*SPOILER ALERT*
In Lois Lowry’s novel, The Giver, Jonas is a young boy within a, seemingly, utopian community isolated from the outside world. When the community council has determined Jonas as being of appropriate age, he is designated the task of receiving the forbidden knowledge of the world through memories. These memories are burdening and emotionally charged as they reveal all the evils and beauty (past and present) of humanity. However, Jonas sets on a a dangerous path once he begins to question the morality of his community’s institutional practices. Jonas represents both the shaman and savior archetype of the male divine.
Jonas transcends reality and receives visions from his mentor. All knowledge of the past and present world, existing outside his controlled community, are transferred to him. And with this are the hidden truths of humanity. Jonas is able to access a realm that others are blind to. He receives visions/memories of war, famine, color and love. His training acts as a journey that steers him towards a spiritual awakening. Jonas realizes that his community operates around the concealment of truth from its citizens. This limitation of knowledge results in muted emotions and impacts the quality of the human spirit.
Driven by his awakening, Jonas seeks to save the marginalized, innocent and ignorant of his community. The institutions of his community conceal their current violations against humanity to preserve their utilitarian society. The council, frequently, euthanizes elderly, twins, and infant citizens. Individuals whom are deemed unsuitable for the function and productivity of society are killed. Below the surface of the pleasant community exists the ugly ideology that people are disposable. Jonas does not remain passive in the face of evil. To the best of his ability, he bestows his forbidden knowledge upon others. He brings them out of darkness and into a new state of consciousness despite the possibility of capital consequences. In addition, he rescues and protects an infant sentenced to termination (euthanasia). The infant had committed no transgressions worthy of death but his behaviors were deemed imperfect. Jonas flees the community with the innocent child, saving his life and entering into a foreign world
Mythology and Ideology 