The Community In Ayn Rand's 'The Giver'
After sharing, Jonas's parents ask to speak with Jonas alone. Jonas's father tries to calm his concerns by telling him that people are rarely disappointed in their Assignments, because the Committee of Elders monitors Elevens' interest so as to place them where they would best be able to do good work for the community. Jonas remembers the Committee monitoring his group of Elevens, but he is uncertain what kind of job he will be given. Most children are given jobs they show interest in, and so suspect their Assignments ahead of time. But Jonas has been floating from one interest to another. That the Committee takes personal interests into consideration when assigning jobs suggests that they want what's best for their citizens. The Committee and the citizens agree that the Committee will know what's best for the
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citizens better than the citizens themselves will. That among all his friends, only Jonas has yet to settle on one interest is the first sign that he might be different from the other citizens. Another incident that shows how elders force people to follow the rules blindly without being able to make their own decisions because according to them they know what is best for the community is that the people in the community have no privacy whatsoever.
The book never states explicitly why they are all watched so closely, but the situations imply that the lack of privacy is a trade-off for safety and protection. If everyone is always being monitored, then no one will be able to break the rules without consequences. Everyone will have to follow the rules or be released from the community. Order will be very strictly maintained because the punishments are so strict, tough and immediate. We see examples of this lack of privacy in the announcements that are made over the loudspeakers, like when Jonas took an apple home with him. Later that day, an announcement came over the loudspeaker to scold him for breaking the rules: “This is a reminder to male elevens that objects are not to be removed from the recreation area and that snacks are to be eaten, not hoarded.” And then there are the omnipresent speakers that cannot be turned
off.
citizens better than the citizens themselves will. That among all his friends, only Jonas has yet to settle on one interest is the first sign that he might be different from the other citizens. Another incident that shows how elders force people to follow the rules blindly without being able to make their own decisions because according to them they know what is best for the community is that the people in the community have no privacy whatsoever.
The book never states explicitly why they are all watched so closely, but the situations imply that the lack of privacy is a trade-off for safety and protection. If everyone is always being monitored, then no one will be able to break the rules without consequences. Everyone will have to follow the rules or be released from the community. Order will be very strictly maintained because the punishments are so strict, tough and immediate. We see examples of this lack of privacy in the announcements that are made over the loudspeakers, like when Jonas took an apple home with him. Later that day, an announcement came over the loudspeaker to scold him for breaking the rules: “This is a reminder to male elevens that objects are not to be removed from the recreation area and that snacks are to be eaten, not hoarded.” And then there are the omnipresent speakers that cannot be turned
off.