Dystopia Land discussion

Could anyone explain what the purpose of the receiver really is, and does the Committee of the Elders really approve of it?

The Receiver is the next memory keeper as the older 'giver' passes the memorys to someone younger. I guess when all the memorys are passed to the new person the giver goes into 'retirement'. as in gets killed as all the old people do. Kind of like Logan's Run.

Paul.

I definitely think the Committee of elders approve because if a Giver dies, the memories don't die with them, they are returned to the community.

Raquel wrote: "Could anyone explain what the purpose of the receiver really is, and does the Committee of the Elders really approve of it?"


The person that holds the memories is there to help the elderly make decisions based on the knowledge provided by his memories.

Knowledge that the elders do not have not only because they do not know about the world before, but also because the communities memories do not extend behind their own lives. They have no books and they keep no records, so they wouldn't know if the same change has been made in the community in the past and what was the outcome.
Simply put the elders are like children, they are not wise enough to take some decisions.

The elders not only approve it, but they know the holder of the memories is essential for the community survival. They have some subconscious fear of things going badly even they do not know what that entails. What also scares them is the fact that the giver is so different they cannot understand him/her, which means there is more to this world that they do not understand. And the fact that their future, balance and the preservation of their community lies on the shoulders of one person.

What I do not understand is why the memories go back in the community not in the original giver, since other people can't receive the memories anyway.

I think it is important to keep in mind the relationship between memories and pain. The elders know that the memories are necessary for decision making, as Ellie said. But it is important that they stay isolated with the giver/receiver.

Think about your first love, or even your current one, or maybe a parent who has passed away. I know I have very mixed feelings associated with those memories. There is no love without pain, and sometimes that pain reaches nearly unbearable levels. But it is worth it. What the elders in "The Giver" have done is taken away the love, so as to avoid the pain.

Ellie [The Empress] wrote: "Raquel wrote: "Could anyone explain what the purpose of the receiver really is, and does the Committee of the Elders really approve of it?"


The person that holds the memories is there to help the..."

I wondered that too!

I just had an afterthought. Seeing the Givers pain is also what scares the elderly. There is nothing more scary than the unknown.


Ellie [The Empress] wrote: "What I do not understand is why the memories go back in the community not in the original giver, since other people can't receive the memories anyway. ?"

Another question is what happened with the memories he imprinted on the baby?