Inhuman Human Nature: Lois Lowry’s The Giver

Oznur Cengiz ()
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Oznur Cengiz: Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey

Eurasian Journal of Social Sciences, 2017, vol. 5, issue 2, 18-24

Abstract: Lois Lowry (1937- ) is a prolific author having a number of books – Number the Stars (1989), Gathering Blue (2000), and Messenger (2004) – and awards especially in the field of children’s literature. Her significant science fiction novel, The Giver (1993), presents a social panorama in order to thoroughly analyze the society’s mechanical life style. As an example of dystopia, the author delineates a systematically organized social order where people abide by the rules naturally. Nevertheless, Jonas, the protagonist and Receiver of Memory, is the first person to discern robotic/mechanical order in the society which is transformed into “sameness” eliminating all individual differences and emotions such as pain, happiness, cold, colors, and so on. Therefore, Receiver of Memory storing past memories of the society is the only one who is aware of human characteristics. The crucial point is that human figure, far from the current one, displays inhuman (non-human) features without memories and hope. Mechanical association between individuals and social structure ascertains artificial form of life in which there is no chance to choose. After learning truths behind the strict order, Jonas is in pursuit of real world with all kinds of feelings; however, his recognition is not able to change the whole society. Hence, this paper aims at delving into the relationship between human nature and society with regard to posthuman approach and inhuman human form in accordance with transformation of human nature.

Keywords: Dystopia; Memory; Inhuman; Transformation; Posthumanism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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