The Role and Symbolism of Rosemary in The Giver
The Role and Symbolism of Rosemary in The Giver
Academic level: Master’s
Essay type: Memoir
Size: 2 pages ~ (981 words)
An American dystopian novel by Lois Lowry–The Giver, is an impactful work that provokes thought and discusses a range of important topics. At the heart of the story, is a seemingly utopian society that has accepted “Sameness” to embrace equality and conformity. As the story unfolds, the utopian society turns out to be dystopian–people within it have given up not only on strife and pain but also on the depth of their emotions, memory, freedom of will, and individuality. Although she is not the main character and only appears in front of the reader briefly, Rosemary (the Giver’s apprentice before Jonas) plays a pivotal role in the novel. Her story underscores the complexity of human emotions, as well as the heavy burden of carrying memory. This essay aims to explore the role of Rosemary The Giver and the symbols hidden in this character.
In order to understand the symbolism and impact of Rosemary on society and the story’s protagonist Jonas, it’s important to dig into her character’s development and fate. So, who is Rosemary in The Giver? Rosemary is Jonas’s predecessor and the previous apprentice of the Giver. As the potential successor, she was meant to become the Receiver of Memory–a person who has to absorb and process the memories of the entire society from the past. However, unlike Jonas who received physical pain from the community, Rosemary had to deal with emotional pain, such as memories of hunger, loss, and others. And she couldn’t handle them, which brings us to the first important symbol–the burden of memory. After just five weeks of her training, Rosemary could no longer withstand the pressure of the memories of community members and asked for a release (euthanasia). An important thing is that Rosemary only received a small part of the emotional pain taken away from society: “Rosemary had only those five weeks’ worth, and most of them were good ones. But there were those few terrible memories, the ones that had overwhelmed her.” This fact emphasizes the huge power of negative emotions and the burden they can put on a person.
Apart from demonstrating the true burden of memory, Rosemary is also a symbol of individuality and defiance. Rosemary was born and raised in a society that ignores memories, emotions, and, respectively, any forms of individuality. It’s a community where everyone is supposed to be equal, the same as others, and where chores stand above freedom of will or choice. Furthermore, she was chosen to become the apprentice of the Giver, with whom she had a very close bond. As the Giver said to Jonas: “Her name was Rosemary. She was my daughter. I loved her.” Although she was his daughter just metaphorically, the Giver clearly loved Rosemary a lot. Nevertheless, the power of chores was so strong that it didn’t stop him from putting the burden of memory onto her: “She insisted that I continue, that I not spare her. She said it was her duty. And I knew, of course, that she was correct. I couldn’t bring myself to inflict physical pain on her. But I gave her anguish of many kinds. Poverty, and hunger, and terror. I had to, Jonas. It was my job. And she had been chosen.” But what happened to Rosemary in The Giver, despite her duty? She chose herself over a community and requested a release. This shows her stance on individualism, free will, and rebellion, which burst out in a society that chose to reject them all.
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With her symbols, Rosemary becomes a catalyst for Jonas’s awakening. Society was deeply impacted by her story as all the memories and emotions she had at the moment of release went back into it. Nevertheless, they continued suppressing emotions and didn’t want to talk about Rosemary. The Giver eventually gives up and shares the story with Jonas. As he delves into it, the story impacts Jonas a lot. It makes him question the so-called utopia they’ve created and the fake values and norms promoted in his society. One of the things he questions in the novel is the lack of freedom of choice in their society: “If everything’s the same, then there aren't any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things!”
Rosemary from The Giver becomes the first stage of Jonas’s awakening. Her story makes him challenge the norms and thus, recognize the importance of emotions, depth, and individuality that have been given up in his society. At the same time, while listening to the Giver as he tells about Rosemary, Jonas notices the deep emotional connection he still has with her. This revelation makes Jonas recognize the importance of such authentic connection and the role of all spectrums of emotions in it. Eventually, this gives him a deeper sense of responsibility and a desire to run away from the faceless community and embrace all emotions, both good and bad ones. He made a tough choice, which, however, was the only way for him to live a real life: “Then, when he had had a choice, he had made the wrong one: the choice to leave. And now he was starving. But if he had stayed… His thoughts continued. If he had stayed, he would have starved in other ways. He would have lived a life hungry for feelings, for color, for love.”
At first glance, Rosemary The Giver is a small character that only appears in the novel briefly. Nevertheless, the role of this enigmatic character is hard to undervalue. Although her story is short and sad, Rosemary becomes the symbol of individuality and defiance that challenges the norms and paves the way for Jonas’s awakening. It’s she who opens the value of complex human experiences to Jonas and makes him embrace all emotions and leave the “Sameness” society.
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