Dear Lois Lowry,

 

I always stick out from everyone else. Just ask anybody that knows me. I am always afraid of becoming like everybody else, and just becoming part of the throbbing mass of people known as the crowd. This is why I avoid large cities like New York, where nobody talks to each other, where nobody makes eye contact, where nobody would ever acknowledge that anybody else existed, except for the fact that they bump into each other. Luckily for me, nobody is ever punished for sticking out from the crowd, unless it is in a bad way. After reading your book, The Giver, I was shocked that there could be a society that is centered on Sameness, and then shocked again when I realized that this story was not that far from reality.

 

While I was reading this book, I was thinking that nobody would be crazy enough to say yes to the Sameness, but then I realized that there might be some benefits to it. There would be no racism, because there would be no color. There would be no murderers, because they would have all been released. There would be no injuries. But then I thought about the disadvantages. There would be no surprises. There would be no snow to play in. There would be no rain, pattering gently on the window and lulling you to sleep. There would be no fun. The world would be, well, bland.

 

Your book opened a door that I never knew needed opening. It taught me that in even in a little way, we are all unique. Like snowflakes, no two human minds are the same. If you try to eradicate that uniqueness, you might succeed for a while, but ultimately, you will fail. My mother had always told me that I was special. Before reading your book, I had thought, Yeah, just like everybody else. Now, I see what she meant.

 

After reading your book, my life took on a new light. I know now that I should not take individuality, or anything else for that matter, for granted. Next time I have a hot meal, a soft bed, or a great birthday party, I’ll remember Jonas.

 

 

Thank you,

 

Harrison V., Grade 6

 

 

 

A LETTER TO LOIS LOWRY

Harrison V.

Letters About Literature