The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is one of the most thought-provoking books I have read in my short life. It is a short novel, albeit one with a brilliant premise, but the ideas in this book are absolutely incredible. I have read it at least three times, and every time I enjoy it more than the last.
The book is about a sheltered world, a place unconnected to any outside source of knowledge or ideas. This on its own speaks volumes to the importance of human connection and interaction. However, there is much more to the story, as one comes to find out. The story centers around a young boy named Jonas who is chosen for a rather peculiar job, one that is given only to very "special" individuals, hand-picked by a committee of elders. His job is to receive all of the memories passed down from the one who had his job before him, and to hold the memories for all of the citizens of the town.
One soon comes to find out that, many years before, a committee of elders decided that life would be better for the people if they were unable to feel pain, to have any troubles in life, and that a completely controlled life would be better than one filled with choices that could potentially lead to pain. In order to completely control the lives of the people, all of the memories of good things as well as the bad had to be given to one person who held them for the so-called benefit of the people.
I love this book because in the end it shows that the ability to experience pain and to feel sad or even uncomfortable emotions gives us the ability to be happy, to feel comfort, excitement and even love. In order to remove the pain of life, the joy of life must also be removed. For this reason, The Giver is one of my favorite books. I come back to it often when I go through hard times and wonder why life has to be so difficult sometimes, and why it can't all just be good and happy. But then I remember that without the sad, we can't have the happy; without the tumult, we can't have the peace; without the hate, we can't have the love.
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