Class Management In 'The Giver'

The Giver

Class management

Class management is evident in the Giver through the assignment of jobs. In The Community, all jobs are supposed to be given the same respect, even though some are considered more prestigious than others. For example, when Lily says she would like to get assigned to be a Birthmother, her mother does not approve. ““I hope I get assigned to be Birthmother.”“ Lily!” Mother spoke very sharply. “Don’t say that. There’s very little honor in that Assignment”” (Lowry 21). Sameness was introduced to the community to avoid inequality and discomfort. Lily’s mother however, was able to recognise the jobs that received more distinction. She was feeling extremely uncomfortable when Lily stated that she wanted a job that was not very well

This is a dystopian feature because this shows us that the Birthmother assignment is not seen as honourable in society, even though it is one of the most important. It is not only the adults that share these beliefs, the children do too. ““I heard about a guy who was absolutely certain he was going to be assigned Engineer,” Asher muttered as they ate, “and instead they gave him Sanitation Laborer. He went out the next day, jumped into the river, swam across, and joined the next community he came to” (Lowry 47) This is proof to us that Sameness is not very effective in Jonas’ world, because someone who was assigned Representative of the Department of Justice would probably not jump into the river, while someone who was assigned Fish Hatchery Attendant might. Even though some may be given unpleasant or undesirable jobs, someone has to do them. This is dystopian because everyone’s job should be valued equally because they all contribute to making sure the Community runs smoothly. For a society to be utopian, no one should feel like