There are many things in the novel that are similar and present in my life. Just like Jonas, I go to school daily, have friends who are of the same age as me, ride a bicycle, complete the required number of volunteer hours (CIP) and spend time with my friends whenever I am free. When I grow up, I will also have a job and start a family. Jonas is just like any other normal boy, but what makes him different and sets him apart from the people in our world is the fact that he grew up in a utopian community, where there are different rules and rituals.
People in our world also experience feelings similar to the Stirrings that Jonas felt. However, Jonas’s community actually eats pills to prevent the Stirrings. They are all not allowed to like or fall in love with the opposite sex at any point in their lives. In our world, it is only natural that feelings similar to the Stirrings are felt. It is not illegal or wrong to express our love to the opposite sex.
Out of all the characters in the book, I feel that Gabriel is the one who is the most similar to the people in our world. Gabriel is just like my baby sister. Like my baby sister, Gabriel is innocent, vulnerable and helpless because he cannot do anything to protect himself even if he were to be released. Gabriel possesses all the characteristics of a normal baby living in our world. He sleeps, cries and needs people to take care of him. Gabriel has not been exposed too much to the way the people in his community lived because Gabriel cannot participate in rituals like the evening telling of feelings and morning telling of dreams. He does not understand what is going on in the community around him, thus, he is not affected by the way the people lead their lives. As Gabriel is still a baby, the community cannot influence the way he looks at the community. Hence, if Gabriel is given a chance to live in our world, he can still grow up to be a normal boy as he has not been brainwashed by the community’s way of life. Then, Gabriel can grow up remembering fond memories, having true feelings and seeing the beauty of colour.
Because Gabriel is still a baby, I feel that he represents a new beginning. He is unlike everyone else in Jonas’s community because the utopian community has not been made known and introduced to him yet. Thus, Gabriel is different from the rest. When Gabriel is taken out of the community, he will not have problems adapting to the world outside, because his mind is not filled up with rules and rituals from the community. This makes Gabriel “new” as he has not been brainwashed yet. Also, Gabriel is the first person (who has not been influenced by the community) to escape from the community. Gabriel marks the “beginning” of perhaps more escapes to follow. Maybe because Jonas and Gabriel first escaped, other people in the community would also come to know the truth about release and slowly break away and out of this community. Hence, to me, Gabriel represents a “new beginning”.
A COLOURLESS WORLD
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