Destroying What is Killing us

Four weeks. Four weeks since Jonas stopped taking the pill. The stirrings returned, but just for Fionna, of course. There are unscheduled holidays and just before the Ceremony of December there was one. Everyone was happy and relieved to not have to work, or go to school. Jonas decided to spend the day with his friends. He found them on the park playing a war game with little kids. All of it was fun and laughter until Jonas remembered. He has the memory of war and all stunned of a sudden the game was not fun anymore and he decided to stop playing and left. That evening, during the night ritual, Jonas hides his feelings while father talks about a release ceremony he was performing the next morning. Twins, one of them, the thinner one, had to be released. Jonas started to question the idea of “release” and even asked the Giver about it. He was pretty much indifferent about it and instead, started to talk about the previous Receiver of Memories and her story. Rosemary, that was her. Rosemary could not handle the pain and applied for release. She was gone, and all the memories returned to the people. Everything was chaos. That very night Jonas was more curious of the release thing and saw his very own father perform a ceremony of release to one of the twins. In other words, Jonas saw his father kill a baby. That was the turning point in Jonas’ life. He and the Giver decided to make a plan. One way or another, all the memories will return to the people. 

To be honest, Jonas has to do a similar thing. 

Jonas’ father basically killed a new born baby; Jonas was in shock by just seeing a murder scene. And to add to his panic attack, his very own father was the murderer. Of course, his father probably had no idea what he was doing, but still, he killed an innocent life! “He killed it! My father killed it! Jonas said to himself, stunned at what he was realizing. He continued to stare at the screen numbly.” Pg. 150 I think Jonas was not prepared to see his dad take a life away. Yes, he had some memories of crime scenes, but apparently it was not enough. Jonas reacted terribly; he was confused, overwhelmed and even scared. Scared of his own father! Jonas lived in this community for so long, he is not used to violence at all. Seeing this changed him, forever. Murder scenes change people, and it is demonstrated in each and every episode of CSI. 

 

The only thing certain in this community is that everything is uncertain. Everything could be a lie or a joke. A disaster. The only choice left for Jonas and even the Giver is to try to safe these soon-to-be confused people. Save the memories, and for once in forever destroy the Sameness.