What was the first young adult dystopia and why was it important?
- L. G. Jenkins
- Jul 23, 2024
- 3 min read
With over 2 million ratings on Goodreads and coming out at 4.3 stars, The Giver By Lois Lowry has been hailed as a triumph in dystopian fiction.
Summary of The Giver
To sum it up, The Giver is set in a skewed version of the future where citizens are given Assignments at the age of twelve and bikes at the age of nine. These are just a couple of examples of how everyone is forced into a 'Sameness' in their lifestyles. We follow Jonas who is given a special Assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve - he will be the next Receiver of Memory. As a result, he meets his predecessor, The Giver (woah, that's the name of the book!) who gifts him with memories from a previous time in history (probably the life we're living now).
The first young adult dystopia
Being published in 1993, The Giver followed a plethora of 20th century dystopian books that served as a warning against political and governmental regimes. I'm talking about, of course, things like We, Brave New World, and 1984. However, as Philip Stoner mentions in his article on the evolution of dystopian fiction, The Giver was the first dystopian book to take on a prominent young adult style and rather that a warning, it positioned dystopia as a way of remembering. It is after this time that dystopian books started to boom and become popular through other young adult series such as The Hunger Games and Divergent.
A dystopian lesson in interdependence and relationship
Having recently read the novel, I believe Stoner's observation is very perceptive. As we journey through Jonas' discovery of memories from a previous time, we are reminded of the redeeming qualities of love, family and relationship. Lois Lowry herself said about this novel, and the two that followed, that they speak to 'the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.' However, it's not through 'Sameness' that people should connect with each other, but through their individual expression, creativity and vibrancy. We are shown this through Jonas' discovery of colour in his otherwise grey, predictable and dull world of the same things happening every day.
Another experience Jonas is exposed to is pain. In his world, pain isn't something experienced, mainly because of their lack of developing deep, meaningful relationships or any feeling of attachment (they take drugs to avoid any such desire). In addition, the lack of vibrant experience means very little physical incidents occur - the adrenaline Jonas feels when he's given a memory of sledging down a snow hill is euphoric. What struck me most is the way that Lowry is encouraging us, in a typical dystopian fashion, to remember that love and relationship often doesn't exist without pain and suffering. For example, the agony of grief only exists because of love being shared and expressed. This is something Jonas experiences for himself towards the end of the novel when it comes to the baby, Gabriel. We see his character develop from a dull conformist to someone who cares deeply for another.
It is through this that The Giver, as most dystopian books do, has given me a reminder of what really matters in life. Beyond the goals of security and consistency in life lies our innate need to care and love for each other. In that, there lies vibrancy, experience and life to its fullest.
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