Question

The Community in the novel "The Giver" has many rules, all of which carry a strict penalty. Pick one of the rules from the novel and describe why you think that rule exists, along with how you believe the rule helps or hurts the Community.

Option 1: Strict rules exist to maintain control and order, ultimately helping the Community.
Option 2: Strict rules exist to suppress individuality, ultimately hurting the Community.
Option 3: Strict rules exist to promote creativity, ultimately helping the Community.
Option 4: Strict rules exist to prevent accidents, ultimately helping the Community.

Answer 1

In 'The Giver,' strict rules maintain control and order, fostering trust but suppressing individuality (option 1). The rules create a predictable society at the cost of personal freedoms and emotional depth, reflecting larger societal debates.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Lois Lowry's novel The Giver, the Community enforces strict rules to maintain societal control and order, which ultimately helps the Community by promoting a certain conception of harmony and stability. An example is the rule against lying, which supports a social structure based on predictable and trustworthy behavior.

This rule is essential because it fosters trust among Community members; without it, the social fabric that the Community relies on might unravel. However, such rules can also suppress individuality and freedom of expression, leading to a society where uniqueness is undervalued, and personal growth is stifled.

These rules are not meant to promote creativity or prevent accidents specifically, but rather to maintain the homogeneity and predictability of the Community's daily life. While this may result in an efficient and orderly environment, it can also contribute to a stifling atmosphere where independent thinking and acting are discouraged.

Overall, the strict rules in The Giver are indicative of an attempt by the governing authority to create a utopian society free from conflict and pain, but at the cost of individual rights and emotional depth. The balance between societal need and individual freedom is a central theme in the story and reflects broader philosophical debates about the role of government and the importance of autonomy.