel he ever enjoyed reading, and that he started to like to read in English after he read this. To me, the novel looked like a children's novel in terms of length so I was skeptical about how good it could be.

After I read it, it became one of my favorites. The story takes place in a fascinating “perfect” human community in the future which has chosen to implement a social system of “Sameness.” The sameness policy is designed to eliminate all risk of danger or instability in human society in order to minimize pain and maximize equality and happiness. For example, there is no sex, because sexual urges lead to competition for mates and possibly violence. All reproduction is done artificially and children are born through women called “Bearers” who give birth as their job. Sexual urges are suppressed by taking pills and control of emotions and language and thought is taught to children. There are no colors either. Also, obviously, since there is no sex, there are no real families. People live in “family units” with no biological relationship that have been formed by the guidance of the Council of Elders, a group of wise persons who make all important decisions. Weak, disabled or old persons are “released” from the community so that they do not become a burden. The economy is also very stable, with jobs being also decided by the council; when children turn twelve years old, they are assigned to a work unit that is perfect for their personality and level of ability. The story focuses on the new job of a twelve year old named Jonas, who is selected to be the “Receiver of Memories.”

There is one special person in the community called the Giver of Memories, and he is the only person who has access to the memories of human history prior to the Sameness policy. In other words, he is the only one who knows of a world that includes both pleasure and pain. He is getting old, so he needs to pass on the memories to young Jonas, the Receiver of Memories.

The most meaningful theme in this novel is the dilemma that Jonas faces when he is exposed to the “real” human world that you and I live in today. He sees memories of family love, and pleasure. Then he sees memories of war. Is it better to live in a society that suppresses individual happiness for the stability of society? Or is it better to live in freedom with some risk of emotional pain by love and competition, and possibly war due to desire that grows into greed. Where is the balance and where is the position of Japanese society in this dilemma? As I read The Giver, I pondered the balance between suppression of freedom (choice) and suppression of inequality and risk. Is it better to have freedom to make mistakes? Or is it better for the “council” to make “wise decisions” for us. For example, in Japan, should elementary school teachers and principals be allowed to create their own curriculums freely, or should the central monkasho hand down their wise decisions from above??

I hope all of you will consider reading this novel and ponder some of the themes above. 
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