Its been almost a year since Jonas started his training. On the day in which his father says that he will release a twin baby, Jonas goes to the Giver and they both watch the release happening. While Jonas watches the tape, he sees that one of the babies is injected with something lethal. He realizes that being released actualy means getting killed. He feels horrified at what his father does at work. He never knew about it before.
Jonas realizes that Gabriel will be released also. The Giver and Jonas create a plan so that Jonas and Gabriel can escape and leave the community forever. Jonas sneeks out of his house during the night with Gabriel. The journey is very difficult. There are long roads on his bicicle, long walking distances, and weather problems. Finally Jonas sees a bunch of lights in the distance. Next to him there is a red sled. He gets on the sled with Gabriel and they ride down towards the lights.
What I thought about:
"The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared" (154).
The quote struck me because its actually true because the Giver kept those memories for 10 years. Now Jonas and Gabe will have those memories until they die unless they share them. The loneliness is because for a long time they don't have anybody to share happy memories with. When I can't share happy memories, it feels like I can't express my feelings. So its really hard for me to think of what it would be like for the Giver to never be able to share.
"Listen to me, Jonas. they can't help it. They know nothing... It's the way they live. It's the life that was created for them. It's the same life that you would have, if you had not been chosen as my successor " (153).
This is something that the Giver tells Jonas when Jonas cries after seeing his father kill an innocent baby. The giver reminds Jonas that its not really their fault that they murder people because they are ignorant. Its hard to think about what they people do and now how to feel about it. One the one hand, they are killing inocent children and other people which is totally unfair and horrible. On the other hand, they don't even know what they are doing so its sort of hard to blame them, although you can feel hatred towards them.
What I conclude:
Its hard to know to know exactly what happens at the end of the book. We don't know if that is actually a town that Jonas sees or if it is an illusion. When I first finished the book, I thought that he actually reaches the town, but the more I think about it, the less sure I am about it. I think that's why this is such a good book. You can debate it with people.
I also think that this is a good book because I can think about that their distopian world and our world can be similar and different in many ways. Its really difficult to decide if a society that is so peaceful like theirs is actually better than ours knowing that they still do things like kill people unfairly. It makes me wonder if its better to no know what's going on, or to know the truth.
All and all, I really liked this book a lot. I recommend it to people who like to think and compare and contrast. One of my favorite parts was when Jonas starts to se color and the apple. Its exciting to read that and not really know what he sees, but know that something cool is about ti happen.
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