Conformity In The Giver
In her dystopian novel The Giver, Lois Lowry warns readers of the dangers of people choosing conformity over individuality and unexampled security over freedom. She employs clarity in her writing style, a suspenseful tone and illustrative imagery in conveying the purpose of her work.
In Lois Lowry’s dystopian work The Giver, she stresses the point that people should not recklessly comply with the rules of society. They must be aware of their surroundings, the people around them, and must question everything about their lives. Jonas said, “He was so completely, so thoroughly accustomed to courtesy within the community that the thought of asking another citizen a question was unnerving.” At first, the author’s clear and exact descriptions shows contentment of the community members in their perfect, utopian society. However, as the author starts to unravel that Jonas’ community was not what it appeared to be, it creates a stronger message …show more content…
by manipulating the reader’s perceptions and emotions. The community had not been a perfect utopian society but in fact, was a flawed dystopian society. In the book, the Giver told Jonas the reason behind his father killing the lighter-weight twin male. “It’s what he was told to do, and he knows nothing else.” The author warns that conforming to those around you instead of following your own morals and ethics, could lead to detrimental effects.
Lowry also shows the dangers of choosing unexamined security versus freedom.
In the past, the people who settled in Jonas’ community intended to create a perfect society. They thought that the citizens would be prone to make wrong choices. To prevent this from occurring they gave them no choices and made them follow their rules in order for the community to be safe. However, their utopian epitomes backfired and people became manipulated through social conditioning and language. Even the word “love”, had no value. When Jonas asked his parents if they loved him, his mother reprimanded him for using inaccurate language. She said, “Love is a very generalized word, so meaningless that it’s almost obsolete.” Her straight-forward, almost journal-like writing, increases the suspense aspect throughout the novel. It also showed how they unhesitatingly followed the flawed laws; over time, because that was the manner the community accepted from its members. The narrator stresses the dangerous effects of choosing unexampled security over
freedom.
Lois Lowry warns the reader of the detrimental effects of becoming conformed instead of having individual ethics and choosing unexampled security over freedom. Her sense of almost journalistic writing and lively descriptions help convey the purpose of her book.
In Lois Lowry’s dystopian work The Giver, she stresses the point that people should not recklessly comply with the rules of society. They must be aware of their surroundings, the people around them, and must question everything about their lives. Jonas said, “He was so completely, so thoroughly accustomed to courtesy within the community that the thought of asking another citizen a question was unnerving.” At first, the author’s clear and exact descriptions shows contentment of the community members in their perfect, utopian society. However, as the author starts to unravel that Jonas’ community was not what it appeared to be, it creates a stronger message …show more content…
by manipulating the reader’s perceptions and emotions. The community had not been a perfect utopian society but in fact, was a flawed dystopian society. In the book, the Giver told Jonas the reason behind his father killing the lighter-weight twin male. “It’s what he was told to do, and he knows nothing else.” The author warns that conforming to those around you instead of following your own morals and ethics, could lead to detrimental effects.
Lowry also shows the dangers of choosing unexamined security versus freedom.
In the past, the people who settled in Jonas’ community intended to create a perfect society. They thought that the citizens would be prone to make wrong choices. To prevent this from occurring they gave them no choices and made them follow their rules in order for the community to be safe. However, their utopian epitomes backfired and people became manipulated through social conditioning and language. Even the word “love”, had no value. When Jonas asked his parents if they loved him, his mother reprimanded him for using inaccurate language. She said, “Love is a very generalized word, so meaningless that it’s almost obsolete.” Her straight-forward, almost journal-like writing, increases the suspense aspect throughout the novel. It also showed how they unhesitatingly followed the flawed laws; over time, because that was the manner the community accepted from its members. The narrator stresses the dangerous effects of choosing unexampled security over
freedom.
Lois Lowry warns the reader of the detrimental effects of becoming conformed instead of having individual ethics and choosing unexampled security over freedom. Her sense of almost journalistic writing and lively descriptions help convey the purpose of her book.