In The Giver, Jonas is a dynamic character. At the beginning of the book Jonas says, “Jonas’s father’s title was Nurturer. He and the other nurtures were responsible for all the physical and emotional needs of every new child during the earliest life. It was a very important a job…”(7). Jonas saw his father and his community as good. It was against the rules to lie. No one had ever lied, so Jonas thought. However, towards the end of the book Jonas states, “He killed it! My father killed it!... Jonas felt a ripping sensation inside himself, the feeling of terrible pain crawling it's way foward to emerge in a cry… I won't! I won't go home! You can't make me! Jonas sobbed” (150-152). Jonas is angry and upset at his father for killing the newborn. Jonas felt angry that his father had lied to him. Jonas no longer trusted his father or the community, he thought no one lied, but now because of this he thought it was in there rules and he couldn't do anything about it. Jonas felt powerless.




       The theme of The Giver is, the importance of memories. On the first day of Jonas’s training The Giver says, “There’s much more. There’s all that goes beyond all that is Elsewhere - and all that goes back, and back, and back...And here in this room, all alone, I re-experience them again and again. It is how wisdom comes. And how we shape our future” (78). This quote means it helps The Giver advise the communities Elders when needed by using the memories to not make the same mistakes again and again. The memories make The Giver wiser by knowing what will happen if the Elders decide to make a huge decision that will impact the whole community. For example when the Elders wanted to have 3 children per family unit instead of 2, the Giver advised them not to because starvation was in the future in they did so. Also, if they didn't have memories they would be clueless. In the beginning of Jonas’s training the Giver says, “They knew nothing...It’s just that. . . without the memories it’s all meaningless” (105). This quote means that without the memories nothing exists. There's no pain, love, happiness, etc., or emotions. Everything is the same, there is no difference. If they didn't have the memories to guide them they would be lost with no one to turn to. Therefore memories are important and should be valued.