People living in society today have the freedom to make personal choices within their daily lives, whether it may be what stuffed animals they like to play with as a child or what career they will pursue as an adult.  Choices are constantly being made by people, which reflects their individuality and the amount of varying personalities and interests shared within a community. 

In understanding how the world works, the community within the novel The Giver is portrayed as completely opposite from how people currently function in society today.  As I read the novel, I began to come to the conclusion that the community within this book does not allow many of the freedoms that people in society today take for granted.  In The Giver, mothers are not allowed to raise their own biological children.  Families must apply for a child, and there can only be one boy and one girl living within a household.  Rules are constantly enforced through the loudspeaker in the community, and children receive their “assignments” (jobs) at the age of twelve.  I am well aware that in the real world, things do not happen this way.  By knowing the world around me my responses to the text result in obvious confusion, yet a strong fascination to better understand the somewhat abnormal community.  It intrigues me on how people can be run in such a manner, and how they do not understand the situation they are in or ways to change it.  It frustrates me that each person is not able to choose for themselves what they want to do with their life, and that they are subjected to various ceremonies in order to “move-up” in life. 

 As the world progresses in society today, people are continually gaining more freedoms, essentially making the world a place to express oneself in any way desired.  By fully comprehending this notion, I feel the community in The Giver needs to make some drastic changes and improvements.