Memory In The Giver

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Memories are the reason we are individuals. We each develop and retain unique perspectives about our experiences every day. Without memories, our lives would have no emotion, empathy, laughter, or social bonds. They define who we were, are and will become. In the article “The Role of Memory in Social Cognition,” by R. Nathan Spreng, it is argued that memories affect a person’s social abilities. Spreng states, “The function of a memory is not only to recall the past, but also to form and update models of our experiences and use these models to navigate the world.” (Spreng). Without our individual memories, people wouldn’t be as skilled at interacting and empathizing with others. Spreng also reasons that “... the loss of a record of the personal …show more content…
In the story, Jonas receives memories from the Giver. After doing so, Jonas feels empathy for others in the community because they can’t see the beauty of the colors and will not have the experience of sledding down a hill of soft, fluffy snow. He yearns for others to be able to have this knowledge he has gained. As Spreng states, “... the recollection of prior experiences also allows one to imagine the experiences of other people… this process may facilitate empathy and promote prosocial behavior.” (Spreng). Although this is true in our social world, in The Giver, after receiving memories and visualizing them, Jonas instead begins to feel more separated from his community because they do not share memories of what the Giver is showing him. “I didn’t know myself until recently. But it’s a cruel game. In the past there have--’ ‘I said I apologize, Jonas. Jonas sighed. It was no use. Of course Asher couldn’t understand.” (Lowry 134). With no one else but the Giver to consult about his new found knowledge and emotions, Jonas feels more isolated after gaining memories from the Giver then he did before he was selected as Receiver. From the moment when he tells Lily elephants are real to the instance where his parents reject his question about love, Jonas’s separation from the community is …show more content…
People in our reality can have disorders that affect how they remember things, or what they can recall. “...the loss of a record of the personal past in neurological populations impairs the ability to adaptively navigate the social world…. patients with amnesia are less likely to form and maintain social bonds, and have a smaller network size.” (Spreng). These people, who may have difficulty bonding and empathizing with others because of limited memory, share qualities with those in the utopian society in The Giver. Both may have memories that relate to them, or experiences with which they and are familiar. But neither can imagine or recall something that does not directly connect to them (Spreng). Take Lily for example. All she knows an elephant to be is an imaginary creature. But Jonas, who does have a memory, knows that elephants are real. So when Jonas attempts to explain elephants exist, Lily doesn’t believe him for she has always been told they aren’t in existence (Lowry
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