Theme Of Heroism In The Giver

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What is the basis for being called a hero? Is it as simple as doing good deeds for others without asking anything in return? Or, do we sacrifice our lives to save the others? Empathy may become a standard for heroism. We can all be considered heroes by the small acts that we do, as long as we choose to better our society. In the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, Lowry tells the story of a young 11-year-old boy Jonas who lives in “the community.” The people of the community all practice “Sameness,” where there is no war, death, and suffering. There is no freedom of choice in the society, which is why Jonas decides to leave his hometown. Everyone and everything are treated equally. Despite abandoning his community, Jonas is an example of a heroic character and demonstrates true meaning of heroism. Using the outline of The Hero’s Journey, the outline justifies …show more content…

The day arrived for the Ceremony of Twelve, which Jonas had been waiting for. As Jonas watched his friends receive their assignments, he realized that he was skipped over. Although he knew that he got skipped over, he waited until the end of ceremony in order to show respect. Therefore, he is a good role model to his community. Later, at the end of the ceremony, the Elders explained that Jonas has been selected as the Receiver. “In a firm, commanding voice she announced, Jonas has been selected to be our next Receiver of Memory (pg 60).” “He has shown all of the qualities that a Receiver must have (pg 62).” The Elders believed that Jonas had the qualities for the task, which includes intelligence, integrity, courage, wisdom, and the capacity to see beyond. As a Receiver, he had rules to follow: he could ask any questions, he was not allowed to discuss his trainings to family and friends, he was not allowed to share his dreams, he could not apply medication to training injuries, he could not ask to be released, and he can

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