A New World

Jonas is nervous. he was given the assignment or as his mother calls it, the honor, of being the Receiver of Memories. As he reads through the rules he realises his whole world will change, he cannot share any of his dreams anymore, he is now allowed to lie (this rule makes him very uncomfortable) and now he can ask any question, even very personal questions, and he will receive an answer. Jonas goes to his 1st visit to the Receiver of Memories training. A new world is opened before his eyes, the elder training him transmits memories to him, of things that don't exist anymore, that have been eliminated or changed. Jonas learns what snow is, what a hill and a sled are. These things have now disappeared because the community lives in sameness.

I remember that te receiver of memories needed the ability of seeing beyond. In pg. 91 Jonas says "Then today, just now, outside, it happened with my friend Fiona. She herself didn't change, exactly. But something about her changed for a second. Her hair looked different; but not its shape, not its length. I can't quite -......... it changed. I don't know how or why." To me, at the moment, it seemed like it was like Jonas had a super power that only the people who where able to be receivers of memory possessed whatever it was. Later on we learn that Jonas is talking about color. This community is so concentrated in sameness that they took away all the color, from everything. Could you imagine a colourless world? No green trees or red roses. everything would be the same. I think that taking color away from people is simply too much. how can color not be part of the so called perfect society? The community rules are so oppressive not even color is allowed. I believe through this the author wants to transmit the discrimination the world we live in has against differences. without color there would be no racism, like we have in our present day world. I find the missing color is a very contradictory concept, it may help but it is still too extreme for my opinion.