Themes Of The Giver By Lois Lowry

In today's world, many people read fashion magazines such a Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. These magazines tell us what's "in" or "out" this season, and even gives us brands to buy. In Lois Lowry's The Giver, Jonas' society is similar, but in different ways. People do not often acknowledge differences, and it is considered rude if you do. By expressing this in The Giver, Lowry questions, highlights, and criticizes this about our own society.

Lowry shows that in Jonas' community, differences are not questioned and are considered rude. For example, when Jonas first starts taking pills to prevent "stirrings", Lowry explains that Jonas' friend Asher also takes the pills, but he never asked him about it because "it might have fallen into that uncomfortable category of 'being different'. Asher took a pill each morning, Jonas did not. Always better, less rude, to talk about things that were the same" In this passage, Lowry expresses that Jonas' society does not openly discuss differences. This says that uniformity, or being the same, is a strong value in his community.

Another situation in which Lowry shows that conformity is a strong value in the community is

when at the Ceremony, the Chief Elder points out that they do not normally recognize or point out differences at any time other than the Ceremony. "'This is the time,' she began, looking directly at them, 'when we acknowledge differences. You elevens have spent all your years till now learning to standardize your behavior, to curb any impulse that might set you apart from the group.(page 49)"

This quote shows that in the Community, from birth, children are trained in uniformity, to be the same, to not set themselves apart, which further proves that they not only promote. But force uniformity.

Lastly, it is evident that Jonas' community values