Introduction
The 1993 novel The Giver by Lois Lowry depicts a dystopian society where individuality and human emotions are suppressed. This essay will argue that individuality is central to the novel's theme and message. By examining how the protagonist Jonas gains awareness of individuality and emotion, this essay will show how Lowry uses her work to underline the importance of human individuality, freewill, and feelings in life.
The Suppression of Individuality in Jonas's Society
The Giver takes place in a futuristic society where the desire for order and conformity has led to the elimination of emotion, free will, and even color and music. Each family unit is assigned children, careers are chosen for members, and pills suppress Stirrings, or the onset of adult passions.
Discovering Individual Perception
A key stage in Jonas's growing awareness of individuality is his training to become the Receiver of Memory. When the current Receiver, known as the Giver, transmits memories of experiences like snow and sunshine, Jonas begins to understand the concept of individual perception. He sees how each person forms independent impressions: "Now he realized that there could be colors other than red and blue and green...Maybe there were other things in the world for which you couldn't use names" (Lowry 98). Jonas starts to grasp that variety and individuality form a rich tapestry of life. The Giver shows him the paradox that suppressing differences leads to Sameness while embracing uniqueness brings vitality.
Embracing Emotions and Identity
As Jonas receives memories of deeper emotions like love and grief, his sense of how individuality shapes identity grows. When the Giver transmits a memory of a child's funeral, Jonas feels acute grief for the first time: "It was a new feeling, this sad feeling....Of course, everyone felt it-but because it was so intense, the adults had taught the children to avoid the deeper ranges of it" (Lowry 110-111). By numbing emotions, Jonas's society denies its members full individual lives. Without love, joy, sorrow, and pain, people cannot develop into distinct human beings with free will. Lowry suggests true individuality comes from honoring the full spectrum of emotions.
The Broader Message of Embracing All Human Passions
Some argue that that The Giver does not focus specifically on individuality, but more broadly on the dangers of suppressing all human passions. However, the memories transmitted to Jonas nearly all center on experiences unique to individuals, like choosing one's own career or seeing colors. It is through his dawning understanding of these personal experiences that Jonas gains a sense of individuality. By mining the particulars of individual lives, The Giver creates its warning about conformity threatening the human spirit.
Conclusion
The Giver uses Jonas's journey to illustrate how denying human emotions and choices erodes individuality. Without different perceptions and feelings, people become interchangeable automatons living in monotone conformity. Lowry suggests that human individuality depends on exercising freewill and experiencing life's pains as well as joys. By showing how Jonas flourishes as he discovers his own identity, The Giver offers a profound argument for safeguarding the richness of human individuality against forced Sameness. This vital message resonates as strongly today as when Lowry first explored it.
