The Giver: Pleasure and Pain (chapter 13-16)

A New Beginning

Jonas and the Giver, the only two that know the truth about
the world

     Jonas had started to see colors more often. He sees the reds, greens and all the colors we can see. Also Jonas is trying to make people see his memories, such as Asher and Lily but he is not successful. In one of his sessions with the Giver, Jonas questions himself of the importance of the Receiver, and the Giver explains that the community has them so they were the only ones that felt the real pain of the world and if in time of need, they could consult them for the wisdom of the past memories. Then in another session the Giver finally shows real pain to Jonas, when he returns to the snow sled this time he buckles over and hurts his knees, face and basically almost all of his body. Since that moment on, the Giver gave Jonas some memories of pleasure but he started to give him also memories of pain, real pain. One night mother was complaining of Gabe being unable to sleep and Jonas took care of him for that night. When Gabe awakens, Jonas gave him a memory, by accident, to make him sleep and told no one about it. The next day when he goes to the Annex he finds the Giver in terrible pain and wants to help him, and he gives Jonas a memory of warfare, of death. For the next few days the Giver tries to give Jonas only good memories to apologize about the incident of the warfare memory. By the end of the last chapter the Giver gives Jonas a memory of what I think is Christmas, love and family. And when Jonas sees this he decides to stop taking the pills.  

Jonas and Gabe, both able to see memories

Real Pain

     I had been thinking of the pain that Jonas had been feeling in the Annex. But what really illustrates the pain he feels is:

     “From the distance, Jonas could hear the thud of cannons. Overwhelmed by pain, he lay there in the fearsome stench for hours; listening men and animals die, and learnt what warfare meant.

Finally, when he knew that he could bear it no longer and would welcome death himself, he opened his eyes and was ones again on the bed” (120)

This had left me thinking, what is pain really like. Sometimes I think that when Jonas experienced warfare he was feeling pain physically, but especially emotionally. He should have been devastated by the death of all the people dying around him, and also his own injuries. I feel the same each time I read this quote, I feel as if nothing is worth living for any more. I can´t think of how brave Jonas must be to bear all this. I would have been devastated and I would have wanted to quit, and now I feel that Jonas is the most courageous of all the people I had seen or read of.  

Warfare, the worst memory Jonas had experienced

Final Thoughts

Current day community, one
community I love

     Having reading this chapters make me love my community even more than before. I could not imagine being tormented as Jonas is either. I would not be able to leave everything I had here to something that seems better, for now I know that Jonas community is not as good as it seems. Even if Jonas is tormented I think that the Receiver is fortunate to have the memories, for all the pain there is he or she also feels the freedom and pleasure that no one else feels. I feel that Jonas is completely different from me, except that I too like to care for small children. I will always be remembering this when I think that my community is a disaster, but the reality is that my community is perfect compared to Jonas one ,in my own eyes.       

Jonas community, an emotionless world that I
would hate to live in