The Giver Chapters 5-8
Chapters 5-8
Everyone in the community discusses their dreams with their family before beginning the day. Typically, Jonas doesn't have vivid dreams and so has very little to share, but this day is different. Lily and his mother both tell of dreams that involve some sort of infraction of the rules, for Lily it was being caught riding a bicycle before turning nine. Then, it was Jonas's turn. He tells his parents of a dream he had about Fiona. In his dream he was naked, and in a bathroom with Fiona. He was telling her to take off her clothes and enter the bathtub so that he could bathe her, but she only laughed and refused. Jonas is embarrassed about his dream but tells his parents everything. Jonas's father leaves with Gabriel and Lily while Jonas stays behind with his mother. She explains that he had just experienced his 'first stirrings' and his parents had been expecting him to experience them. Jonas had heard reminders from the speakers about treatment for stirrings but had always dismissed them. His mother gave him a small pill and told him to ensure that he takes it every day throughout his life. Jonas recalls Asher taking the pills, but had never questioned him about their intended effect. Jonas takes the pill and heads towards school. On his way, he finds himself reaching for the wanting in the dream since it had been a pleasurable experience, but he now feels the emotion fade.
Jonas's family prepares for the ceremonies and arrives at the auditorium. The first day of the ceremonies is for all the younger children. Gabriel has not been included in the Ceremony of the Ones, his father had made a plea to the committee because Gabriel still doesn't weigh enough and tends to sleep poorly. Normally, the baby would be released, but the committee has allowed Jonas's family to care for the baby. However, they have all had to sign a document stating that none of them would grow attached to the baby and would give him up when he is assigned a family and a name in the ceremony next December. Jonas sees a family receive a replacement child for one they had lost, the child, Caleb, had drowned in the river. The whole community had performed the Ceremony of Loss together, and today they all chanted Caleb's name as a part of the Murmur-of-Replacement Ceremony. Jonas sees another baby being named Roberto and recalls the man with the same who had been released recently.
Lily receives a Jacket with smaller buttons, and a pocket after completing the Ceremony of Eight, but Jonas can see that she wants the bicycle which she'll receive next year. The next morning, the nines, tens, and elevens go through their ceremonies. The tens receive haircuts while the elevens receive new clothing. The ceremonies are stopped for a midday meal, and Asher tells Jonas of a man who had decided to cross the river and join another community because he had been given an assignment that he disliked. Jonas tells Asher that the story is an old myth, but Asher counters that it is possible to apply for a release and ask to be assigned Elsewhere if one felt that they didn't fit in.
The elevens sat right in front of the stage, waiting to be called. They sat according to their numbers, the ones that were assigned at birth before the names. Everyone knew their numbers even if they weren't used as much as names. Jonas is number nineteen as he had been the ninetieth child to be born that year out of the fifty that are born every year. The Ceremony of Twelve is the most important, and the Chief Elder began it with a speech. The Chief Elder is the leader of their community, elected every ten years. The Chief Elder thanked the Committee of Elders for their effort in studying the children and making the assignments and with that began the assignments. Jonas waited eagerly for his friend Asher's name to be called. Asher is number four, and he is called to the stage. The elder makes a joke about Asher's habit of confusing words and recalls an incident from Asher's childhood. At the age of three Asher had experienced the punishment of a thin wand often for his inability to use the words 'snack' and 'smack'. All the audience laughed along with the Elder who then very cheerily assigned Asher to be the Assistant Director of Recreation. Jonas is very happy for his friend because he has been assigned appropriately.
The Elder caused a lot of discomfort and confusion when she skipped Jonas's number nineteen. She went straight from eighteen to twenty. Jonas feels shame and humiliation as the other children from his group are called one after the other to the stage to be given their assignments. Finally, once all the other children are assigned, the Elder addresses the crowd and Jonas. She apologizes to them all for causing them discomfort and calls Jonas to the stage. She places a warm hand on him and informs them all that Jonas has not been assigned but that he has been selected to be the next Receiver of Memory for the community. Her announcement is accompanied by a gasp, and Jonas sees awe in their faces. The Elder continues and talks of their failure to select a Receiver ten years ago, and reminds them that there can only be one Receiver who is chosen and then trained by the previous Receiver. Jonas has been observed for a long time because there is no room for corrections once the Receiver has been selected. The elder turns to look at the current Receiver when she talks of him, and Jonas sees him for the first time. He is a man with pale eyes, sitting amidst the committee of Elders but somehow separate.
The Chief Elder then talks about the qualities needed in a Receiver. Jonas already possesses Intelligence and Integrity, but they can't be certain about courage. The training of the Receiver involves pain, and Jonas has never truly experienced pain, but the elders are certain that he will be able to manage. The choosing of the Receiver is done unanimously by the Committee but the Receiver must possess another quality that none but the receivers have. The ability to see beyond and they suspect that Jonas has that ability. She turns to Jonas and looks at him expectantly. Jonas almost wants to say no, but he turns and looks at the crowd, and for a brief moment they all change like the apple. He admits that he does have the ability to see something. The elder thanks him for his childhood as she had for all the others and leaves him on the stage. A spontaneous murmur of his name begins and it grows louder. Jonas feels pride and gratitude, but he also experiences fear.
Analysis
Conformity and Individuality is a central theme of the novel, and in this section of the book, the author reveals how childhood development stages are utilized to create conformity. Children are required to go through the same ceremonies at the same time, irrespective of their date of birth. There is no room for individual development in this society as development can only occur with the other members of the group. Children are required to have the same kind of haircuts and wear similar clothes. There is a complete negation of the individual in Jonas's world, children killed in accidents are replaced, and the names of released elders are recycled. These practices highlight society's belief that people aren't unique and thus one can be replaced by another without concern.
The river is an important symbol in the book, and it is introduced here with the death of Caleb. Such accidents are rare in this world since the surroundings have been standardized and brought under control. The river, however, is one of the only remaining natural features that remain in the world. Society has through an unknown process brought the elements of the natural world under their control but the river continues to defy them. This symbol is further developed in the following sections of the book.
The genre of the book is indicated as being dystopian fiction with the repeated use of neologisms and euphemisms. Neologisms are new words that are used to refer to already familiar concepts, for instance, stuffed animals are called comfort objects, biological mothers are called birthmothers, and babies are called 'newchildren'. Euphemisms are used to replace common expressions to conceal the truly cruel character of the dystopian world. The most important Euphemism used in The Giver is 'release', the word is meant to replace accurate and sinister words like Euthanasia and death.
The Receiver like Jonas has pale eyes, and so does Gabriel. This detail foreshadows Gabriel's ability to become a Receiver or to 'look beyond'. These eyes set these characters apart from others in the community, and as we learned in the previous section, anything that sets you apart is considered rude to talk about.
