Beautiful Things In The World: Freedom and Choice, Lit. Circle 4

"There was no answer to Jonas's whisper. Gabriel was sound asleep.

"Things could change, Gabe," Jonas went on. Things could be different. I don't know how, but there must be some way for things to be

different. There could be colors.

"And grandparents," he added, staring through the dimness toward the ceiling of his sleepingroom. "And everybody would have the memories.

"You know about memories," he whispered, turning toward the crib.

Gabriel's breathing was even and deep. Jonas liked having him there, though he felt guilty about the secret. Each night he gave memories to Gabriel: memories of boat rides and picnics in the sun; memories of fall against windowpanes; memories of dancing barefoot on a damp lawn.

"Gabe?"

The newchild stirred slightly in his sleep. Jonas looked over at him.

"There could be love," Jonas whispered.

The next morning, for the first time, Jonas did not take his pill. Something within him, something that had grown there through the memories, told him to throw the pill away. "

(Pages 128 to 129, The Giver, Louis Lowry)

Throughout the chapters, 16 to 18, Jonas feels the pleasure of freedom. While the community restricts freedom and choice, although they may not notice, they also cut off the vibrating emotions of feeling feelings. Through memories, Jonas and other receivers feel the succinct sensation of freedom. The freedom of being an individual, the freedom of walking away at their own will, the freedom of riding across a meadow to a place where you choose to do things, the freedom of walking down the street without having to hide anything, and so forth. Most of the memories, not all though, contains this; contains freedom; but in it's own different way. When Jonas received the memory of having a birthday party, he felt atmosphere where a child could feel the joy of being a special and unique person. Not just that, he received countless memories that embrace happiness.

" " There are so many good memories," The Giver reminded Jonas. And it was true. By now Jonas had experienced countless bits of happiness, things he had never known of before.

He had seen a birthday party, with one child singled out and celebrated on his day, so that now he understood the joy of being an individual, special and unique and proud.

He had visited museums and seen paintings filled with all the colors he could now recognize and name.

In one ecstatic memory he had ridden a gleaming brown horse across a field that smelled of damp grass, and had dismounted beside a small stream from which both he and the horse drank cold, clear water. Now he understood about animals; and in the moment that the horse turned from the stream and nudged Jonas's shoulder affectionally with it's head, he had perceived the bonds between animal and human.

He had walked through woods, and sat at night beside a campfire. Although he had through the memories learned about the pain of loss and loneliness, now he gained, too, an understanding of solitude and it's joy."

(Page 121 to 122)

Along with freedom, comes choices. There are so many choices in our society, we never pondered about it, or what it would be like with having them. In the community Jonas lives in, choices, as well as freedom, is banished. Even though this is a negligent performance that the committee has dispatched, I'm sure they have no clue as to what it has done. Maybe the person or the group of people who choose this knew, knew that the older generations would feel pity on themselves, but this may have been done for the good of the people. They might have thought they were helping the people. For example; in the mornings, you wouldn't have to spend time on choosing clothes, or choosing breakfast, for there wouldn't a choice. Or contemplate all your life over what job would suit you, and on and on. To be able to make your own choices, first there must be freedom. Freedom to make choices. When Jonas first learned about colors, he started to question the community's control, the limitation of seeing colors, or choosing. He began to become curious of what it may be like if there the freedom of choosing.

" "Well..." Jonas had to stop and think it through. "If everything's the same, then there aren't any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things! A blue tunic, or a red one?"

He looked down at himself, at the colorless fabric of his clothing. "But it's all the same, always."

Then he laughed a little. "I know it's not important, what you wear. It doesn't matter. But-

"It's the choosing that's important, isn't it? The Giver asked him.

Jonas nodded. "My little brother --" he began, and then corrected himself. "No, that's inaccurate. He's not my brother, not really. But this newchild that my family takes care of -- his name's Gabriel?"

"Yes, I know about Gabriel."

"Well, he's right at the age where he's learning so much. He grabs toys when we hold them in front of him -- my father says he's learning small-muscle control. And he's really cute. "

The Giver nodded.

"But now that I can see colors, at least sometimes, I was just thinking: what if we could hold up things that were bright red, or bright yellow, and he could choose? Instead of the Sameness."

"He might make the wrong choices."

"Oh." Jonas was silent for a minute. "Oh, I see what you mean. It wouldn't matter for a newchild's toy. But later it does matter, doesn't it? We don't dare to let people make choices of their own."

"Not safe?" The Giver suggested.

"Definitely not safe," JOnas said with certainty. "What if they were allowed to choose thier own mate? And chose wrong?"

"Or what if," he went on, almost laughing at the absurdity, "they chose their own jobs?"

"Frightening isn't it?" The Giver said.

Jonas chuckled. "Very frightening. I can't even imagine it. We really have to protect people from wrong choices."

"It's safer."

Yes," Jonas agreed. "Much safer."

But when the conversation turned to other things, Jonas was left, still, with the feeling of frustration that he didn't understand.

(Page 97 to 99)

When I come to make up the conclusion, these chapters, chapters 16 to 18, related to freedom and choice because Jonas gets to wander through memories that represent the delight of having freedom, and the pleasure of being able to make your own choices. Not only that, but feeling the different aspects of freedom.

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”