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Loss Of Memory In The Giver By Lois Lowry

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The Giver by Lois Lowrey is a science fiction novel that emphasizes that when the privilege of memory is erased from a society, so is pain and failure, which takes away all true happiness. In the novel, Elsewhere is the unknown, mysterious land beyond the boundaries of the community, and all the experiences and events that have taken place in the past of Elsewhere fall into the memory of The Giver, the keeper of all memories in the community. Before The Giver introduces the first memory of snow to his new student, Jonas, he explains the significant importance of memory; "There's much more. There's all that goes beyond – all that is Elsewhere – and all that goes back, and back, and back. I received all of those, when I was selected. And here in this room, all alone, I re-experience them again and again. …show more content…

And how we shape our future" (Lowry 78). Lowry is spelling out how all the recollections from around the world will exist eternally, and they will always be there for reference in the case of a trial. She is portraying that the memories are designated for containing mistakes of history, so they wouldn't happen again. Since Jonas' society doesn't withhold them, the society is full of Sameness. Sameness is when no one has experiences to share and enjoy; therefore, every human has similar interests, similar stories, and equal imaginations with no trial and error reference from the past because they are restricted to only knowledge of the present. After a few sessions with The Giver, Jonas has made realizations about all the misconceptions about laws and safety his people hold. He recognizes and relates the actions of his peers to all the memories he has received recently, good and bad; love, war and color. Lowry describes Jonas' situation, about all his

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