The Transference Of Memory In The Giver
What is a memory? A memory is something remembered by a person. It is a remembrance or reoccurrence in a person’s mind of a past event. People have many memories from childhood and many from adulthood. Some of the memories are bad ones which are: a breakup, a death of a family member, a wreck, a wrong doing, a tragedy, etc. But, even though people have a lot of bad memories, there are many good memories that people have. These memories include: good times with a family member who has passed, a family reunion, a hug, a first kiss, a game winning shot or touchdown, a time a mother sung, etc. Memories are an important part of daily life. They are in a way what makes someone them. Memories play a great role in how a person is presented or how a
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person reacts or grows. And, in The Giver, memory is very important to Jonas realizing that the society that he was in was not one that he really wanted to be a part of. It makes him realize that the government that he is under is depriving the individuals in the community of living life. There are some major things on this subject in the book The Giver which show how memory plays an essential role in people realizing that it is a dystopia and just pointing to it being a dystopia instead of a utopia. There were some key memories that propelled Jonas’ rebellion in the story. It shows that things are not as good as they seem always, that the “utopia” so to speak, is not that at all. One of the main characters of this story, Jonas, has memories that make him oppose the government. There is also no scientific explanation to the memories that the Giver has and the memories that Jonas, and in the way that they are transferred to Jonas. First, there is no scientific explanation to the way the memories are transferred from the Giver to Jonas.
In the story The Giver it talks about how the Giver’s memories are transferred to Jonas which begins to make him see things in a new light. According research, “the transference of memory is the point at which Lowry's novel moves from science fiction into fantasy (53), and in fact, almost nothing related to memory in The Giver can be explained scientifically, from the Giver's loss of a memory once he has given it to Jonas, to the way memories apparently exist as place bound entities independent of individual consciousness (so when Jonas leaves his community, the memories remain behind and become collective memories).”(Hanson). This, points to the fact that once the Giver gave his memories to Jonas he lost his memories. But they were vivid to Jonas as if he had lived for himself, and therefore the Giver began to cease to be. These memories are full of emotion and sensations that one would feel if they had been there themselves. In a sense, it was as if the entire Giver’s nerves and cells that had been transferred and they were not just distant memories, so in a way it was like a brain transfer or transfusion. But, there is no way that there could be that transformation because of the sensitivity of nerves. This means that Jonas’ brain would have to be replaced with the Giver’s brain with all of Jonas’ nerves still intact, but with a few of the nerves from the Giver to feel the sensations and all of the feelings that the Giver
experienced. Secondly, there are some key memories that Jonas had that are really the reasons for his rebellion. In the Giver, Jonas receives a substantial amount of memories from the Giver. These memories include memories of: snow, sunshine, sunburn, a red sled, a rainbow, elephant hunting, a sled crash, being burned, hunger, an ocean, a battlefield, riding a horse, a birthday party, Christmas morning, and other memories. These are just some of the memories that play a pivotal role in the eventual rebellion of Jonas. In the story The Giver, Jonas receives a memory from the Giver of snow. This memory points Jonas to the fact of the government using climate control to eliminate snow from the community. An excerpt from The Giver reads, “Now, too, he could feel the cold air swirling around his entire body. He felt it blow against his hands where they lay at his sides, and over his back” (Lowry 80). This quotes shows that Jonas felt the memory, this being one of the first, and it showed him and made him feel a sensation that he has never felt before due to the controlled climate. Jonas also has a memory of war. A quote from the book says, “Overwhelmed by pain, he lay there in a fearsome stance for hours, listened to the men and animals die, and learned what warfare meant” (Lowry 120). This memory is one that introduces pain and warfare which, in a society where there is none, was completely overwhelming. The Giver, even though he gives Jonas a memory that introduces pain, does not ever really want to give him one of that nature, but must to reveal the truth to Jonas. Other painful memories that he receives include hunger and sunburn. All the memories in which Jonas receives give him the ability to survive as he plans to escape, and eventually escapes. The Giver tries to give Jonas as many memories as possible before all of this because they are essential to his growth and ability to escape. In the process of all this Jonas, by accident, gives a child his father brought home, Gabe. The first time was by accident, but eventually when Jonas escapes, he starts to give Gabe memories little by little. And the reason for this is that Gabe’s eyes are like Jonas’ they’re pale. By pale it means that they are blue, which Jonas later learns from a memory through the Giver. Next, these memories show Jonas that this “utopian” government and society is not as “utopian” as it all seems and they make Jonas want to rid himself of the government and that society in general. The memories begin to make Jonas react and think of leaving his society or opposing his government. This is explained here, “The memories Jonas receives during his training to become the new Receiver of Memory gradually cause him to reject the founding principles of his society and to voluntarily exile himself from the community, leaving behind a cascade of memories that will perhaps permanently disrupt Sameness” (Hanson). But, by the community the society in The Giver is really viewed as that of a utopian one. This is only because of the sameness that is going on in it. It is because the people do not know any different and the only one who does is the Giver, and this is because of his memories and knowledge from other sources. By other sources it means things such as books, which is shown here, “The Giver is the sole person in the community allowed to possess books (apart from directories, dictionaries and the Book of Rules)” (Hanson). In conclusion, the function of memory in The Giver plays a huge key in the book. There are many memories in this book that play a pivotal role in bringing Jonas to terms of what reality he is actually a part of. There can also be a scientific explanation to this book as in the memories being transferred in the psychological aspect and hold that it takes on Jonas and the Giver. These memories that Jonas have though not only speak in a scientific way, but also in a realization way. It tells the reader and Jonas that this place, this society or community, is taking away important things and aspects of daily life.
person reacts or grows. And, in The Giver, memory is very important to Jonas realizing that the society that he was in was not one that he really wanted to be a part of. It makes him realize that the government that he is under is depriving the individuals in the community of living life. There are some major things on this subject in the book The Giver which show how memory plays an essential role in people realizing that it is a dystopia and just pointing to it being a dystopia instead of a utopia. There were some key memories that propelled Jonas’ rebellion in the story. It shows that things are not as good as they seem always, that the “utopia” so to speak, is not that at all. One of the main characters of this story, Jonas, has memories that make him oppose the government. There is also no scientific explanation to the memories that the Giver has and the memories that Jonas, and in the way that they are transferred to Jonas. First, there is no scientific explanation to the way the memories are transferred from the Giver to Jonas.
In the story The Giver it talks about how the Giver’s memories are transferred to Jonas which begins to make him see things in a new light. According research, “the transference of memory is the point at which Lowry's novel moves from science fiction into fantasy (53), and in fact, almost nothing related to memory in The Giver can be explained scientifically, from the Giver's loss of a memory once he has given it to Jonas, to the way memories apparently exist as place bound entities independent of individual consciousness (so when Jonas leaves his community, the memories remain behind and become collective memories).”(Hanson). This, points to the fact that once the Giver gave his memories to Jonas he lost his memories. But they were vivid to Jonas as if he had lived for himself, and therefore the Giver began to cease to be. These memories are full of emotion and sensations that one would feel if they had been there themselves. In a sense, it was as if the entire Giver’s nerves and cells that had been transferred and they were not just distant memories, so in a way it was like a brain transfer or transfusion. But, there is no way that there could be that transformation because of the sensitivity of nerves. This means that Jonas’ brain would have to be replaced with the Giver’s brain with all of Jonas’ nerves still intact, but with a few of the nerves from the Giver to feel the sensations and all of the feelings that the Giver
experienced. Secondly, there are some key memories that Jonas had that are really the reasons for his rebellion. In the Giver, Jonas receives a substantial amount of memories from the Giver. These memories include memories of: snow, sunshine, sunburn, a red sled, a rainbow, elephant hunting, a sled crash, being burned, hunger, an ocean, a battlefield, riding a horse, a birthday party, Christmas morning, and other memories. These are just some of the memories that play a pivotal role in the eventual rebellion of Jonas. In the story The Giver, Jonas receives a memory from the Giver of snow. This memory points Jonas to the fact of the government using climate control to eliminate snow from the community. An excerpt from The Giver reads, “Now, too, he could feel the cold air swirling around his entire body. He felt it blow against his hands where they lay at his sides, and over his back” (Lowry 80). This quotes shows that Jonas felt the memory, this being one of the first, and it showed him and made him feel a sensation that he has never felt before due to the controlled climate. Jonas also has a memory of war. A quote from the book says, “Overwhelmed by pain, he lay there in a fearsome stance for hours, listened to the men and animals die, and learned what warfare meant” (Lowry 120). This memory is one that introduces pain and warfare which, in a society where there is none, was completely overwhelming. The Giver, even though he gives Jonas a memory that introduces pain, does not ever really want to give him one of that nature, but must to reveal the truth to Jonas. Other painful memories that he receives include hunger and sunburn. All the memories in which Jonas receives give him the ability to survive as he plans to escape, and eventually escapes. The Giver tries to give Jonas as many memories as possible before all of this because they are essential to his growth and ability to escape. In the process of all this Jonas, by accident, gives a child his father brought home, Gabe. The first time was by accident, but eventually when Jonas escapes, he starts to give Gabe memories little by little. And the reason for this is that Gabe’s eyes are like Jonas’ they’re pale. By pale it means that they are blue, which Jonas later learns from a memory through the Giver. Next, these memories show Jonas that this “utopian” government and society is not as “utopian” as it all seems and they make Jonas want to rid himself of the government and that society in general. The memories begin to make Jonas react and think of leaving his society or opposing his government. This is explained here, “The memories Jonas receives during his training to become the new Receiver of Memory gradually cause him to reject the founding principles of his society and to voluntarily exile himself from the community, leaving behind a cascade of memories that will perhaps permanently disrupt Sameness” (Hanson). But, by the community the society in The Giver is really viewed as that of a utopian one. This is only because of the sameness that is going on in it. It is because the people do not know any different and the only one who does is the Giver, and this is because of his memories and knowledge from other sources. By other sources it means things such as books, which is shown here, “The Giver is the sole person in the community allowed to possess books (apart from directories, dictionaries and the Book of Rules)” (Hanson). In conclusion, the function of memory in The Giver plays a huge key in the book. There are many memories in this book that play a pivotal role in bringing Jonas to terms of what reality he is actually a part of. There can also be a scientific explanation to this book as in the memories being transferred in the psychological aspect and hold that it takes on Jonas and the Giver. These memories that Jonas have though not only speak in a scientific way, but also in a realization way. It tells the reader and Jonas that this place, this society or community, is taking away important things and aspects of daily life.