All through the story, there is no evidence of natural calamities such as hunger, war or diseases that are evident in other communities. Also, the residents in this community lack the ability to see color. there is no suffering, sex music, or love. Everything in the community is controlled by “the elders” as Lowry calls them, ‘the elders control who to marry, what job on is to do and who ones receive as a child. Everyone in this specific society is like anyone else, and the each persons identity has gone the way the cassette tapes go (Hanson).
Through reading the book, it is evident that no one has ever left the area except when visiting the neighboring communities (Lowry). According to the author “getting released” is a big deal, this only happens to the sick people including the sick infants and those that break the rules. From the communitys residents point of view outside the community is ‘the worst place to be and no one would like to leave the communities perimeter.
Once one is about twelve years of age, then he or she is ready to get assigned a job (profession).During the assignment of jobs the community usually holds a very big ceremony, during the ceremony in the book Jonas watches all his friends get jobs from caretaker of the old to even recreation director, but Jonah is skipped over. The chief ‘elder and the one responsible for assigning jobs to the children, ends the ceremony and assigns Jonas the duty of being a receiver which according to the community is a great deal. Same as Jonas, the receiver before him an old man has light eyes, which as per the author. only a few people have light eyes. The author also attempts to describe Jonas family, who at the point of the story are taking care of a sick baby who does not get better and is possibly going to be released from the community (Hanson).