Jonas is the main character in The Giver by Lois Lowry. In Jonas’s community it’s natural to be doing everything the loudspeaker says, it is the way to surrvive. Only Jonas and the Giver can see in color. Everyone in Jonas’s community thinks it is natrual that the leaders can listen to every conversation. All adults have to apply for a spouse and children. Which means you get assigned to a family unit. Not very many people are even aware there is much life outside of the community because it is so closed.
But, most of all no one even knows that when someone is to be released it means you are killed with euthanasia, except for Jonas and the Giver. No one even knows of the concept of death. Scene 2: The Jet “At first, he had only been fascinated. He had never seen aircraft so close, for it was against the rules for Pilots to fly over the community. Occasionally. When the supplies were delivered by cargo planes to the landing field across the river, the children rode their bicycles to the riverbank and watched, intrigued, the unloading and then the takeoff directed to the west, always away from the community” (1).
With this in mind Jonas and the community froze waiting for instructions. Jonas and the community were then ordered by through a loudspeaker to go to the nearest building and leave their bicycles. Jonas immediately went to his family dwelling and stayed there waiting for further instruction. After a few minutes they were informed that a Pilot-In-Training misread his navigational instructions and took a wrong turn, but he would still be released (killed with euthanasia). Scene 3: Seeing-beyond “The apple had changed. Just for an instant. It had changed in mid-air”(30). Jonas says he had been playing catch with Asher when the apple had changed.
Jonas had taken the apple home because it had changed. In other words Jonas, began to see beyond which means he began to see color. Jonas had found he had the unique ability to see-beyond (see color) when others in his community could not. Scene 4: Gabriel is brought home. Gabriel, a newborn is brought to Jonas’s dwelling because his father felt like the night caretakers were not treating Gabriel right. But, Jonas and his family can not keep Gabriel because there can only be two children in a family, a boy and a girl, and Jonas already has a sister. One thing Jonas does not notice at first is that Gabriel has pale eyes.
It is significant that Gabriel has pale eyes because it is one quality a receiver of memory needs to have. Jonas also has pale eyes which means he could one day be the person to give Gabriel memories. Scene 5: Jonas is selected as the receiver of memory! “Jonas has not been assigned,” she informed the crowd, and [Jonas’s] heart sank. Then she went on. “Jonas has been selected”(61). In this community the youth are assigned jobs at a certain point. Based on what the characteristics the community sees a youth will be assigned a job similar to the characteristics. It is mandatory ceremony the whole community attends.
Jonas is selected as a receiver of memory because he has pale eyes and can sense beyond. In this scene Jonas was nervous after the announcer said he was selected and not assigned. Jonas also was surprised because she waited to the very end instead of when it was his assigned turn. At the end though Jonas felt awkward to have so much attention. Scene 6: The Rules Jonas picked up his rules, surprised there was only one sheet. He can lie?!? He is exempted from rudeness! Jonas is stunned after reading the his rules. Jonas is bummed out, even surprised that recreation is not in his schedule. Jonas honestly never thought he would be rude.
Scene 7: Snow, Sleds, Hills, Runners. “He tried to relax, to breathe evenly. The room was absolutely silent, and for a moment Jonas feared that he might disgrace himself now on the first day of his training, by falling asleep. Then he shivered”(80). Jonas receives his first memory. The memory consists of snow, sleds, hills, runners. When Jonas opens his eyes he wonders why the community does not have snow, sleds, hills, runners. The giver explains that there is weather control now. Snow, sleds and runners were only used in winter so and now that winter was gone the community didn’t need them.
Scene 8: Memories become intense/The war scene Jonas starts to recieve more and more intense memories like war. Jonas finds the giver struggling and decides to help by taking a memory. But, not knowing about warfare Jonas is horrified. When Jonas exits is in shock of the memory. Jonas refuses to go home. The giver says he can stay and will inform his family when he stops sobbing. Scene 9: Jonas transmits to Gabriel “He was not aware of giving the memory; but suddenly he realized that it was becoming dimmer, that it was sliding through his hand into the being of the newchild. (92).
Jonas was at first a surprised that he could transmit to Gabriel. The memory seemed to help Gabriel become calm enough to sleep. It helped Gabriel sleep soundly. So, Jonas’s parents decided have Gabriel continue to sleep in Jonas’s room. Jonas began to use memories to help gabe sleep every night like a boat ride on a lake. Scene 10: Jonas finds out what release is Jonas tells the giver that his father is a caretaker at the nurturing center and he had to release a twin that morning. Jonas does not know what release is.
So, the giver suggests they should watch the recording (from a video camera) of the twin being released. So Jonas decides to watch the recording. After watching the recording Jonas is horrified to realize that when someone is released they are killed through injection. Scene 11: The plan After Jonas watches the recording he refuses to go home. The giver informs Jonas he can stay but he must stop sobbing so the giver can inform Jonas’s family. The Giver tells Jonas he believes with a proper plan they can change everything. Jonas and the giver make a plan, detrimined, to change everything.
