The Giver: A Utopian Society

A utopian society, like in The Giver by Lois Lowry, is described as a perfect, ideal world in which each citizen enjoys a tranquil life, but how long does such a society last? Does a utopian community stay “perfect” forever? As time progresses, the utopian society in The Giver will fail due to the community’s rules and practices supporting Sameness. Genetic engineering used to achieve Sameness is forced on the citizens of The Giver, though it is a faulty branch of science. In addition, a utopian community has divergent characters, such as Jonas from The Giver and Harrison Bergeron, who reveal the flaws of Sameness. To accomplish The Giver community’s idea of perfection, differences are looked down upon, leading to the practice of prejudice. …show more content…
For instance, The Giver states an example of genetic engineering through their main character, Jonas, who has the capacity to see beyond. In other words, Jonas can perceive colors, which citizens in his community are genetically engineered not to see (119). This demonstrates how a flaw in genetic engineering leads to differences and, thus, Sameness is no longer present. Therefore, Release is acquired, resulting in the collapse of The Giver community. As mentioned in “Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering in Humans” by Matt Bird, “Genetically altered babies will have no say in what’s being done to their bodies before birth, and consequently will have to live with whatever happens as a result of genetic tampering.” (3). This shows that people in The Giver have to live with how they are forcefully altered forever, though Sameness is not guaranteed. Once again, people who are not operated on for the manners of Sameness are “Released”, or killed, in The Giver community, as done to those with …show more content…
Author Lois Lowry depicts prejudice when Jonas’s father kills a twin newchild because it is identical. So, in rebellion, Jonas decides to leave the community (188). This explains how Jonas realizes that his community is prejudiced for the sake of diminishing differences and, thus, takes action. As rebellions help weaken the community, The Giver society is destined to fail. In a similar way, The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street by Rod Sterling, states, “He (Charlie) swings the gun around to point it toward the sidewalk. The dark figure continues to walk towards them. Charlie slowly raises the gun. As the figure gets closer and closer, he suddenly pulls the trigger.” (679). This shows how differences lead to people killed for no reason. So, the community breaks

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