An Initiation of maturity in The Giver.docx
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An Initiation of maturity in The Giver.docx
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AnInitiationofmaturityinTheGiver
AnInitiationofmaturityinTheGiver
Introduction:
TheGiverisusuallyregardedasautopianordystopianfictionasitissetinasocietywhichisatfirstpresentedasautopiansocietyandgraduallyappearsmoreandmoredystopian.Frommyperspective,however,itisalsoaninitiationnovelwhichportraysthedevelopmentandinitiationoftheprotagonist,Jonas,fromanignoranteleven-year-oldboytoanintelligent,independent,anddemocraticadult.ItiswritteninthepointofviewofJonas,aneleven-year-oldboy,livinginafuturisticandseeminglydemocraticsocietythathaseliminatedallpain,fear,war,andhatred.
KeyWords:
utopian;dystopian;initiation
Severaldaysago,IwentbacktothemainlandofChinafollowedbyonesemesterasanexchangestudentinTaiwan.WhileIwasstudyingEnglishLiteratureinTaiwan,IfoundthatsciencefictionnovelandutopiannovelwereprosperouslydevelopinginTaiwan.However,theyarenotfully-fledgedinChina.Therefore,IamdeterminedtorecommendasciencefictionnovelTheGivertotherepublicoflettersandliteratureloversinthemainlandofChina.
Basedonthefactthatmostpeoplehavenotreadthisnovel,IhavetomakeabriefintroductionaboutTheGiver.Jonas,theprotagonistofthenovel,whoistwelveyearsold,isgoingtoattendtheupcomingCeremonyofTwelve,inwhichhewillgethisassignmentinhiscommunity.ThecommunitywhereJonaslivesinisasocietywherelittleprivacyisallowedandeverydifferencebetweenpeopleshouldbeeradicated.Thereisnofeeling,perception,hunger,war,nocolor,music,andloveinthecommunity,whichisundergreatextremecontrol.EverythinginthesocietyiscontrolledbytheChiefElder,whoareinastatusofpredominanceofotherpeople'scareereventheirexistence.“TheElders”alsodeterminethepositionofReceiverofMemory,whichthepeopleinthecommunitydonothavethefreedomtochoose.OntheCeremonyofTwelve,JonasacceptshisselectionastheReceiverofMemorywithoutahintofprotestbutwithafloodofsurpriseandsorrow.ReceiverofMemory,apositionwhereheistoldthattherewillbefilledwithpain,lonelinessandthetoughtrainingforwhichwillisolatehimfromhisfamilyandfriendsforever.Yet,undertheguidanceofthepresentReceiver,Jonasabsorbsmemoriesthatinducefeelingsoftruehappinessandloveforthefirsttime.Jonasknowswhatitiswhenheseesarainbow,discerndifferentcolors,experiencesnowwiththethrillofridingasleddownahillandthedesireofowningsomething.Exceptthat,heisalsogiventhepainfulmemories,suchaswar,pain,death,andstarvation.Thesearememoriesofthepastofthecommunitywhicharehandeddownfromgenerationtogeneration.Havingbeentoldthepastmemories,hebeginstounderstandwhattremendouslossheandhispeoplehavemadebyeliminatingtheirpastmemoriesinsteadofpursuing"sameness".TheclimaxofthenovelisthereleaseofababynamedGabriel.Jona'sfather,aseeminglykindandlovingman,is"releasing"ababytwinbygivinghimalethalinjection.Inthenovel,theyusetheword“release”insteadof“death”,whichisunderashieldofsarcasmandfalseimpression.Gabrielisoneofidenticaltwins,whichareagainsttherules,sothesmallerofthetwoisdispatchedlikegarbage.Jonasrealizesthecrueltyoftheactionofhisfatherandhiscommunity.SoJonasbeginstoreflectonhisbehaviorandordersfromTheChiefElder.TheonlywayJonascandoisifJonasleavestheCommunity,atwhichtimethememorieshehasbeengivenwillfloodbackintothepeople.JonaswantstheGivertoescapewithhim,buttheGiverinsiststhathewillbeneededtohelpthepeoplemanagethememories,ortheywilldestroythemselves.Theendingisambiguous,withJonasandGabrieltogethersleddingdownfromthesnow-coveredmountain.ThisleaveshisandGabriel'sfutureunresolved.In2009,attheNationalBookFestival,theauthorLoisLowryjokedduringaquestionandanswer,"Jonasisalive,bytheway.Youdon'tneedtoaskthatquestion."
Inautopiansociety,itseemsthatanyelementsofrestrictingthefreedomofthepublicshouldbeeliminated.Onthecontrary,inadystopiansociety,itisalwaysfloodedinturmoilandblood.Therefore,thesocietyLoisLowrydepictsinTheGiverisneitherautopiansociety---aperfectharmoniousworldasenvisionedbytheauthorfreeofconflictandtorture,withallthingsthatmostofuswouldliketoeliminateinourownsociety,noradystopiasocietyunderinequality,hatredandpain.
FromthefirstparagraphofChapterOneinthenovel,wecanfeeltheextremecontrolofTheChiefEldertowardscitizens.“ItwasalmostDecember,andJonaswasbeginningtobefrightened.No.Wrongword,Jonasthought.Frightenedmeantthatdeep,sickeningfeelingofsomethingterribleabouttohappen.Squintingtowardthesky,hehadseenthesleekjet,almostabluratitshighspeed,gopast,andasecondlaterheardtheblastofsoundthatfollowed.Theonemoretime,amomentlater,fromtheoppositedirection,thesameplane.Hehadneverseenaircraftsoclose,foritwasagainsttherulesforPilotstoflyoverthecommunity.Thenallofthecitizenshadbeenorderedtogointothenearestbuildingandstaythere.”(p.1)IquoteseveralsentencesfromChaptertwoofthenovel,“AfterTwelve,ageisnotimportant.Mostofusevenlosetrackofhowoldweareastimepasses,thoughinformationisintheHallofOpenRecords.Whatisimportantisthepreparationforadultlife,andthetrainingyouwillreceiveinyourAssignment.”Fromhere,wecanseethatpeopleloseconsciousnessoftheiridentity.Frommyownperspective,itisarepresentationofdictatorshipagainsttheperceptionofdemocracy.However,therulesappeartobereadilyacceptedbyallpeople,includingJonashimself.Atthebeginningoftheseveralchapters,everythinginthecommunityseemssereneandharmonious.Butinordertomaintainthepeaceandorderofthesociety,thecitizensofthecommunityin TheGiver havetosubmittostrictrulesgoverningtheirbehavior,theirrelationships,andeventheirlanguage.Itcreatesaworldwherepeoplearedeprivedoftheabilityofhearingthemusicandseeingthecolor.Individualfreedomandhumanpassionsaddachaoticelementtothesociety,andeventhememoryoffreedomandpassion,alongwiththepainandconflictthathumanemotionoftencause,mustbesuppressed.Ineffect,theinhabitantsofthesociety,thoughtheyarehappyandpeaceful,alsolackthebasicfreedomsandpleasuresthatourownsocietyvalues.SoitisnotexactlytoclassifyTheGiverintobothcategories.
Whenthestoryunfoldsinfollowingchapters,IbegintogetasenseofhowdifferentJonasisfromothermembersofhissociety.Jonasisphysicallydifferent,inthathiseyesareaveryunusualcolor,andmentallydifferent—heseestheworldinadifferentway,asillustratedbyhisabilitytoseetheapplechange.IwasmuchimpressedbythescenethatJonashasafeelingforthefirsttimeinhislife.Hereisthequote,“Butwhenhelookedoutacrossthecrowd,theseaoffaces,thethinghappenedagain.Thethingthathadhappenedwiththeapple.Theychanged.Heblinked,anditwasgone.Hisshoulderstraightenedslightly.Brieflyhefeltatinysliverofsurenessforthefirsttime.”(p.64)However,beforebeingselectedastheReceiver,Jonasisanobedientandignorantadolescencelikeothersinthecommunity,wherepeoplearetendtobesameintheunity.Notonlythewholeclassunanimouslyreplied“Iacceptedyourapology”whenAsher,Jonas'friend,apologizedtohisclassforbeinglateforschool,butallcitizensinthesocietyansweredinagreementwhentheChiefEldermadeanapology.Thesocietyin TheGiveremphasison“Sameness”,whichisa politically-correct tendencyestablishedbythedictatortoignoresignificantdifferencesbetweenindividualsinordertoavoidprejudiceordiscrimination.Therefore,thesocietyrefusestotoleratemajordifferencesbetweenindividualsandtendtobeinunityineveryaspectoflife.Whentheraspingvoiceofthespeakers“Leaveyourbicycleswheretheyare”penetratedinthebroadcast,allofthecitizenswentintothenearestbuildingandstaythereimmediately.Thescenethatonlytherewasstillslowlyrevolvinganupturnedwheelononeformedavividpictureinmymind.Thetremendousspeedtheysummonedtogetherwassofastthatstaggeredmeatthefirstreadingofit.
Inaddition,Jonas’sfamily—hisfather,mother,andseven-year-oldsisterLily—participateinaritualcalled“thetellingoffeelings”atdinneroneveryevening.Eachpersondescribesanemotionthatheorsheexperiencedduringthedayanddiscussesitwiththeothers.Jonasaskshisparentswhethertheylovehimornot.Hisparentsredresshiswrongusageoftheword“Love”andcorrectittomorepreciseandaccurateword“Enjoy”.Inthecommunity,peoplecannotuseemotionalwordstodescribetheirfeeling.Whentheytelltheirdreamstofamilymembers,Jonasgivesanaccountofhisfeelingofagirl,whichisrecognizedasa“Stirring”.“Hehadheardthewordbefore.HerememberedthattherewasareferencetotheStirringsintheBookofRules,thoughhedidn’trememberwhatitsaid.AndnowandthentheSpeakermentionedit.ATTENTION.AREMINDERTHATSTIRRINGSMUSTBEREPORTEDINORDERFORTREATMENTTOTAKEPLACE.Hehadalwaysignoredthatannouncementbecausehedidn’tunderstanditandithadneverseemedtoapplytohiminanyway.Heignored,asmostcitizensdid,manyofthecommandsandremindersreadbytheSpeaker.”(p.37)Fromthereferenceofthenovel,Icanseethatthecommunityattemptstokeepitscitizensignorantaboutlove,violence,
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