Having a responsibility to look forward to once developing a certain age is an exceedingly important responsibility. These are also known as privileges and are a part of normal life in this society that these young people have to grow up in. These privileges are what normal life is like in the award winning novel The Giver by Lois Lowry. In this book, Lowry describes how everything being the same is not the right way of life. While in this society, Lowry explains that having responsibilities while aging, changes the character of the younger generations.

In this rough community that Jonas and his friends and family members have to grow up in, they do not have to go out and buy anything. Everything that is needed to survive is hand given to them. Also, your siblings aren’t even blood related, same thing with your parents. “Like the Matching of Spouses and the Naming and Placement of new children, the assignments were scrupulously thought by the Committee of Elders” (Lowry, 48). With this being said, the ones Jonas lives with are not even his blood parents/siblings. This is what Jonas finds out later on and realizes that he can run away from this harsh way of life and goes on a journey to find Elsewhere.

When the children in the community are given objects once they have acquired a certain age, is also considered a rites of passage. Saying the fact that they have to learn responsibility and care for the item that they are receiving for that age. Such as the coats and the bikes they are given. These are also known as the privileges for the children to let them learn responsibilities. “The children all received their bicycles at nine; they were not allowed to ride bicycles before then” (Lowry, 13). This helps them learn to maintain an object that they can care for and will use this responsibility later on in life. Also, since everyone is the same in this society that is lived in, they are all treated the same way. As well as everyone being equal with each other as for that everyone receives a bicycle at nine.

When the Ceremony of Twelve occurs, it is a big deal in the community to both the children and adults. All the parents of the community are watching their twelve’s obtaining their job task to obtain for the rest of their life. “Finally, it was the morning of the Ceremony of Twelve. Where I find out my task for the rest of my life” (Lowry, 45). If someone does not show up to work several times, they can be released. Jonas never knew what this “release” was until his father told him what it was because this is what Jonas’ father did for a living. Once Jonas received his task, he was a bit upset with his job. He was assigned the Receiver of Memory and thought that there was not going to be another one after the first one had passed on. Later on in Jonas’ journey, Jonas discovers that the old Receiver of Memory was the Giver’s daughter. Her name was Rosemary and she insisted that she’d be released. Once Jonas has had enough of this horrible life, he decided to run away and find Elsewhere. On this adventure, Jonas did not want traveled alone, so he brought Gabriel.

On this incredible adventure that Jonas has gone through find Elsewhere, Lowry portrays the image of Jonas carrying Gabriel up the hill in the harsh conditions. In the novel The Giver, Lowry describes the way of life in the society that Jonas has to grow up in. Of this way that he grows up in, Lowry shows abstractly why Jonas ran away to find Elsewhere and took Gabriel with him. Along this harsh adventure, The Giver helped Jonas plan his escape back in the town. It was during a ceremony and Jonas was supposed to show up. His parents were clueless in the act and had no idea where he was. During the ceremony, Jonas was fighting off the rain, which he had never before experienced back in the community. This book all falls back on the statement, having responsibilities while aging, changes the character of the younger generations.