The Giver Chapters 21-23
Chapters 21-23
Jonas is forced to abandon his plan, he takes his bicycle and decides to flee from all that he had ever known. He had been compelled to abandon the plan that he had concocted so carefully with the Giver. It had happened during their mealtime. His father had told Jonas that Gabriel had failed to sleep at the child care center, and so the decision had been made to release him. His father told him that they would go through with the process the very next day, and Jonas cannot even begin to fathom how his father could be so callous. Jonas couldn't though, he loved Gabriel with all his heart. So he had stolen some food, taken his father's bike, and carried away Gabriel into the night. He crosses the bridge, and aims outwards, slowly his bicycle begins to eat the distance and the communities grow further apart. Jonas had given Gabriel one of the most soothing memories he had and the baby now sat on the bicycle completely content. Jonas's legs burned with the effort but he knew that the community would soon begin to look for him and so he strove to get as far away as possible. He stops in the forest as the sun begins to rise and rests hidden in the trees.
The community sends airplanes to find him, and Jonas knows from his science classes that the airplanes use heat-sensitive instruments to find people. So whenever Jonas hears the plane, he makes himself and Gabriel cold by reliving and sharing memories of the cold weather. The memories seem to be growing distant somehow, just as the Giver and he had predicted. Jonas hadn't been able to receive any memories of bravery before he left, and had to find the courage to go on within himself. The terrain began to change, and the sameness began to recede. Jonas finally began to see birds, animals, and other distinguishing features. The biggest problem was the food, Jonas had only managed to bring a small amount, and they had been unable to find more in the fields. The planes began to come less often, and finally, they just stopped. Jonas and Gabriel now began to starve, and Jonas had to keep the both of them content with the memories of food, but that false feeling of fullness passed quickly leaving them both hungry and weak.
The uneven roads are more difficult to ride, and Jonas falls from his bicycle one night. He injures his leg severely, but Gabriel remains uninjured. Gabriel cries a lot now and has grown weak with starvation. Jonas no longer cares for himself but only for Gabriel, and weeps for him when he sees his pain. Jonas is sure that their destination, Elsewhere, is close. The memories are now almost gone. The sameness has also disappeared, and Jonas begins to realize that he is climbing a hill. He is sure that beyond the hill there will be hope. The snow and cold are bitter for both Jonas and the child, but Jonas continues to climb using the last vestiges of his memories of sunshine. Finally, he reaches the summit, and there sees a sled just like the one he had seen in his first memory. He climbs on it and it slides smoothly on the snow, and Jonas sees lights in a village ahead. He is certain that he has nearly reached Elsewhere.
Analysis
The fullness of the community's cruelty becomes apparent as Jonas's family nonchalantly discusses the release of Gabriel, the baby that had lived with them for nearly a year. Lily, the youngest of them all, certainly has the most callous approach. She only thinks about replacing Gabriel with perhaps another baby. In this interaction, it is evident to both the reader and Jonas, that the community has no concept about the value of life, and possesses no true compassion or empathy. Jonas is separated from them in his fierce desire to ensure Gabriel survives and decides to risk everything to rescue him from his terrible fate. Jonas uses his memories and intelligence to escape from the community and to avoid detection from the planes.
Once the sameness fades, Jonas finds happiness in his changing environment but it is short-lived. The realities of life and the consequences of choices become apparent to him as he struggles against starvation, injury, and danger. He begins to consider whether he had made an error in deciding to leave, but he is convinced that physical starvation is better than an emotional one. Jonas's primary worry is not for himself but rather for Gabriel, and so the reader is made to realize the greatness in Jonas. He is willing to sacrifice himself if it means the survival of Gabriel. The book's last chapter is rather ambiguous, it can be interpreted in its literal sense which indicates that Gabriel and Jonas survive and find Elsewhere. On the other hand, this ending could be a metaphor, Jonas's happiest memory is that of sledding downhill in snow, as he had relived that memory several times in his dreams. If this is a metaphor, then it would be reasonable to conclude that both Jonas and Michael perish on that hill, and thereby find the true Elsewhere, Death.
