Love

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The Giver is an interesting book that I enjoyed reading because it allowed me to see the world in a different perspective. This book opened my eyes on how to appreciate the simple things in life that we take for granted such as being able to have memories, the right of individuality, and even the ability to see color. The most interesting thing about this novel is the image that  Lowry paints for family. Lowry creates a community where family isn't defined by the meaning we give to it which is with love, feelings, and happiness. Family in this novel doesn’t involve feelings, but can be thought of as a business plan. 
In the book families are described as units consisting of "two children-one male, one female", and the married couple that are determined by approval through an application. The families are only temporarily, and serve the purpose of training citizens for the better of their community. The families are not biological connected, and shows no signs of emotions. It disturbed me when Jonas first discovered the feeling of love, and he wanted to know if that is what his parents felt for him. Jonas goes to ask his parents if they love him, and at first glance their response was as if he was asking a question that was inappropriate because they convince him that isn't the correct term to describe their feelings, but reply to him saying, " Do you enjoy me?' The answer is 'Yes" (Lowry 160). As a parent this really bothers me because I could never imagine telling my child that I don’t love them, or not showing affection to make them feel loved. I love that Lowry encourages love in this book through Jonas because once he is introduced to this feeling, he doesn’t want to live without anymore, and he shows this when he says, "there could be love" (Lowry 162). 
Overall, Lowry does a great job with allowing readers to see life outside of how we know it in modern day. This is a great book to read in the classroom because it can inspire adolescents to embrace individuality, and encourage them to express their feelings and emotions with no limitations. The Giver also inspires children to make their own decisions and teaches them to not just settle for anything, but to stand in what they believe in.  
  

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