Ally Condie's Matched: A Literary Analysis

1. My favorite quote from the first section of Matched is actually written on the first page of the novel and it is as follows. “Now that I've found the way to fly, which direction should I go into the night?…The black behind me doesn't worry me; neither do the stars ahead. (Condie 1)” The idea of not being haunted by the past or daunted by the future draws me to these words. It preaches that the past is the past and you can’t change that, while the future is unpredictable.
In the second section of Ally Condie’s young adult novel Matched, the grandfather of Cassia (the main character) is dying and reminds his granddaughter of a simple thought. “And, remember. It’s all right to wonder” (Condie 83). I value this quote because I can actively
The Giver, the supplementary piece I have chosen, explores one of Matched’s major themes, final realization. In both novels, their societies are built upon the idea of sameness — the lack of variety; uniformity or monotony. That there should be no choices on an individual basis, or really any choices at all. Their authorities drive the citizens believe that rules and discipline matter the most and that their actions are in the citizens best interest. The authorities have ingrained these values so deeply into them that it's rare that anyone steps out of line.In Matched, it reads “Following the rules, staying safe. Those are the things that matter. Those are the ways I have to be strong” (Condie 138). Cassia, Matched’s main character, views being strong as falling right in line. Going against herself to please the society or really not be punished. In the giver, the author writes, “Like the matching of spouses and the naming and placement of newchildren, the assignments were scrupulously thought through by the Committee of Elders. He was certain that his assignment, whatever it was to be, and Asher's too, would be the right one for them (Lowry 49). Jonas (he) trusts in the society that everything they choose for him is perfect. Even his
Ally Condie writes in Matched from Cassia’s point of view “It’s our government and their classification system and all their systems that are wrong. Including the matching system… the system is wrong and false and unreal (220). While in The Giver, it reads “He killed it! My father killed it!” (Lowry 153) Eleven year old Jonas had just witnessed his father kill a newborn baby. Then The Giver tells him “Listen to me, Jonas. They can’t help it. They know nothing” (Lowry 153). Jonas finally realizes that the society he thought was his holy grail and picture perfect is truly inhumane. That the authority figures are depriving the citizens of memories to numb them and manipulate them. He understood then that something had to