What are the advantages of collective forgetfulness in Jonas's community?

Despite Jonas's newfound dislike of Sameness, a session in which The Giver plays devil's advocate shows that society's values have been deeply ingrained in Jonas from years of conditioning. A few simple comments nearly derail Jonas into believing the opposite argument and pointing out that the danger of wrong choices is too substantial to allow major deviation. Readers in free countries generally disagree with Jonas here because we are accustomed to choosing our own jobs and spouses, and even Jonas does not entirely accept his own argument. Consequently, the emerging conflict in the novel is partly internal in Jonas's mind, but it is mostly that of man versus society, as Jonas comes to disagree with his community's values.

Jonas tries to bring back some of the joy of memories such as rainbows to his friends such as Asher, who are now in training to become working adult members of society. Unfortunately, he finds that they are unreceptive to his attempts, and the anger he feels at their inability to see past the satisfaction of their colorless, plain existence becomes the seed for his anger at the larger community and its values. In addition, after having seen the majesty of an elephant, his attempt to explain to his younger sister that elephants were once real indicates his burgeoning consciousness that being able to see and remember a real elephant is even worth the experience of the elephant's death, as horrible as it is.