The Human ExperienceImagine a world without color, just plain black and white, no emotions, no feelings, no memory allowed. That’s what it is like in the film The Giver by Phillip Noyce. This film is about a Dystopian society with many strange and unusual characteristics. Children are conceived in birth mothers, who reach yearly milestones every year, recognized by ceremonies. When the protagonist, Jonas, is surprisingly assigned the new Receiver of Memory, he begins to learn all of the secrets and memories behind this “perfect” society. Phillip Noyce illustrates the importance and significance of individuality in the human experience through using the motif of vision. 

 The first instance of vision being established is when Jonas first starts to see color in the beginning of the film. At 00:04:39, Jonas is with his friends, Fiona and Asher, in the nursery. As Fiona plays with her hair, Jonas notices a red color to it. He is unable to describe the experience because he has never seen any sort of color before in his life. This is the first instance that shows Jonas’ differences compared to others in society. Jonas is able to see things that others cannot which demonstrates his individuality. This makes him seem more like a human being than just a robot going through the motions. Additionally, this also makes him the perfect candidate for the Receiver of Memory because he is able to “see beyond.” 

The second occurrence of vision illustrated within the film is when Jonas starts to receive memories. A little bit more into the movie, Jonas starts to work with the Giver to start his training for the Receiver of Memory. At 00:18:17, the Giver gives Jonas a memory of joy—Jonas is sledding down a hill while snow is falling down on his face. He has never experienced or felt snow before because there are no climate changes in their society, and they also do not experience emotions. For Jonas to experience the feeling of joy and vision things that others cannot, again brings out his uniqueness compared to others. This vision created gives Jonas a whole new meaning to life and being a human. He starts to realize that there is more to the human experience than just growing up and having a job. Noyce is trying to establish that emotions and feelings are also important to human life, and being without them takes away from who people are.

 The next memory Jonas is given to add to his vision, let’s him see more of his society. At 00:35:30, the Giver gives Jonas a memory of a festival during the renaissance. There’s music, dancing, laughter, smiling, and passion which introduces Jonas to culture, something that has been removed from the communities. He is able to experience something that no one else has experienced within his society. Again, this also enhances Jonas’ personality based on what he is able to see. Noyce is trying to illustrate through Jonas the significance of culture through a society and the things that bring people together. In our present day, culture can be taken for granted or not really seen as something important, but by Noyce showing what it would be like without any culture or humanistic experiences, life would seem empty or robotic just like Jonas’ community. 

Now, this motif is beginning to emerge as a symbol to connect to the theme of this film. At first, Jonas could only see physical differences, but now he is able to truly “see beyond”. Jonas is beginning to see the problems that this society has. The reason that the society was created was to help humanity, but really this society was destroying it. They were trying to rid these humans of their emotions, rob them of culture and destroy any sense of individualism. Jonas begins to realize that without all of the things that make human life so valuable, human life has no value at all.  The reoccurring imagines of vision help to demonstrate this important message within the film and it makes the audience truly realize the beauty and significance of human life.

This motif is very crucial to the deep connection that The Giver is trying to make. Using this motif effectively, helps create a powerful symbol to the theme of the film, which is the significance of the human experience. The film is aimed at reminding its viewers the importance of the lives that we live, and the beauty that can be seen in everyday life. By starting the film in black and white, along with the bland mannerisms of the inhabitants, we are able to appreciate the changes and experiences that Jonas undergoes. This helps the function of the motif and ultimately create its symbolism. This use of color and seeing different memories to create a symbol was an effective way to create a theme that emphasizes the importance and meaning of the human experience. 