The Beginning of the Book "The Giver"

The book “The Giver” is about a boy named Jonas who lives in a society with his family unit and is about to become a Twelve. In this community there are many rules for every individual depending on your age and assignment. Each family is made up of a mom a dad a boy and a girl; you are not allowed to have babies unless you are a birthmother, and to get a child to have to apply for one. Each December, there is a ceremony were you change your age and new rules are given or taken away from each kid. At the ceremony of twelve, the last ceremony, you turn from being a kid to an adult and you get assigned for a job based on you volunteer hours and what the elders think it is best for each.  Jonas has no idea what his assignment could be so he is very nervous for his ceremony of twelve which is approaching. Jonas father is a Nurturer, he is in charged of all the newborn babies of the community until they get assigned to a family unit; but he is constantly breaking the rules, like for example, he brought one of the newborns to his house. Each job in the community is very important in the society, but not all of them are honored in there. Birthmothers have very little honor, but can also be important to keep the society growing.  As each individual becomes old, they are sent to the old house and later gets released which is a mystery for everyone in the community.

 After reading this couple of chapters of this book, my predictions are that Jonas’ ceremony of twelve will come soon and will get assigned to his job. His whole life is going to change and he is going to be trained for his assignment.  I think that his assignment will be at the house of the old because he has spent some of his volunteer hours there. Since this community has no idea what “being released” means, Jonas is going to find out and start disagreeing with the rule the society has. As time passes, Jonas will start to see life differently and will no longer think the way he used to think before becoming a twelve. 

“He was fascinated. It didn't seem a terribly important rule, but the fact that his father had broken a rule at all awed him” (12). My reaction towards this quote is impressing because I didn't imagine that anyone in this community had the courage to break a law, even if it was a small law. I think that father is a very intelligent man who is constantly breaking laws for his benefit and to find a way to improve or find solutions to situations. Breaking a rule in this community almost always had a consequence, sometimes big such as being released, or something small such as a reminder through the speakers. Jonas is very fascinated at this moment because he couldn't imagine his father breaking a rule and not being worried about it and happy about what he did. Finally, people in this society can be very scared and careful about breaking a law and this helps the society maintain order and peace.