The Giver

Jonas tells the Giver that today his father must select a newchild to release. The Giver says he wishes the community would not release twins. However, Jonas likes thinking of his father making a small baby clean and comfortable. He sees his father as a gentle, sensitive soul. Jonas says he wishes he could watch his father prepare the baby for release. The Giver says Jonas can do this if he asks. All private ceremonies are recorded, so the Giver requests a recording of the baby’s release ceremony, which happened earlier in the day. It takes place in a very plain room. He speaks to the smaller twin in the same voice he uses with Gabriel. Jonas watches him fill a syringe with liquid and then puncture the baby’s forehead.

As Jonas watches the child die, he is so overwhelmed that he doesn’t quite realize what he’s witnessing. He puts the pieces together a few minutes later. His father did not clean or comfort the baby. He disposes of the child like a piece of trash. This what happens in all releases, the Giver says. The Giver watched the recording of Rosemary’s release, “numb with horror” (151).