Recently the Barnes and Noble by my house had a buy one get one 50% off deal. Now, I try not to buy brand new books to save money (I literally just borrowed two books from the library last week) but I guess i was in a spending mood. Anyway, the deal was for some, what I would call, middle school classics. I ended up getting The Tale of Despereaux and The Giver. Two books I have always heard about but never got around to reading or watching their movies. I started The Giver yesterday and finished it at 1:30am lol.
I totally get the hype now! Its a great book, easy to read and grasp, but has so much depth squeezed into less than 250 pages. As an adult, it leaves me with so many questions. How did Sameness come about? How were they able to remove colors, music, emotions, and song from humans? How did they discover the ability to transfer memories from one person to another? How do they get their food? What happened to the Giver? Did the plan work despite him leaving early? But none of these questions really matter in the end.
I would say the book asks one main philisophical question and answers it within itself: what does it mean to be human? Jonas learns what it means the hard way and his revelation is a joy to watch despite the pain and struggle he has to endure from learning the truth about humanity. The book made me grateful for the ability to see colors and hear music. Gifts that come naturally to most, but are removed from humanity entirely in this world she created.
"They have never known pain." He thought. The realization made him feel desperatley lonely.
In a way, that sort of order in the Community makes life easy and peaceful. There is no hardship, war, grief, hunger, or strife. But there is also nothing good either. Human nature has never been peaceful. To be human is to feel. Pain, joy, regret, love, rage, contentment, hate, adoration, obsession, confusion, envy, appreciation, etc. etc. etc.! And as we feel these intense emotions we create. We create music, dance, art, song, and stories. Then we look to share all of this with each other. The sharing of memories, stories, lessons, legends, warnings, hardship, joy, entertainment, is everything! Without the depth of emotion, we loose all that we call human.
"We gained conrol of many things. But we had to let go of others."
The society Jonas grows up in stifled, orderly, detatched, and lacks truth. The humans were nothing more than plants in a garden. The Elders act as the gardeners. They decide what seeds to plant and when. What sprouts to keep or release (kill). What plants they can remove as they get old or sick. But even actual plants know of sunshine. They lean towards their sun as their leaves sprout and soak up their sunshine. The people didn't even know that much! As the Giver says, they know nothing, and its meaningless without the memories.
Speaking of the Giver. Can we talk about how traumatic it was for him to witness his own daughter choose death over the truth of humanity?! Poor Rosemary, it was too much for her, too hopeless. I mean at least that way you would understand your father more and you wouldn't feel so alone. I can't believe she chose to be "released" i would've just ran away with my dad... I understand her though. Imagine only ever seeing things in black and white, never feeling the sun on your back or the rain in your hair. Never seeing the multitude of greens on trees or the diffferent blues in the sky. Then suddenly you are given all of human memory?! Memories of excrutiating pain and anguish that never belonged to you. The worst moments of everyone's lives in the past?! Who wouldn't choose release in a desperate moment?
"Maybe your wisdom will come much more quickly than mine."
Jonas understands this is ridiculous. Impossible to hold onto all of it as just one person. It's his striking certainty that moves the Giver and his observation that wisdom would come quickly for Jonas was right, in a way. His instinct to run towards the unknown with Gabriel and move on, took courage and wisdom.
His connection with Gabe was so sweet and adorable. I loved how he accidentally shared his memories at first. It was so innately human, this need to share the happy things it just slipped out of his mind and into Gabe's. Of course he took him Elsewhere how could he leave him there?
A fantastic book! 10/10 :) We will end on my favortie quote.
"Its the choosing that's important. Isn't it?"
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