Crystal Schmiesing- Final Exam Essay

Jonas from The Giver for sure completed a hero’s journey. It took a lot to have to take the pain of being the giver. Knowing what others could not, having no one to tell. No one to talk to about all his pain, suffering, and anger. Dealing with everything basically on his own, how could you not go crazy, I mean really? I would go insane. Having to deal with pain, pain you’ve never known before. The only pain you’ve ever known was slamming you finger in the door. How did he handle it so well? I can’t even imagine.
When Jonas had to show up his first day at the Giver’s house he walked in and saw a lady sitting at a desk. She called the giver on a little intercom asking if Jonas could be let in, he noticed that the Giver’s place had locks on all the doors. Which was very odd to him seeing as how nothing was supposed to have locks. When he stepped into the room where the Giver was the first thing he noticed were all these books. There were shelves and shelves of them. He thought it was amazing how the Giver could just turn off the announcements.
Jonas really didn’t like having to be the giver. It meant being alone, for the most part, because as it said you couldn’t tell anyone anything, you can’t show anyone your pain. They couldn’t understand even if you were able to tell them. You have to remember they know nothing of pain, all they know is "perfect", which means they honestly know nothing at all. They know rules, they’re taught to do what is consider right, when they do something wrong they get a get a slap on the hand and are assumed to never do it again. Like once Jonas was waiting in line to get a snack and out loud he said he wanted his smack because well he was a little kid what did he know. So they gave him his smack.
The heroic part of this story, I think, was when Jonas planned to run away but when he found out that they were going to release( kill) Gabe he decided he had to take him with him. That was just about the most exciting part of the book, he gets on his bike and he makes it out of the community. He keeps going and going and its like he makes it to the real world, with real people who feel and think for them selves. As if the communities he’d been in and seen and heard about were just a dream. There was color and life, there was actually snow.