“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.” - Lois Lowry, The Giver
"Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now it's time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back."
The Giver by Lois Lowry is an incredibly provocative and pervasive novel that delves into your mind with a special keenness, leaving you quiet and reflective and deep in thought long after you close the final pages.
A movie, based on the novel, was recently released in theaters and I must admit, I watched it without having read the novel. However, my only regret is that I hadn't been introduced to the story sooner, in any media.
The themes of freedom and choice resonate with me deeply, as well as the struggle of the main character, Jonas, who, after becoming the Receiver of Memory, finds himself strangely isolated, seeing the world in new ways that he cannot share with those he loves. Living a colorless, cold, hollow existence all his life and being suddenly thrust into the beauty and pain of the true reality beyond has left him estranged from his companions. Different in a society that values and protects sameness above all else.
Though the book was short I enjoyed it immensely for the hour or so I was buried in its pages. I can honestly say that when I glanced up and looked at the setting sun I saw the colors so much more vividly and appreciated them like never before. I sat in the sunshine and felt the warmth, I stood outside and felt the wind, listened to music and marveled at its loveliness. And I considered the world in all its great glory and great tragedy and compared it to Jonas's existence.
Yes, they had control, and order, and safety and some measure of diluted happiness but where was the piercing beauty of singing, or instruments? Where was the deep desire of two beings in love? Where was the diversity of cultures and races? Lost was excitement and fear, love and hate, joy and despair. There were no highs to reach for and no lows to climb from. There was nothing but an empty, lifeless, orderly routine for people alive on the outside and dying on the inside.
We may have great suffering in this world, but we have great joy as well. And great hope. We should never forget our good fortune, no matter the circumstance. There is beauty and light, even in pain. And there is pure, limitless hope, as inconceivable and vast as the heavens. Great beauty in great darkness.
The Giver is a little book with big thoughts. It is a great example of the difference that simple things make in life and shows very vividly the chasm that their absence leaves in a person's life, in humanity.
If you're looking for a short read, I can promise The Giver won't take too much of your time. If you're looking for a simple read, best not pick up this book.
It will be reverberating in your mind and heart long after you've read the final words.
“For the first time, he heard something that he knew to be music. He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps, it was only an echo.”
