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Maria Randall

Professor Oost

November 3, 2018

ENG 401

The Illusion of Utopia in The Giver

The popular and highly acclaimed novel, The Giver, received multiple awards including

the Newbery Medal and a film adaption that left readers in awe. The Giver is the first book in the

series, created by Lois Lowry and published by Houghton Milton. The book is placed in a

dystopian setting, where the protagonist Jonas is selected to become the Receiver of Memory.

There is equality for everyone in that society through the use of drug modification, genetic

engineering, and job placement by the structured government called The Community. The Giver

is set-up as a utopian society in a dystopian world, where there is no safe place beyond the

border. It was written in 1993 and many viewers of the book series created their own critical

responses on the meaning of the book, specifically Lowry’s message towards her readers. Her

targeted readers are young adults, ranged from 13 to 18, and is commonly distributed in

freshman and sophomore year of high school. The government in the book reflects

totalitarianism in modern society. While society is considered a utopia, there are many

restrictions and limitations placed on the citizens. Lois Lowry argues that a utopia with the

totalitarian government should be distrusted and warns her readers to do so as well. She

emphasizes why totalitarian governments should be distrusted by dramatizes the use of memory

and the suppression of it in the book. This essay will examine the definitions of a utopian society,
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the associations of totalitarianism in The Giver, and Lois Lowry’s potential message she is trying

to convey to her young readers.

The plot of The Giver is through the eyes of Jonas, a 12-year-old boy who is assigned to

different tasks in the small city. Everyone is assigned to roles given to them during their twelfth

year in a ceremony called the Ceremony of Twelve (The Giver 41) A council in the Community

are called the Elders, where an Elder Chief selects and assigned positions to the children based

on their abilities. Jonas is assigned a special position in the Community called the Receiver of

Memory, which he is to receive memories throughout history from the highest status person in

the community: the Giver. The giver is responsible for harboring every memory throughout

history in order to guide the Elders on decisions if an issue arises in the Community. Once the

Giver shares every memory to the Receiver, the Receiver takes the position of the Giver. Every

citizen, including the Elders, are suppressed of memories and have no information about the

outside called the Elsewhere. Everything inside of the Community is industrially made and there

is no connection to the natural world, Elsewhere, in essence, is abundant wildlife. However,

Lowry does not tell her readers whether there are other communities or places where there are

other people. No one is allowed to leave the Community and those who defy these rules are

killed. The elderly or anyone who is considered to be too weak to function in their society is

killed, which is called “release”. Unlike the citizens, however, the Elders have full control over

the Community.

The book is considered as a dystopian novel because of the underlying issues circulating

inside of the Community. Everything placed outside the Community is called the Elsewhere.

Lowry does not provide a specific location where the setting is, instead she creates an alternative
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world like Earth. From subtle clues based on the memories that Jonas receives, it is known that

this book takes place in the future. In contrast to Elsewhere, the Community is considered a

utopia. While the Community may seem to be utopian, in actuality it is dystopian because of the

totalitarian tools used to construct order. In order to analyze how it is a dystopia, it is essential to

understand why the Community might appear as utopian. From a quick perspective of looking at

the Community, it appears to have all of these traits. Their form of government is the leadership

of the Elders who create the laws of the Community, the laws over the citizens offer protection

and a detailed guideline for citizens to abide by, and the social conditions of the Community are

equal in occupation, income, and education. To avoid any type of argumentation or a triggering

of emotion, everything is discussed at the family table from breakfast to dinner. Dreams and

what occurred throughout their daily lives are told to the entire family, so they can offer words of

encouragement and find a way to diffuse any negative emotion. The medicine that is given to

them keeps them healthy, but also provides protection from any type of pain or illness. This

small community can be seen as a paradise however, Lowry created this place in order to issue a

warning.

When looked at in close detail, there are many things wrong with the Community.

Eugenics play a very vital role in their community, where if there are any genetic traits that the

Elders deemed as impure they are obliterated immediately. Once Jonas attains more historical

and cultural knowledge from the memories, he soon realizes the dark his community is and the

realization of their actions. For instance, twins were conceived and considered to be healthy,

however, there was a realization that one was smaller compared to the other twin. Jonas’ father,

who works as a Nurturer in the Community, is given the task to put the child asleep with the use
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of a lethal injection (Giver, p. 149-150). No one is aware of what the true intentions they commit

nor the extent of cruelty they face because of their suppression of memories. They are also

unaware of what death is and it is only stated that they will be released once they are too old to

work and function in the Community. Jonas’ father is also assigned to take care of a baby at his

job who is underweight, yet has the potential to get healthy. The baby, Gabriel, lives with the

family for multiple days and an attachment begins to form from Jonas once he starts his job as

the Receiver of Memory. Only specific people called the birth mothers are allowed to reproduce,

no one in each family is biologically genetic to each other. They are assigned by the Elders based

on compatibility with each other. Pills are used by every citizen in order to suppress sexual urges,

which are called “stirrings”. Language and the use of certain words or phrases are restricted.

Jonas constantly reminds himself to correct his speech to avoid being in trouble (Giver, p.4).

There is a censorship of media and a unit of military force is placed in the small community in

case citizens do not abide by the laws. Majority of these examples reflect countries that

implement Totalitarianism in their government. Lois Lowry never stated that the Community

ruling party of Elders was ruled with a totalitarianism regime to her young audience, however,

there are many examples to pick up on that direct it towards this type of regime.

The definition of what a utopia is not static and changes over time. In “Understanding

Utopian Literature” by Wu Dingbo, he states, “As a literary genre, Utopia does have a general

form and is traditionally believed to refer to imaginary literature which depicts an ideal and

therefore nonexistent society. Along with the development of the genre, there is an urgent

demand for adequate standards to determine if any given book is a Utopia. Without a generally

accepted working definition, there is hardly any communicable boundaries around these
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noplaces.” (Dangbo 1-2) Ambiguity is placed around Lois Lowry’s idea of what utopia and

dystopia are, however she implements the needed traits that make up each one.

An author, C.S Ferns sees a utopia, reflected in literature, as a way to reflect the idea of a

state of perfection commonly perceived by the West. In “Narrating Utopia: Ideology, Gender,

Form in Utopian Literature”, Ferns argues that in order to demonstrate what an utopian society

is, there must be an example of an dystopian society. Ferns explains that majority of utopias

written in literature almost always are reflected in the setting of the location (Ferns 2). In order to

show how great the potential of an utopia could be the location must have some form of isolation

and a duration of some time passed. Lois Lowry does create a set of isolation and it does take

place in the future. The description of an utopia in literature ultimately separates itself from the

real world and is a fantasy world of perfection. Ferns states, “While utopian fiction may have the

potential to open up wider horizons, to suggest the sheer extent of the possible, its effect is often

impoverishing rather than enriching: instead of opening up space for the imagination, the utopian

vision merely fills it with a construct, to use Ernst Bloch’s phrase, ‘made banal by the

fulfilment’” (Ferns 4). An utopia is unattainable, yet fiction provides hope for it occurs but also

its own criticism of what the possibilities could be. Ferns also argues that in order to critically

analyze what an utopia is must be seen under the lens of politics throughout history. She states,

“Whatever the psychological motivations involved, its aspirations are both political (to convince

the reader of the desirability of its particular social vision) and aesthetic (to do so in an

artistically convincing manner) (Ferns 6). For Lowry, she is aware of how her utopian society

can influence her readers and the literature models of utopia (Ferns.31) The Giver’s utopia is

seen as totalitarian and only gives the citizens an illusion of freedom and equality. She heavily
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criticizes the “perfect society” commonly reflected in the literature by showing traits of a

dystopia. Fern explains that dystopian fiction positively demands that readers judge the projected

society by the standards of their own, meaning that readers should be able to look at their own

society and attest to their norms (Ferns 109).

An author named Marianna Papastephanou stated in her article called, “Dystopian

Reality, Utopian Thought and Educational Practice” about utopia as, “Although both have been

associated with revolutionary change or eschatology pertaining to various forms of leftism, the

linear historical evolutionary element is present in capitalism too, for which utopia becomes a

natural outcome of the dynamics of modern societal development, its predictability, and

securitization.” (Papastephanou 4). She is stating that these utopian and dystopian societies

always have the intention to capitalize off of the society. There are many elements that reflect

Lowry’s book, from a political perspective. A dystopia is considered to be as an imagined state

or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or

post-apocalyptic. (Oxford Dictionary). It is typically controlled by an oppressive and restrictive

government, often categorized as totalitarian. For an author, Carrie Hintz, she sees Lois Lowry’s

The Giver as a way to convey to young readers two elements of dystopia as an development and

political narrative (Hintz 1). In Hintz’s “Monica Hughes, Lois Lowry, and Young Adult

Dystopias”, writing of utopian and dystopian play a large role in adolescence development. The

young readers can project themselves into the protagonists of the books, who defy the constraints

of the oppressive groups. Hintz states, “Utopias written for young adults are familiar in many

ways. Readers encounter such elements as a rigorously planned society, charismatic leaders or

masterminds, control of reproductive freedom, and the prioritization of collective well-being

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over the fate of the individual.” (Hintz 1). When Jonas begins to obtain the memories of the past,

he is finally able to break free from the rigorous system created by the Elders and create a path

where there is a choice, not only for himself but the overall fate of every citizen. He is able to

create his own identity and break away from dehumanization that the government has reinforced.

While the readers are able to connect themselves with the protagonist, this is also the time where

they begin to create their own political stances and be social in their own society (Hintz 2) As

stated, Lois Lowry used The Giver to target young adult readers in order to shape their political

and social views of their society. Hintz emphasizes that those who read The Giver are able to

pick up on these totalitarianism affiliations and recognize the extreme rules that took place.

However, they also bear witness to Jonas’ ability to change his own society through radical

action (Hintz 2). She argues her position exceedingly well that Lois Lowry is quite aware of what

she is doing.

Hintz argues that the independence of an individual and political engagement in each

society coincide with each other (Hintz 14). To have the rights to decide and make your own

choices. C.S Ferns would agree with Hintz’s argument that Lois Lowry’s The Giver focuses

heavily on political issues through a critical lens. Unlike Ferns, however, who sees a utopia as a

way as alternate of the real world that only critically judges, an author by the name Carter F.

Hanson sees utopian fiction as hope. Hanson state, “Lowry’s world is an engineered Utopia gone

wrong due to its extinction of aesthetics and personal choice, and through her protagonist’s

alienation from his society and resistance to it, the novel offers hope for a better future.” (Hanson

1). In Hanson’s “The Utopian Function of Memory in Lois Lowry’s The Giver” talks about

Lowry’s emphasis on the warning that tools of totalitarianism revolve around the suppression of
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memories of historical and cultural events. By stating this, many scholars speculate that Lowry

uses memory as an totalitarian tool to show the dangers of a totalitarian government. This allows

for their government to remove individuals who would not function in their society or are not

genetically fit in their society (Hanson 1). It should be noted that there are no people of color in

the Community and only people of European descent. Hanson also states that when memory is

beyond the control of the government, it is a way to have the power of freedom.

An interesting consideration about the Community is the lack of religion. There is no

religions or religious ideologies used in their daily lives. The government saw it as something

harmful and would create disorder inside their Community. For many people around the world

religion, served as a way for people to create their own dreams, hope, and fantasies for

something better, something lacking in their society (Hanson 5). Geoghegan sees this idea of the

use of religion in an utopian society as problematic. For Bloch, religion can be used as a way of

creating change in order to build anew. He defines religion and the use of it as, “religious

traditions frequently commence with a disrupted tradition; there is the innovative religious figure

who reveals a truth previously unknown or unrecognised which revolutionizes human

perceptions of reality and its potential. The memory of these deeply subversive acts, concepts

and imagery linger on in the dogma of conservative creeds which seek to de-temporalise and

de-utopianise this material into eternal truths.” (Hanson 3). This is a vital factor that must be

implemented in order to create the perfect utopia, according to Bloch, a radical change in belief.

He also insists that religion must also be divine, holy, and center around family virtues because a

world of perfection would focus on the growth and production of the community (Hanson 3).

The belief of family virtues resonances with the Community in The Giver. While there is no use
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of religion inside of the Community, the families that were constructed by the Elders is a very

important factor in creating an community that promotes growth.

Geoghegan refers to other philosophers and Christian theologians, such as Saint

Augustine of Hippo, and their own reflection of how memory plays a large role in history and

self-experience (Geoghegan 3-4). Geoghegan agrees that memory is very important, stating

“Indeed, the process of memory is highly complex, embracing the individual and the collective,

the passive and the active, the accurate and the fanciful, and the backward and the forward

glance. These diverse dimensions are reflected in a large number of memory words, each

registering subtle functional differences.” (p.4). Geoghegan also refers to memory as an

important part of society socially, adding an reference of Karl Marx’s work. He states that

memory can be used in order to show “how social groups were shaped by, and drew upon,

historical memory in the midst of creating the new” (p.4). This same function is still used in The

Giver despite the heavy constraints it was being held by. In the book, memory is described as a

very painful experience to endure. As the Chief Elder states to Jonas, “with the pain of a

magnitude that none of us here can comprehend because it beyond our experience. The Receiver

himself was not able to describe it, only to remind us that you would be faced with it, that you

would need immense courage.” (Giver, p.34). The justification of this is because it would free

the citizens the burden of memories and the Receiver would be able to carry it for them all. The

purpose of the Receiver is to be able to retain memories of the past. These memories allowed for

the Receiver to input judgment in order to correctly shape the Community from a historical and

social perspective. In the book, it states, “‘It gives us wisdom’ The Giver replied. ‘Without
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wisdom I could not fulfill my function of advising the Committee of Elders when they call upon

me.” (Giver 11).

Memory allows for a reflection of history, but also as a way to provide hope for the

future. Vincent Geoghegan would agree that memory has positive and negative aspects to a

utopian vision. “The collective memory of groups enabled people to transcend particularity in the

name of particularity, with nation-building resting upon this capacity.” (Geoghegan 7). A

negative aspect of memory can also create oppression. The suppression of memories, according

to Lowry, is what keeps Jonas’ society in a dystopian world. Their inability to see the past and

decide for themselves is what keeps them in their faulty world. Once memories are released back

to them, they are given the opportunity of change and be able to create a new utopian society.

Jonas is forced to flee from Community when he realized that Gabriel would soon be released

since he is unable to obtain the recommended weight. Both of them escape from the Community

and seek protection from Elsewhere, where Jonas knows that the airplanes will not follow them.

When fleeing, Jonas shares the memories given to him by the Giver into the young child, who

would have knowledge of the outside world once he gets bigger. It states, “It was what he hoped,

and what he and the Giver had planned: that as he moved away from the community, he would

shed the memories and leave-them be-hind for the people.” (Geoghegan 169). The only way to

create a new change and one for the better would be for the citizens to be able to create their own

choices and have access to various emotions, their senses, and their own identity.

By understanding this philosophy towards the importance of memory in an utopian

society, reading Carter Hanson’s argument will be easier to understand. Hanson reminds his

readers that Lowry’s The Giver moves from science fiction to fantasy, where the use of memory
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is dramatized. (Hanson .2). He makes references towards C.S Ferns and agrees that definition of

an utopia consists of, “something to be imposed on humanity in its own best interests. [. . .] What

such utopias offered was stability, security, freedom from hunger, from endless toil, from war.”

(Hanson 3). The Giver does those factors listed, there are stability and security provided by the

Elders. There is an enormous amount of food supplied for the Community for many years to

come and the Community is void of any negative or aggressive emotion that leads to violence

and war.

On the other hand, this utopian society is greeted with dystopian elements. Dystopian

writing for Hanson subtly hides away many aspects of memory, as Lowry does. Hanson stated,

“Memory is integral to the dystopian project because in many texts it is the repression of

memory that keeps the social system “unseen and unexamined,” and the recovery of memory (or

some connection to the past) that allows the protagonist to recognize his or her “situation for

what it really is and thus to trace the relationship between individual experience and the

operation of the entire system” (4). This is very similar to the argument that Bloch makes in his

philosophy. Hanson reminds his readers that the citizens have no access to personal technology

such as computers or tablets, any literature, or telephones in the Community (5). They are

heavily surveillance by multiple cameras placed around the community and aircraft drones patrol

the area throughout the day and night in the Community.

Each author so far illustrates their own argument of utopian and dystopian elements

featured inside Lois Lowry’s The Giver. Each found many commonalities in her work that speak

upon the issues of an authoritative government and the illusion of freedom. Hanson saw Lowry’s

work as, “Without directly satirizing contemporary American culture, Lowry critiques the
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anesthetizing effects of cultural amnesia—“the ability to forget” (14). His belief that Lowry uses

memory as a tool for utopia relates to the theory that she targets to young adults in order to show

suppression of historical and social events in society can ultimately allow for oppression and

submissiveness (14). As stated earlier, these memories consist of events of many historical

events that occurred around the world. Some of these pertain to events created by authoritative

governments, particularly that of totalitarian regimes. Totalitarianism is defined as A system of

government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.

(Oxford Dictionary) It is unknown why Lois Lowry decided to critique totalitarianism in the

1990s and direct its attention toward young adult readers. In the article of Andrew Arato,

“Dictatorship before and after Totalitarianism”, Arato researches and critically analyze the work

of Hannah Arendt’s book “Origin of Totalitarianism”. Hannah Arendt is a German-born

American Philosopher and Political theorist that was born on October 14, 1906, and passed away

on December 4, 1975 (Britannica). Growing up in Germany, Arendt was very aware of the issues

that circulated around the affairs of Jewish people. Due to this, she studied philosophy and

sought to study totalitarianism in order to discuss the blatant racism, anti-Semitism, and

imperialism (Britannica). Origins of Totalitarianism focuses on both, Nazism and Stalinism, and

critiques how they were able to come to power. Arendt sees imperialism as, “ The concept of

unlimited expansion that alone can fulfill the hope for unlimited accumulation of capital, and

brings about the aimless accumulation of power, makes the foundation of new political

bodies—which up to the era of imperialism always had been the upshot of conquest—well-nigh

impossible.” (Arendt, p.147). She believes that totalitarianism was not just a random occurrence

to arise, but it was inevitable because of the steps that have already taken place. Once
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totalitarianism takes hold, the democracy of that society slowly diminishes into an illusion of

choice. She states, “Terror becomes total when it becomes independent of all opposition; it rules

supreme when nobody any longer stands in its way. If lawfulness is the essence of non-tyrannical

government and lawlessness is the essence of tyranny, then terror is the essence of totalitarian

domination.” (p.464). Fear is ensured in order to stop anyone who wishes to defy the new placed

laws constructed by the ruling party.

Just like in The Giver, force and emphasis that action would be taken if laws are broken

are done subtly. The citizens with their limited information only see it as a form of protection

from any danger, when in reality this use of force is used to maintain the government’s stance.

For instance, Jonas is greeted with a frightening scenario, “But the aircraft a year ago had been

different. It was not a squat, fat-bellied cargo plane but a needle-nosed single-pilot jet. Jonas

looked around anxiously, had seen others -adults as well as children- stop what they were doing

and wait, confused, for an explanation of the frightening event. Then all of the citizens had been

ordered to go into the nearest building and stay there. IMMEDIATELY, the rasping voice through

the speaker had said, LEAVE YOUR BICYCLE WHERE THEY ARE.” (Giver, p.1-2).

Everyone takes heed to the message and promptly do what was asked. They are given no choice

in the matter and respond to the Elders with haste.

Andrew Arato carefully analyzes Arendt’s argument of totalitarianism reflected by

Nazism and Stalinism in Germany. Arato states that “Arendt is surprisingly aware of the variety

of autocratic forms of rule.” (Arato 2). Jonas bears witness to many extremities that result from

work, such as extreme poverty and starvation, “One of Jonas’s arms was immobilized by pain,

and he could see through his own torn sleeve something that looked like a ragged flesh and
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splintery bone….But the noise continued all around: the cries of the wounded men, the cries

begging for water and for Mother and for death.” (Giver 118-119). Andrew agrees with Arendt’s

argument that the rise of totalitarianism is not a randomized event, but specific steps are taken to

allow it into power.

To conclude, Lois Lowry uses The Giver to prepare young adult readers in their growing

development to prepare to input their voice in society. They will be the next generation to create

decisions in politics and make a difference in their communities. She primarily targets them in

order to show the many issues that could arise if individuals are unaware of their history. The

dramatization of memory in the novel allows showing the vital importance of why it needs to be

maintained. Without knowing, the potential of an opposing force can take over and use this

limitation as a tool of power in order to create fear and submissiveness. She does exceedingly

well to creatively implement the various traits of an utopian and dystopian literature. As well as,

construct the structures of what a totalitarian government is. As a popular book placed inside

academia, Lois Lowry’s message will continue to spread to young readers for many years.
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Works Cited

Arato, Andrew. "Dictatorship before and After Totalitarianism." Social Research, 2, 2002: pp.

473-503,

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209668710/772B4A81F41B455CPQ/1?accountid=14961

Arendt, Hannah. The Origins of Totalitarianism. New ed., Harcourt, Brace & World, 1966.

Ferns, C. S. Narrating Utopia : Ideology, Gender, Form in Utopian Literature. Liverpool UP,

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Unicorn, 26.2, 2002, pp. 254-264,

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Papastephanou, Marianna. “Dystopian Reality, Utopian Thought and Educational Practice.”

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