Out
of all the reasons Jonas is chosen to be the Receiver, this one is the most
interesting: he has
“The Capacity to See Beyond” (63).
What
exactly does that mean? Jonas knows that he sees something. What it is, he isn’t quite sure.
“The piece of fruit had – well this was the part that
he couldn ’t adequately understand – the apple had changed” (24).
In Jonas’ society, everything is
seen black and white. There is no color. At first, Jonas starts to see the
color red in glimpses. Receiving memories speeds up the process until he sees all
of the colors at all times. It’s very odd to think he lives in a world where
there is no color. I mean, how would you get rid it of altogether? Color is a
natural property of objects. It’s part of our reality. Yet, Jonas’ reality is
changing.
“Everything had a shape
and size, the way things still do, but they also had a quality called color. There were a lot of colors, and
one of them was called red” (94).
There is something so simple about
color. You never second guess what a color is, but here is a place where there
is none. How can you say that what I perceive to be red is the same thing that
you perceive as red? We always say that being skeptical about reality is
irrelevant, but it still has its place. No one questioned seeing in black and
white. No one thought it was strange. You don’t know if you’re missing out on
something because of your current incapacity to see it. So, should you be
skeptical and doubt everything or should you just be aware that there is a
chance that everything is not as it seems?
As Jonas becomes more aware about
his society, he discovers that release to Elsewhere isn’t quite what everyone
says it is. Elderly people are released to Elsewhere. Also, anyone can request
release. Elsewhere is supposed to be another place where you can live. However,
it isn’t. People are lying, in a society where lying is unheard of. For
instance, Jonas’ father is a nurturer: he works with babies.
“A twin. He has to select
one and release the other one” (146).
The twin that weighs most is kept, and
the other is released. Because the release was recorded on tape, Jonas is able
to watch it. Rather than being released to Elsewhere, to another place to live,
the child is injected with something and killed. Jonas’ father kills a healthy
baby. Society kills the Elderly at a certain age. To Jonas, this is murder.
“It was what he was told
to do, and he knows nothing else” (153).
Jonas’ father, and everyone else in
society, is doing what he is told to do. They don’t know any different. Does it
make it right? This is very similar to Hannah Ardent’s philosophy about the
Nazis: he is a product of the system. However, this does not justify his
actions. He still took part in an immoral act even though he was being
obedient. It is important to think critically about one’s actions and be
skeptical about one’s surroundings.
Specifically, in this society,
everyone is taught never to lie.
“the reason for precision
of language was to ensure that unintentional lies were never uttered” (70-1).
Because of
this, using the proper word to describe something is very important. Vagueness
is not tolerated. Moreover, using too strong of an adjective is as bad as being
vague. In particular, Jonas is very careful with his word choice, always determined
to find the proper one to use.
“He searched for the right
word to describe his own feeling” (3).
However, Jonas begins to truly
understand what words mean when he receives the memories. Prior to this, the
word really had no meaning. This type of view about language is similar to
Ludwig Wittgenstein’s. For instance, the word starvation merely names the sensation. Wittgenstein believed that
language needed to be based on something public: in order for everyone to
understand the sensation you’re describing, they need to be able to have some
sort of similar experience relating to it. Unfortunately, those in Jonas’
society don’t actually share this common experience that a word describes
because they do not have the memories. They do not know what starvation is,
making the word imprecise. While it is important to speak accurately, not
having words around to even use is just as bad. Because emotions in the society
are muted, how can the language even be precise if the people aren’t really
describing the right thing to begin with? Can you really use a word if you
don’t know where the meaning of it came from? Does that not leave the word
meaningless?
Clearly,
as Jonas becomes more aware, he begins to realize that reality isn’t as it
seems, and the memories are critical to the understanding of life in general.
Total Word Count: 1619
Works Cited:
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York: Laurel-Leaf, 1993. Print.
Memory is so crucial, as is humility: not only are things not always as they seem, they're not always as we think they were.
ReplyDeleteBut I do hope I can continue to use words whose etymology escapes me, being no linguist. I think Wittgenstein would say we must rely on our peers to embody collective memory. The philosophy of "Co" strikes again!
Nice post again!!! I loved the Wittgenstein connection! His philosophy idea on language really is a crucial aspect of this story! You are doing a great job! I also would recommend this book to anyone! Continue the great work!
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