In Chapters 16-18 of The Giver, Jonas is learning more and more about freedom from the community he knows (or used to know). There are decisions he has to make on his own, and doubts he is starting to have about his community. First, his life is simple and easy, and now his mind is working more and more on its own. He even had the decision to throw away his pill that prevents him from having dreams. Now he has this freedom that comes with his new job, the world he grew up in is crumbling all around him, revealing in the cracks a new way of living, with more possibilities, yet more faults...
Before he was selected as the Receiver of Memories, Jonas was as disciplined as everyone else in the community. Told not to pry into other people's business, and never to tell a lie. Now, Jonas is allowed to lie, and realizes how easy it is to get other people to believe in things that aren't true. If everybody in the community had the privilege of lying, what would their way of living be like? We, in our world today, are allowed to lie (but told against it). It's common sense not to believe everything you hear, and to think about somebody's answer before accepting it. Freedom can be a negative thing, and reveal some problems in having people decide things on their own.
Since Jonas has felt all these emotions and seen the colors, naturally he would want to have freedom. There is a reason that color was relinquished, though, and we have to wonder. Is this the best way? Is what we're doing now good for us, or will it lead to chaos? The Committee obviously thought so, and they live an organized world. Perfect.
Freedom. Ziyou. Vrijhead. Kalayaan. La liberte. Freiheit. Liberta. Jiyu. Jayu. Kebebasan. Liberdade. Libertate. La libertad.
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