LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 25:3 March 2025
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

Celebrate India!
Unity in Diversity!!

HOME PAGE

Click Here for Back Issues of Language in India - From 2001

Poetic Encounter
Available in https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09TT86S4T

Poems
Naked: the honest browsings of two brown women
Available in https://www.amazon.in

Decrees
Available in https://www.amazon.com

BOOKS FOR YOU TO READ AND DOWNLOAD FREE!

REFERENCE MATERIALS

BACK ISSUES

  • E-mail your articles and book-length reports in Microsoft Word to languageinindiaUSA@gmail.com.

  • PLEASE READ THE GUIDELINES GIVEN IN HOME PAGE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE LIST OF CONTENTS.

  • Your articles and book-length reports should be written following the APA, MLA, LSA, or IJDL Stylesheet.

  • The Editorial Board has the right to accept, reject, or suggest modifications to the articles submitted for publication, and to make suitable stylistic adjustments. High quality, academic integrity, ethics and morals are expected from the authors and discussants.

Copyright © 2024
M. S. Thirumalai

Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
11249 Oregon Circle
Bloomington, MN 55438
USA
Custom Search

Sameness and Memory: A Study of Lois Lowry’s The Giver

James Arputha Jeyaraj A X and Ms. Abinaya A., Assistant Professor

Abstract

Lois Lowry’s The Giver explores the concept of sameness and the significance of memory, illustrating how enforced uniformity diminishes individuality, personal freedom, and emotional depth. Set in a dystopian society that eliminates differences to ensure stability and prevent conflict, the novel highlights the consequences of sacrificing diversity for control. Elements such as climate regulation, strict family structures, limited decision-making, and the suppression of emotions expose the risks of prioritizing order over authentic human experiences. Jonas’s journey toward self-awareness and his resistance against the system serve as a critique of totalitarian rule, underscoring the essential role of memory in preserving humanity.

Keywords: The Giver, sameness, memory, dystopia, individuality, totalitarianism, emotional suppression, choice, utopia.

Is it possible to create a remarkable society by enforcing the concept of sameness? Imagine a world where differences are erased, and the dream of a perfect, conflict-free community becomes a reality. Every individual aspires to live in a society free from hunger, poverty, violence, prejudice, war, and discrimination. In such a world, every citizen is aware of their duties and responsibilities, striving to fulfill them to the best of their ability. The idea of constructing a model society, often referred to as a utopia, has led to the implementation of numerous rules and regulations. Lois Lowry, in The Giver, explores this notion by presenting a community devoid of war, pain, jealousy, vengeance, and suffering, achieved through the principle of sameness.

A society can never be purely good or evil; rather, it is a blend of both qualities. In The Giver, sameness is a concept that ensures uniformity in physical traits, behaviors, and attitudes from birth. “The society given in the novel “The Giver” strives for the sameness in physical appearance to eliminate any form of prejudice or differentiation based on looks”. (Muthuvetrivel e53). The Committee of Elders, the ruling authority in Jonas's community, oversees the enforcement of this concept. One of their most striking actions in pursuit of sameness was the regulation of weather and climate through an artificial control system. Natural, unpredictable weather was seen as a threat to survival, as it could hinder agricultural production and lead to hunger, poverty, and suffering. By controlling the climate, the Committee eliminated factors that could cause pain and disruption, reinforcing the ideology that sameness equates to stability and security.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.


James Arputha Jeyaraj A X
III B. A. English Literature
Nehru Arts and Science College, (Autonomous)
Nehru Gardens, Thirumalayampalayam
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu- 641105
jamesarputhajeyaraj2@gmail.com


Ms. Abinaya A
Assistant Professor
Department of English
Nehru Arts and Science College, (Autonomous)
Nehru Gardens, Thirumalayampalayam
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu- 641105
abinayaofficial.r17@gmail.com
Custom Search
  • Click Here to Go to Creative Writing Section

  • Send your articles
    as an attachment
    to your e-mail to
    languageinindiaUSA@gmail.com.
  • Please ensure that your name, academic degrees, institutional affiliation and institutional address, and your e-mail address are all given in the first page of your article. Also include a declaration that your article or work submitted for publication in LANGUAGE IN INDIA is an original work by you and that you have duly acknowledged the work or works of others you used in writing your articles, etc. Remember that by maintaining academic integrity we not only do the right thing but also help the growth, development and recognition of Indian/South Asian scholarship.