Virtanen, Tiina: Individual and social control in Lois Lowry's The Giver Pro gradu tutkielma, 78 sivua + bibliography. The purpose of my thesis is to examine how the individuals and the society are controlled in the dystopian society in Lois Lowry's The Giver (1993). To maintain this artificial state of "Equality", society has instituted a strict system of control, surveillance and punishments.
Jonas is assigned the position of "memory receiver", a person who stores in his mind all the memories of the time before the "sameness" in case the community needs advice based on past memories.
The Tradition and Characteristics of Dystopian Fiction 7
Dystopian fiction uses the protagonist's perspective to show readers the negative aspects of the world the protagonist inhabits. Hintz and Ostry (2003a, 1) argue that one of the earliest novels associated with utopian and dystopian writing for young adults is Sarah Fielding's The Governess or, Little Female Academy (1749). One of the main reasons for the existence of hope in young adult dystopian fiction is the authors' heightened awareness of their audience.
Thus, the function of protagonists in dystopias for young adults is not integrative, but transformational.
Foucault’s Techniques of Discipline 21
This constant control and determination of presence and absence relates to the ideas of the Panopticon, which we will discuss after the rest of the techniques. The value of a member is defined by the position an individual holds in society and by the "goods" an individual with that position can produce for society, but regardless of what position it is, it can be easily replaced if not he is doing his job. or her assignments as necessary. Thus, as Foucault argues (148), the art of distribution. transforms confused, useless or dangerous multitudes into orderly multiplicities”. In The Giver, the mutual interchangeability of individuals becomes evident in the muttering ritual of exchange during the naming ceremony, where children are given their names and family units. In the ceremony, the family unit receives a male child as a replacement for the child the unit lost due to accidental drowning. The child is recognized as a "substitute child". Lowry, 44), and was given the same name as the drowned man, Caleb.
The individual value of the original Caleb is negated as he is assigned the void left behind and. As noted earlier, totalitarian collectivism is one of the main characteristics of oppressive regimes in dystopian fiction. Dystopian collectivism justifies its subordination of individuals to a group, to collective action and thought, with the concept of the common good.
Activities and interests considered by dystopian regimes to be counterproductive or unproductive to the common good are those "crucial sites for the development of individual identity and fulfillment of individual desires" (Booker and Thomas, 65-66). These forbidden activities in dystopian fiction and in The Giver include, for example, sexual desire "because such desire is difficult to subordinate to the larger concerns of the community" (Latham, 2004). In practice, this would mean, as Latham (2004) notes, that "the interests [and talents] of the individual are subordinated to the good of the community".
As Jay (410) points out, "the external gaze becomes an internalized one" and the objects of observation follow themselves. The themes of surveillance and genetic modification were extensively discussed in the early 1990s with the publication of The Giver.
Invading the Physical and Psychical Private Spaces 30
The Giver begins with Jonas's recollection of an incident where an unidentified aircraft violated the community's airspace. These public displays of the speakers' power to publicly shame transgressors encourage the residents to follow the rules. They record everything that is said around them, further disrupting the private spaces of the community.
In addition to being a way to gather information on residents, sharing dreams and feelings relates to the stagnant emotional lives of community residents. Dream narratives and nocturnal discussions of feelings add another, complex level of surveillance, as community residents "participate in the production of control." The family imposes the medication on Jonas internally, without any intervention or guidance from the committee responsible for the community.
The inhabitants of the Giver have developed, as Foucault argues, a self-regulatory mechanism where members of the community observe and discipline themselves. Control is largely invisible and unknown to community members, but the Board of Elders conducts a form of public observation. In addition to future assignments, children are keenly aware of the legal system around them.
Although this is a minor rule, the systematic violation of the rule illustrates some form of resistance and understanding that not all rules in society are necessary or important. This is reminiscent of the second Foucauldian technique, the control of activity discussed in the theory section.
Disrupting Bodily Integrity 43
Therefore, light eyes are an accepted difference, although, as the Receiver of Memory says, "the genetic scientists are still hard at work working out the kinks" (Lowry, 95) of their interference with the exterior of the present bodies. perfect. in the community. The attitude towards any physical problems is extremely negative among the adult and young adult population of the community. As pointed out earlier, the residents of the community are medicated daily to suppress their sexual desires, known as 'Stirrings'.
After that, they are workers for the rest of their adult lives, until the day they enter a retirement home. They should be given hard work to learn self-discipline to transform themselves back into useful members of the community. Perhaps one of the reasons for the resistance to birth mothers stems from their special position, their possibility of being individuals outside the collective demands of the community for three years.
New children are released if they do not develop according to the expectations and standards of the Nurturers. They appreciate his success in the totalitarian education system, his achievements in his path to becoming a beneficial member of the community. Jonas puts Gabriel's well-being before his own, something the emotionally stunted members of the community could never do.
Foucault (160) notes in his discussion of the organization of genesis that "power is directly articulated in time." The discussion begins with a description of memory erasure, bloodlines, and the complicated position of the Memory Taker.
The Containment of Memories 52
The family units in the community of Die Gewer lack all these forms and sources of group memory. When Jonas is told that he is going to save the memories of the whole world, he is rightly confused: "I don't know what you mean when you say 'the whole world.' The worldviews of the members of the community are fragmented without any real relationships or connections.
This special person, the Recipient of Memory, holds all memories of the time before the Board decided to continue the "Sameness". The Committee forces Jonas and the Recipient of Memory to suffer enormous physical pain for the good of the community so that the rest of the members can live uncomplicated and pain-free lives. The Receiver is an outcast in society, accepted as part of society only when his help and guidance are needed.
He is unnoticed or shunned by most members of society due to the mysterious aura surrounding the position. The last time the current recipient's advice was sought was when the unknown aircraft broke into the community's airspace. What follows is that the Receiver's position and task as counselor is secondary to that of the sacrificial lamb, to free others from the pain the memories carry.
In order to make an informed decision, the memoir must give the Recipient a full understanding of the situation and the aspects that may affect the outcome. The explanations that the Receiver gives Jonas about the memories are of course influenced by the Receiver's own ideas and attitudes.
Linguistic Oppression 65
One of the words completely excluded from the community's vocabulary is the name of the former intern for the position of Receiver of Memory. Rosemary released herself at the beginning of the training, but the memories she had received were released into society and chaos ensued for a moment. It is clear that others have been instructed to lie to prevent other members from learning the true nature of the actions being taken in the community.
It is also worth noting that the board controls the production and consumption of the written word. Community members have no sources of written texts other than those issued by the board, as there are no newspapers or libraries in the community. A limited and flawed vocabulary guides the thinking of members in the community, and color blindness further prevents them from understanding any of the memories Jonas has been given.
Community members are under constant surveillance; every word is listened to and recorded and lines are bombarded by the loudspeakers. This fear of the past and present has led the community to compartmentalize and delegate all memories to the recipient who must. Language could be a powerful medium for expressing individual hopes and desires, but insufficient language in the community deprives members of the ability to communicate properly.
He refuses to accept the current situation in society and assert the position that was predetermined for him. A useful knowledge of the present is rooted in the past': Memory and Historical Reconciliation in Ursula K.
