The Giver
by Lois Lowry
Table of Contents
Jonas
Jonas— Throughout The Giver, Jonas struggles with finding a balance between becoming an adult and wanting to remain a child. Jonas begins to realize that he is special, but parts of him want nothing more than to play with his best friend, Asher, and rely on his parents for attention and advice. Jonas appears different from everyone else in the community; his pale eyes especially set him apart. Jonas also has heightened senses and the ability to see things that others cannot. His pale eyes are a metaphor for his ability to “see” past his own community and into a world that he can only imagine. However, without The Giver as his mentor, Jonas cannot hone his abilities and talents.
When he is given the job of Receiver, Jonas reacts with both slight embarrassment and honor. He knows that he has been trusted with a special Assignment, but he is uncomfortable with the attention that it brings. Once his Assignment begins, Jonas feels cut off from the people whom he cares about. He cannot discuss any of the memories with his family or friends. Instead, he must keep the memories like secrets. As The Giver transmits more and more memories to him, Jonas feels the burden of the being The Receiver. As a young boy, the memories of war and pain and hunger are very difficult for Jonas to process, especially because he cannot share the misery with anyone else.
Thus, once Jonas and The Giver devise the plan for Jonas and Gabriel to escape the community, Jonas fears what will happen when the memories he holds are disbursed to the others. When he leaves, Jonas feels the guilt of those he left behind. He also worries about how the community will deal with the memories that he held. He knows that it will be difficult for the community to understand his decision, but Jonas also knows that he needs to give himself and Gabriel a life full of all feelings and emotions. Jonas comes to understand that without hunger,...
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