The previous Receiver's name was Rosemary and her request for release had serious implications on the entire community. The Receiver's primary responsibility is to secure and preserve memories of the past before Sameness. As Jonas discovers, some of the memories of humanity's past are difficult, painful, and traumatic. During Rosemary's training sessions, the Giver found it extremely difficult to transfer physically painful memories to her and instead gave Rosemary memories of loneliness and loss. Rosemary became severely depressed and eventually committed suicide by requesting to be released. Once Rosemary was released, her traumatic, disturbing memories were randomly scattered throughout the community, where the highly-sensitive, naive citizens experienced them for the first time. Rosemary's release resulted in chaos as the citizens struggled to cope with the difficult, painful memories. The Giver tells Jonas,
"It was chaos...They really suffered for a while. Finally it subsided as the memories were assimilated. But it certainly made them aware of how they need a Receiver to contain all that pain. And Knowledge" (Lowry, 104).
Ever since the traumatic experience stemming from Rosemary's tragic situation, it has been written in the Receiver's rules that they are prohibited from requesting release.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Why was losing Rosemary disastrous for the Community?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What is the theme of the chapter Lead?
Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...
-
The statement "Development policy needs to be about poor people, not just poor countries," carries a lot of baggage. Let's dis...
-
James is very unhappy on a number of occasions throughout the story, but he's especially unhappy with his life situation as the story be...
-
Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...
-
One of the plot lines in Pride and Prejudice is Mrs. Bennet’s plan to marry off her daughters, preferably to rich men. Throughout the novel...
-
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that thrive in diverse environments (such as the ocean, the soil, and the human body). Various bac...
-
As if Hamlet were not obsessed enough with death, his uncovering of the skull of Yorick, the court jester from his youth, really sets him of...
-
Note that these events are not in chronological order. The story is told by the narrator, looking back upon her life. The first notable even...
No comments:
Post a Comment