The Giver
...that they might get to keep the newchild, her mother reminds her that the rules allow each family unit to have only two children, one male and one female. Jonas's mother, who works for the Department of Justice, confesses that she felt frustrated and angry today because she dealt with a second-time offender against the community's rules. She thought the offender had been punished adequately the first time. She is frightened for him because a third offense will result in the offender's release, which will bring shame and disgrace on his family. When Jonas confesses his apprehension about the Ceremony of Twelve, his parents send Lily to bed so that they can speak privately with him. The December Ceremonies are supposed to be an exciting, happy occasion. The newchildren born that year undergo the Ceremony of One, at which time they are named, given to family units, and considered to be one year old. All children undergo a Ceremony every year up to the age of twelve. The Eights begin performing community service in preparation for their adult Assignments. The Nines receive their bicycles. Although it is against the rules to teach a child to ride a bicycle before the Ceremony of Nine, everyone breaks it. The committee has considered changing the rule, but changing any rule takes years of careful study and consideration. Changing important rules requires the advice of the Receiver, the highest-ranking Elder in the community. Jonas' father assures him that the Committee of Elders takes great care in choosing Assignments. They watch every child carefully, noting what his or her interests and aptitudes are. Jonas' father was not surprised that his Assignment was Nurturing. When he was a child, he spent a great deal of his time with the newchildren. Very rarely is anyone disappointed with an Assignment. However, Jonas' parents warn him that after the Ceremony of Twelve, he will spend more time with his Assignment group than he will with his friends among the Elevens. Meanwhile, Lily returns to demand her comfort object, a stuffed elephant. Her parents warn her that she will have to give up the comfort object after the Ceremony of Eight. Commentary Jonas' community probably seems unusual and different. He lives in a world where fear is so uncommon that a plane flying unexpectedly over the community frightens Jonas badly. His community also seems to care a lot about polite courtesy. Whenever someone is rude, that person is required to apologize for his or her behavior. Moreover, everyone is required to accept the apology. An important theme in The Giver is how society deals with the conflicts between the individual and the larger community. Jonas' society makes every effort to avoid such conflict through institutionalized rules. One means of reducing conflict in the community is an insistence on "precision of speech." In training citizens to be very clear about the meaning of their words, and by simultaneously training them to be polite, the community ensures that there will be little understanding. The idea of "precision of speech" also exposes a hypocritical underside to the community, however, such as in its use of euphemisms like the word "release." In substituting a vague, pleasant sounding word for a practice such as legally sanctified execution, the community demonstrates an actual inability to face accurate speech. The speech practices by the community may be "precise," but it is a limited precision, defined by the community. Still, there are some benefits to the importance of "precision of speech" in Jonas's community. Jonas feels afraid because his Ceremony of Twelve will soon take place. When he ...