Difference was not celebrated in the world of The Giver, in fact, it was the opposite. Jonas once said, “I feel sorry for anyone who is in a place where they feel strange and stupid.” The idea that difference is not normal shows how difficult Jonas' period of maturity would be. Other children in Jonas' community knew where their assignment (career) would be, but he did not. He didn't know where he fit into the world he "lived" in. He had one quality that no one possessed except the Giver, and that was individuality. He knew he was different and had no direction in his life. Because he was different, an individual, he was chosen to be the new receiver of memory. When Jonas received his rules to become the new Receiver of Memory, they exempted him from the basic rules by which the communities lived, making him a different individual. Toward the conclusion of Lowry's book, Jonas has an epiphany: "If everything is the same, then there is no choice!" I want to wake up in the morning and decide things! Finally, Lowry shows the reader that Jonas has individuality and he chooses to accept it because it means he can be different and not do the same monotonous tasks that everyone else has to do. Freedom in the giver is clearly shown as a