The Giver Identity Theme

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The theme of identity can be found throughout many works of literature in all time periods. This is a theme often paired with other ideas, such as the characters having a desire to fit into a certain group or to be accepted by not only themselves, but others, too. Sometimes, this appears in text as a crisis. Other times, the journey to identity is seen as a positive endeavor for the main character. In two postmodernism-era books, The Giver by Lois Lowry and Divergent by Veronica Roth, with the theme of identity present, both similarities and differences can be found in how the authors incorporated it into their novels.
First, it is important to know what exactly the theme of identity might mean. Characters learning who they are and identifying …show more content…

To loosely explain, Jonas was born into a bland society where everybody was kind and content, but choice was nonexistent. At the age of 12, he was assigned the job of collecting memories from the past and keeping them for the civilization. As a result of this, Jonas met The Giver, an older man who, at that point, held the job Jonas was assigned. Through his experiences with the man and sharing memories, Jonas learns that he wishes he were a part of those times. Those memories gave him feelings he’d never experienced before, ones that made the world’s current situation seem so bland and monotonous. Ultimately, it is because of these feelings and experiences that Jonas began his journey in self-identity. Lowry writes, “He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo,” (The Giver, 180.) These lines represent Jonas’ sense of hope in his new home by the end of the novel. Through his use of both memories and living in the present, Jonas came to an awakening. He realized that the Giver was a large part in his identity, and also simply that he is a new person now, living in a world where, while it might be scary at times, choice exists. With that choice comes his ability to shape himself into the person he truly wants to

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