Giver

The Giver is essentially a coming of age story set in a dystopian future. The individual vs society is an important theme.

Superficially, the community is easy going about some of its rules and does allow individuals a degree of free choice. Most children do not wait till nine before they ride a bicycle. They borrow bikes from other children. Jonas's parents are allowed to bend the rules in order to take a third child into the house. But these are small matters compared with the fundamental loss of individual freedom represented by the announcement of Assignments. And in other small matters there are highly ritualized and formulaic expectations of behavior which support the will of the whole group as opposed to the individual. A child late for school makes an apology, and there is an immediate group response, "We accept your apology."

At anyone moment individuals must be prepared to respond to announcements made through the ubiquitous loudspeakers. A day's holiday is proclaimed and everyone takes a rest from work. There is no opportunity for planning an individual vacation. There is nowhere to go; not much else to do. The community can only be successful in curtailing individual freedom by severely limiting the choices available to individuals. Hence, the community is paranoid in its insularity. Hence, the panic at the beginning of the novel, when an unidentified plane flies overhead.

The only character allowed any degree of personal freedom is The Giver. The power of his individuality is symbolized by the casual way in which he feels free to switch off the loudspeaker so that he cannot hear public announcements. This greatly impresses Jonas.