A Warning -- The Giver -- Lindsey Dawkins

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Science fiction is the greatest genre of all time. It’s subgenres, like Dystopian literature, are fascinating. I think we all relate to science fiction on some level, because we all have this understanding of “the powers that be” and how they may effect us at some point. The Giver is a classic for a reason, and I think that reason is its power to illicit the deeply rooted human fear of conformity and the helplessness of forgetting.
            I think forgetfulness is probably one of the most crucial elements of our society today. That’s what is so gripping about science-fiction. Although the texts may be dated, the themes and ideas within those texts have a seriously long shelf-life. (Why do you think Frankenstein is still so popular, and is redone time after time?) We forget. We forget horrible things that happen, and we allow them to happen again. If anything, the lack of memory in The Giver shows what happens when people forget. The very humanity of a person is stripped away without memories. Towards the end of the novel, Lowry writes that Jonas knows that Asher and Fiona cannot love him back properly since they don’t have any memories (135). We also learn that Jonas is aware that he “could change nothing” since he can’t give his friends any memories. The absolute necessity of memories also became clear to me when Jonas’ Father euthanizes the smaller twin “newchild”. It is said that “the memory came back” (150). Without the memory of the soldier dying, Jonas wouldn’t have known what was happening to the newchild (149-150). He wouldn’t have known how the world around him operated. He would have been in the dark about all of it. Jonas experiences an awakening because of the memory. His view of his family changes. The memory allowed that to happen.
            I’ve always viewed science-fiction as a kind of warning about what can happen when humans get carried away. I think that it represents all of the horrible things that could happen, and we feed on that. Alas, like most things, I don’t think society as a whole views it that way. I think the genre of science-fiction deserves more literary merit than it receives. After all, there is a reason it’s nearly taken over YA lit.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 9, 2017 at 7:33 PM

    Lindsey, I love how you are echoing the "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" statement. It is very great way to view this text! If we do not learn the mistakes of history, we are only going to repeat the mistakes and create a vicious cycle of destruction.

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    Replies
    1. UnknownOctober 10, 2017 at 6:44 AM

      yes! I think it's so important to reflect on the ways things turned out the first time around, and try and make them better the second time around. It just seems logical to me.

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  2. KeyCOctober 11, 2017 at 8:26 PM

    Like the points that you made about memories, and how they play a major part of life. I never really thought about how important memories are, and how much they impact one's development in life until reading this book. I can admit I've never been much of a science-fiction reader, but books like this one encourages me to explore more of this genre.

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  3. EduFitOctober 12, 2017 at 4:19 PM

    Lindsay, I enjoyed the many different supporting sources from the text. I like how you integrated them into your discussion and also the mention of science fiction in YA literature. Also, never thought about forgetfulness being one important theme of the novel! Thanks for this insight.
    Good job!

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