Why Is The Giver Still Relevant Today

The book, ‘The Giver’, by Lois Lowry is a novel depicting a society where standards and rules are everything. Citizens of the community aren’t allowed to pick a single thing on their own: from the clothes they wear, to the assignments (jobs) they will work they rest of their lives. The community has been blindsided for years, and is highly unaware of the the pick-n-choose world they are missing out on. Consider that our current government had announced they were planning on recreating a population just like that. Having a civilization like the one Lois Lowry wrote about become real, would be an alarming concern. The nation that we live in today would no longer be the same. There would be no more deciding for ourselves. Everything would strictly
All the many, many things that are issues today- such as racism, personal safety, and sorrowful memories of the past- would no longer be a problem. They would all simply just be erased; brainwashed from every mind of every human being- besides the Giver of course. All citizens wouldn’t have to deal with cruelness, heartbreak, disaster, or trauma. It would become a world of peace and equality among all; moreover, there would wouldn’t be any room for them to make the wrong choice. As Jonas, the main character in ‘The Giver’, states- “...We really have to protect people from the wrong choices”. The Giver was explaining to Jonas how when people were given the opportunity to make a choice, they always made the wrong one. Therefore, not allowing a person to think on their own would get rid of the
Freedoms of hair color, religion, sexuality, where they live, the career they want to pursue, etc.. In ‘The Giver’, they don’t have any of that. Every person is more or less the same. They have no self-think, self-worth, or individuality. Everything they do is an instruction starting as early as birth. As said by The Giver in the book, “It’s the choosing that’s important, isn’t it?” Jonas was frustrated that he didn’t have the choice of whether or not he would wear a blue tunic or a red one. The strange thing was, it didn’t really matter to Jonas would color of tunic he wore. It was more important to him about having options to choose from. The freedom of choosing gives one empowerment. The government should not create a society where individuality and the right to choose freely is stripped away. It goes against the constitution, and everything that this brass country symbolizes. America is looked upon by other countries as a free land; a free land with opportunities. By conducting such communities with restrictions on everything, the country won’t be looked upon in a positive manner. Other countries may start something similar because of our country's bad example. This is yet a reason why constructing such communities would