The+Giver+Journal

What is valued in Jonas’s Community? An example of a rule that is valued in his community is getting an assignment. Jonas, the main character in __The Giver,__ by Lois Lowry, lives in a Utopia, or perfect place. His community consists of very strict laws, which if broken, consequences will occur.

There are a few laws that aren’t as important in Jonas’s community, yet they still are not allowed to be broken. A rule, which is almost always broken, is the Nine’s getting their bicycles. Jonas quotes, “…Nine that year, and got her bicycle. I’d been teaching her to ride mine, even though technically I wasn’t supposed to… It was one of the few rules that was not taken very seriously and was almost always broken” (13). This quote shows how Nine’s getting their bicycles is not an important law, and that is it often broken.

Another rule, which is taken very seriously, is getting an assignment. These assignments become your job starting at Twelve. Jonas says, “It was a secret selection, made by the leaders of the community, the Committee of Elders, who took the responsibility so seriously that there were never even any jokes made by the Assignments” (15). This shows how the Elders life professions very seriously, showing it is an important rule.