A New Feeling

This last few chapters Jonas received various memories such as love and the bond of animals and humans, but as he gets the feelings of love he also gets the feelings of death and the tragedy of wars. As he gets the feeling of love he also sees the memories of family and what family meant back then. He senses the warmth there is in a real home, and the happiness there is. However, one thing that startled  Jonas was that old people were there with the young ones. In Jonas´s community your life is useful only if you help the community so when you are too old you have no use and you are released. So this specific scene caused a lot of controversy on Jonas`s mind. Given this New Feeling Jonas asked his parents if they loved him, but sadly since he lives in a world with no feelings his parents say: "Jonas. You, of all people. Precision of language, please!". This words leads Jonas`s to the conclude that his society has no feelings. Saying that the word ¨love¨ is meaningless hurt Jonas because he has never in his life experienced something more meaningful than love. The next day a voice told him to skip his pill for stirrings so Jonas threw away the pills.

A quote that impacted me and caused me to get a little angry towards Jonas`s community was after Jonas received the memory of love and family and they were discussing that with The Giver in the annex room. First, the last comment I won`t quote is when Jonas says that having old people isn`t practical that they should be on a place apart where they can be taken care of appropriately like when people take elders to a nursing home. The quote was talking about what will happen when Jonas`s parents grow old.

"As long as they are still working and contributing to the community, they`ll go live with the Childless Adults. And they won`t be part of my life anymore." 
"And after that when the time comes, They`ll go to the House of the Old," Jonas went on. He was thinking aloud. 
" And they`ll be well cared for, and respected, and when they`re released, there will be a celebration."
"Which you won`t attend," The Giver pointed out.
"No, of course not, because I won`t even know about it. By then I`ll be so busy with my own life."  



As it is well expressed how much Jonas cares about his parents its easy to infer that most children feel the same way about their family unit. Now we know that Jonas`s parents aren`t his biological parents but they still raised him, fed him, cared for him and regardless Jonas prioritizes his life over being with his parents in their last moments. Now I`ve caught some clues and went to a prediction that Elsewhere doesn`t exist.  Considering that this community is so perfect and the rest of the neighboring communities are so perfect with healthy and strong people. Why would Elsewhere carry the "trash" the other communities don`t want like old sick people or weak babies. These kind of people wouldn`t contribute to the community of Elsewhere. Though there is the small possibility that the perfect communities are helping Elsewhere this mentality is not prevalent. These communities mostly care about themselves so if there is someone who won`t help why have them? Another point to consider is that, if Elsewhere is populated by the sick and elderly, this won`t contribute to that community therefore why bother caring for them? The answer is pretty simple, there is no Elsewhere. I think that Elsewhere is a excuse used for the citizens that the community is killing the weak and keeping the strong. So going back to Jonas`s parents by releasing them they are killing them so in the last moments of life of Jonas`s parents he couldn`t care less because he thinks Elsewhere exists. And so that shows Jonas`s community kills people without them noticing.

Now supposing my theory of Elsewhere is correct if someone were to discover this lie, the whole community would be put at risk of destruction. But the possibility of the community knowing the truth about Elsewhere at this point is minimal because I don`t think The Giver knows that because he only carries the memories of the past the memories of his ancestors so he doesn`t have the access to that type of information. Now going back to my real topic, the main reason why Jonas or his whole community acts like that is because everything is hidden from them and they don`t know any other reality other than the one they live in, taking the pills, apologizing, precision of language that the reality they accepted and think that it is the right way to live. All the secrets and lies they have been told, all of those words were trying to build a perfect community which will obey with no second thoughts, and they were able to reach it with no problem by erasing people memories.