The Giver, written by Lois Lowry, is a dystopian novel that explores a society where emotions and memories are suppressed in order to maintain a sense of order and control. The story follows twelve-year-old Jonas, who is chosen to be the Receiver of Memory and begins to unravel the dark secrets of his seemingly perfect world. Throughout the novel, there are numerous thought-provoking quotes that shed light on the oppressive nature of this dystopian society. In this article, we will explore some of the most impactful dystopian quotes from The Giver.
Read these dystopian quotes from The Giver
“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.”
“They were satisfied with their lives which had none of the vibrance his own was taking on. And he was angry at himself, that he could not change that for them.”
“For the first time, he heard something that he knew to be music. He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps, it was only an echo.”
“He knew that there could be no quick comfort for emotions like those. They were too deep, too deep to be erased or bandaged over.”
“But now he had a new and terrible awareness. He had pierced the membrane of the ordinary. He had come through to elsewhere, to this place beyond, beyond. It was as though he had been made aware of color. Not just red, but the whole range of colors that existed beyond red.”
“The life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvenient. Or unusual. The life without color, pain, or past.”
“He realized that all of the light and warmth and knowledge he had discovered had been nothing more than an illusion. Because they had been provided to him. They were all part of the plan, part of the control. And he had believed it.”
“His mind reeled. Now, empowered to ask questions of utmost rudeness – and promised answers – he could, conceivably (though it was almost unimaginable), ask someone, some adult, his father perhaps: “Do you lie?” But he knew that he could not.”
“It was as though he had been sent into a new world, a place free of fear, of pain, of hunger, of want. He felt joy. He felt happiness. He knew, then, that he had escaped.”
“But even trained for years as they all had been in precision of language, what words could you use which would give another the experience of sunshine?”
“He had been forced to leave all the memories behind. Even the most precious ones, the ones that had made him gasp with delight or with anger. And now he was left with only vague, fading recollections of the warm tingling sunlight. But still, it was worth it.”
“He wept, and he said goodbye to something he had never really had, but had thought he had and now missed. He wept because he was afraid now that he could not keep it.”
“It’s the choosing that’s important, isn’t it?”
“He knew that there was no quick comfort for emotions like those. They were deeper than that. They were beyond comfort.”
“He had never been so utterly lonely. If he had had someone to talk to, perhaps he could have shared the torment. But he was alone. Utterly alone.”
“I liked the feeling of love,” he confessed. He glanced nervously at the speaker on the wall, reassuring himself that no one was listening. “I wish we still had that,” he whispered. “Of course,” he added quickly, “I do understand that it wouldn’t work very well. And that it’s much better to be organized the way we are now. I can see that it was a dangerous way to live.”
“He knew that there were many things that were against the rules. If he broke a rule, even unwittingly, they could use that against him in the future. Everything must be absolutely precise.”
“And for the first time in his twelve years of life, Jonas felt separate, different.”
“It was as if, when he looked out upon the world, it was not a world of color and light and parents and love and trees and snow. It was a world of sameness. And he felt very much afraid.”
“He knew that he had to protect them from the truth. The terrible truth of his own life. He had to keep them from experiencing pain, from experiencing anything.”
“Now, in his new life, he was grateful for the knowledge, though it had come too late, too late for Jonas to turn his back on it. But it was not too late to change things. It was not too late to make a difference.”
These dystopian quotes from The Giver highlight the themes of conformity, suppression, and the power of individuality. They remind us of the importance of emotions, memories, and the freedom to make choices. The Giver serves as a powerful reminder to question the status quo and fight against oppressive systems that prioritize control over individuality.
