The Giver by Lois Lowry contains many controversial ideas such as the practice of euthanasia. The community accepts the practice on an identical twin. They promote euthanasia with elderly people even though they are healthy but they are too old for the community. Not everyone in the community agrees with the practice of euthanasia, perhaps it is because they do not know what it is. While reading the giver it is not clear until reading the end that the novel condemns the practice of euthanasia.
The communitys acceptance of euthanasia is prorated by the actions of Jonas father in chapter nine-teen. He looks upon euthanizing a newborn child as an ordinary, harmless, activity. After killing the child, his father speaks in the same voice as he would to his daughter: Bye-bye little guy Jonas heard his father say (Lowry p. 151) All done. That wasnt so bad, was it Jonas heard his father say cheerfully... (Lowry p. 149) the giver justifies killing newborns by saying; the community cant help it they know nothing (Lowry p. 153) by their actions and words they promote the killing of the young whether healthy or not.
In chapter four Jonas has a conversation with an elderly lady named Larisa about the euthanisation of a man called Roberto. The tones and words they speak in are happy and joyful, which further proves the lack of understanding they have of life and death. Larisa comments how Roberto raised two wonderful kids and all the great things he had done for and with the community. So the event of Robertos release would have been a great loss for the community and its citizens. Larisa represents the people that never had a moment of realization like Jonas did. When Jonas realizes what it truly means to be released, he is shocked and horrified at what his father had done to the poor new born: He killed it! My father killed it! Jonas said to himself stunned at what he was realizing. He continued to stare at the screen numbly. (Lowry p.150) This is Joans moment of realization.
The book, the Giver is just a vehicle to tell the story of the community, the Giver and Jonas journey from being an ignorant child to a teenager who finally realizes that being released actually means the killing children and elders. At the end of the story on page one hundred seventy four the reading finds that the novel seem to support Jonas view on euthanasia And Gabriel? For Gabriel there would have been no life at all. So there had not really been a choice. This sounds to the reader as if it supports Jonas decision to leave the community forever.
There are many different opinions expressed in the Giver. Most of the people that the reader meets are ignorant about the practice of euthanasia in the ceremony of release. Only Jonas and the Giver truly understand release, because the novel just tells the story of ignorance to understanding.
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