The Community From The Giver

The Crumbling Utopia: A Deep Dive into the Community in Lois Lowry's The Giver

Lois Lowry's The Giver presents a seemingly idyllic community, a carefully controlled society built on the foundation of Sameness. However, beneath the surface of this seemingly utopian world lies a chilling reality of suppressed emotions, stifled individuality, and a manufactured happiness that comes at a tremendous cost. This article will delve deep into the intricacies of this community, exploring its structure, its principles, and the ultimately devastating consequences of its rigid control. We will examine its strengths and weaknesses, revealing the subtle yet profound ways in which its seemingly perfect order masks a profound lack of freedom and true human experience.

The Structure and Principles of the Community

The community in The Giver is meticulously structured, emphasizing order, predictability, and conformity. Its social fabric is woven with precise rules and regulations, designed to eliminate conflict and ensure stability. The Elders, a seemingly benevolent council of senior citizens, govern the community, making all major decisions and assigning roles to each citizen. This system eliminates choice and personal agency, a fundamental element of human experience.

The Elimination of Choice: The most striking aspect of the community’s structure is the complete absence of choice. From the assignment of jobs at age twelve to the regulation of emotions and personal relationships, every aspect of a citizen's life is predetermined. The selection of spouses, the number of children allowed, and even the color of clothing are all dictated by the Elders. This eliminates the possibility of individual expression and the natural human inclination toward personal growth and self-discovery. This lack of choice, while ostensibly promoting order, ultimately stifles creativity and individual potential.

Sameness and the Suppression of Emotions: The community’s core principle is “Sameness,” an enforced uniformity aimed at eliminating conflict and creating a stable society. However, this “Sameness” comes at the cost of emotional depth and authentic human connection. Emotions are suppressed through the administration of medication and the elimination of any experiences that might evoke strong feelings. This results in a population that is emotionally stunted, incapable of experiencing the full spectrum of human emotion, from intense joy to profound sorrow. The consequence is a shallow and ultimately unsatisfying existence.

Controlled Memory and History: The community maintains a tightly controlled version of its history. Memories of pain, suffering, and hardship are systematically erased, leaving citizens with a simplified and sanitized narrative of the past. This manipulation of memory allows the Elders to shape the community's perception of its history and its current social order. The elimination of painful memories, while seemingly benevolent, robs the community of valuable lessons from the past and limits its ability to learn and adapt. The absence of a full understanding of history leaves the community vulnerable to repeating past mistakes.

The Roles and Responsibilities within the Community

The community’s structured hierarchy dictates specific roles and responsibilities for its members. Individuals are assigned jobs based on aptitude tests and observations by the Elders. This system eliminates competition and conflict over career paths, but simultaneously limits personal aspirations and the potential for individuals to pursue their true passions.

The Elders: The Elders hold supreme authority, making all the significant decisions that shape the community's future. Their decisions are presented as objective and for the overall good of the society. However, their absolute power also raises concerns about the potential for abuse and the suppression of dissenting opinions. Their judgment is unquestioned, perpetuating a system where individual voices are silenced.

The Nurturers: This group cares for the newborns, closely monitoring their development and preparing them for integration into the community. Their roles, while seemingly vital, reveal the inherent dehumanization within the system. The detached, clinical manner in which they handle infants reflects the overall emotional distance fostered within the community.

The Birthmothers: These women are specifically assigned the role of bearing children, after which they are released from their responsibilities and returned to their designated tasks. This highlights the community's instrumentalization of women, reducing them to mere reproductive vessels with no personal agency in their lives or reproductive health.

The Assigners: These individuals have the responsibility of assigning jobs and roles to the twelve-year-olds. They decide the future careers of every citizen, eliminating individual choice and limiting personal growth. This eliminates the possibility of choosing a career path based on passion or personal interest.

Release: The concept of "Release" within the community serves as a chilling reminder of the absolute control exercised by the Elders. While initially presented as a humane solution to societal problems (such as elderly citizens or those deemed "defective"), the truth revealed in the novel depicts "Release" as euthanasia – a calculated elimination of individuals deemed undesirable or inconvenient. This underscores the community’s inherent capacity for violence and the horrifying consequences of absolute power.

The Consequences of Sameness

While the community aims for Sameness, it ultimately achieves a profoundly unsettling uniformity. The absence of individuality, emotional depth, and meaningful relationships leads to a diminished quality of life, devoid of genuine human connection. The suppression of emotions, though intended to prevent conflict, also results in a lack of empathy and understanding.

The Suppression of Individuality: The rigid societal structure systematically stifles individuality. The community values conformity above all else. Any hint of deviation from the norm is swiftly corrected. This results in a homogenous population, lacking in the diversity of thought and experience crucial for societal progress and innovation.

The Lack of Emotional Depth: The suppression of emotions results in an inability to connect meaningfully with others. Characters struggle to express their true feelings, leading to shallow and unsatisfying relationships. The absence of emotional depth leaves individuals feeling empty and disconnected from themselves and the world around them.

The Manufactured Happiness: The community's pursuit of happiness is artificial and ultimately unsustainable. The elimination of conflict and hardship does not lead to genuine contentment but instead produces a state of passive complacency. This manufactured happiness lacks depth and meaning, highlighting the inadequacy of an externally controlled version of well-being.

The Giver and the Memory of True Human Experience

The Giver's role stands in stark contrast to the community's values. He is the keeper of all the community's memories – the emotions, experiences, and complexities that have been systematically erased. He represents the true potential of human life, demonstrating the importance of facing pain, suffering, and the full spectrum of human experience to achieve genuine understanding and compassion.

The Giver's role highlights the inherent flaws in the community's utopian ideal. His existence proves that the suppression of true human experience ultimately leads to a sterile and ultimately dehumanizing existence. The memories he shares with Jonas illustrate the richness and complexity of life that the community has deliberately relinquished.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is the significance of the color in the community?

A: The community's lack of color highlights the absence of emotional depth and individuality. The world is presented in muted tones, reflecting the bland and unemotional nature of life within the community. The introduction of color signifies a return to a more emotionally vibrant existence.

Q: What is the significance of the rules in the community?

A: The rigid rules and regulations are designed to control every aspect of life, enforcing conformity and suppressing individuality. These rules maintain social order at the cost of freedom and self-expression.

Q: What is the role of the Elders in the community?

A: The Elders are the governing body of the community, making all the major decisions and controlling the flow of information. Their absolute authority highlights the dangers of unchecked power and the suppression of dissent.

Q: Why is "Release" so significant in the novel?

A: "Release" initially appears as a humane solution, but is revealed to be a euphemism for euthanasia, demonstrating the community's capacity for violence and the dark consequences of absolute control.

Q: What is the ultimate message of the novel?

A: The novel serves as a cautionary tale against the dangers of unchecked power, the suppression of individuality, and the attempt to create a utopian society through the elimination of complexity and difficult emotions. The book champions the value of human experience, even pain and suffering, as essential for growth, understanding, and a truly meaningful life.

Conclusion: A World Worth Fighting For

The community in Lois Lowry's The Giver serves as a powerful allegory for the dangers of totalitarian regimes and the importance of preserving individual freedom and emotional authenticity. While presenting an initially appealing facade of order and stability, the community ultimately reveals a devastating truth: the pursuit of a utopian ideal through the suppression of human experience ultimately leads to a diminished and dehumanized existence. The novel serves as a potent reminder that a world worth living in is one where individual expression, emotional complexity, and the freedom to choose one’s path are not just tolerated, but cherished. The price of Sameness, as The Giver starkly demonstrates, is far too high.