The Giver Compared to Modern Day Society Essay

The story in The Giver by Lois Lowry takes place in a community that is not normal. People cannot see color, it is an offense for somebody to touch others, and the community assigns people jobs and children. This unnamed community shown through Jonas eye, the main character in this novel, is a perfect society. There is no war, crime, and hunger. Most readers might take it for granted that the community in The Giver differs from the real society. However, there are several affinities between the society in present day and that in this fiction: estrangement of elderly people, suffering of surrogate mothers, and wanting of euthanasia.

The first similarity is that elderly people are left out of the society. In the novel, the elderly cannot have a family. They live in the House of the Old because they are separated from the society. All the people are getting older and weaker without exception, so it is hard for them to live without family. Nonetheless, the society isolates the elderly. The Old were sitting quietly, some visiting and talking with one another, others doing handwork and simple crafts. A few were asleep (p. 28). Likewise, in the modern society, elderly people are lonely. Some avoid taking care of their parents suffering from disease like Alzheimer. The elderly are apt to be easily depressed, and this depression can be triggered by the deaths of their spouses, relatives, and friends or by financial worries. Therefore, old people need constant care and their familys affection. However, due to hectic lifestyle of current society, many elderly people live alone or in care center without their family.

Another similarity can be found in the surrogate mothers suffering from psychological and physical pain. In The Giver, the surrogate mothers are termed as Birthmothers. That job has very little honor in this community. Three years, Three births and thats all. After that they are Laborers for the rest of their adult lives, until the day that they enter the House of the Old The Birthmothers never even get to see new children (p. 22). Today, some women decide to become surrogate mothers of other womens babies because of several reasons, such as sympathy for the couples who cannot have children of their own or financial reason. However, to carry other womens children gives surrogate moms great senses of responsibility. They writhe in not only soreness of body, but also agony of mentality. The psychological pain by giving their babies to other women is greater than that of body. Thus, some surrogate mothers refuse to give up their babies sometimes.

The third similarity is that some people want to embrace euthanasia in any society. Here is the release in the community. The release is not a natural death, but the end of life by human being. Nevertheless, some people want to be released from the community. He made a lovely good-bye speech He was thrilled. You should have seen the look on his face when they let him go through the special door in the Releasing Room. But you should have seen his look. Pure happiness, Id call it (p. 32). Roberto does not fear his release, but waits for it. Of course, some people might say that he probably does not know actual release. He obviously knows the release means that he could not live in the community any more, though. Even though he does know the meaning of release, he is happy due to his release. In the same manner, some patients want to end his (her) life anytime in the real society. Because they cannot endure the severe suffering, they want to be killed. In other words, theyd like to avoid severe pain and want to adopt death comfortably. Active euthanasia describes a situation in which a lethal drug is given with the intent to bring about death, thus ending suffering. Is this the same as providing enough medication required for pain relief, even if the amount required compromises respiration and leads to death? Most health care providers say no, because the goals in each are different. In the first situation, the goal is death; in the second, the goal is relief from suffering (Salladay, p. 1).

The Giver provides a chance that readers can compare the real world with the society described in this book through some words, such as release, Birthmothers, and so on. Therefore, readers could be able to see what is happening right now in the real society in which they live by reading her fiction. The author, Lowry, might build the real world in this fiction by her unique point of view.