What are some of the structural guildlines in the society?

As explained by The Giver, a key aspect of their society's decision to establish Sameness rather than expose people to the risks of climate variation or mistaken choices was their desire to remain safe from the pains that humanity and nature used to suffer. In one of Benjamin Franklin's classic formulations, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety," and Jonas's society has permanently chosen safety over liberty. The disadvantages of this choice become all too clear as, for example, the citizens do not question their way of life or even their orders to kill the young and the Old through release. Furthermore, the absence of pain in their society desensitizes them to emotions, including positive emotions.The Giver portrays what might today be called an extreme kind of "sustainable" society, one in stasis that can neither draw lessons from its mistakes nor remember its mistakes to prevent future ones, especially without the aid of The Receiver. This is a society in which the humans cannot be said to be fulfilling themselves as human beings; their development is stunted in many ways in the name of stability and predictability.

Within the exposition of the plot, the utopian characteristics of Jonas's society are at first unmistakable. If orderliness and security are key virtues, then the community of The Giverprovides these in excess, as even the occasional misdirected airplane is quickly and efficiently handled, and as each citizen remains assured that his future vocation and family will be eminently suited to his personality. The ubiquity of bicycles has essentially eliminated dangerous vehicles such as gasoline-powered cars. In addition, the citizens have been raised from early childhood to learn such virtues as sharing and interpreting their feelings with their families each evening and using precise language, as shown by Jonas's example of Asher, who throughout the novel serves as a foil for Jonas.

The community's apparently utopian nature draws especially on some ideas of the commune, in which all citizens contribute to and partake in the society with apparently few class differences. Although some jobs are held in higher esteem than others, citizens are taught from early childhood to respect all professions and to treat others with respect. When Lily expresses frustration at a playmate that breaks the rules at the nightly sharing of feelings, her parents teach her to consider the thoughts and emotions of others in order to understand their behavior. Over the course of the novel, the ideas of equality and sameness are continually upheld by the community.

Despite the community's many idyllic traits, when we interpretThe Giver as an observer outside of Jonas's society, we begin to see several discordant notes that are distinctly dystopian rather than utopian. Most importantly, the enforcement of rigid rules is often shown to be harsh and to be so everpresent as to limit personal choice and freedom severely. All major aspects of Jonas's future, such as his spouse, job, and children, will be assigned by the community. The society appears to be communist and socialist with elements of totalitarianism, even though the rules and practices appear to be well-intentioned and are usually not resisted. Furthermore, the concept of release immediately raises alarms, as the question arises of what happens to the unfortunate pilot-in-training and to people who have broken the rules three times. In addition, the lack of animals in the novel serves as a reminder that this society is lacking some vital elements.