‘The Giver’ Reflects Reality: Column

September 11, 2014

(USA Today) – An elderly man known as The Giver retains the memory of the “old world” and must pass it to a chosen Receiver, a boy named Jonas. Coming out of his allegorical cave with newfound knowledge of reality, Jonas describes his constructed world as “living a life of shadows” because he recognizes that evil still exists. The movie is rife with bioethical implications applicable to our society, from genetic engineering and infanticide to surrogacy and euthanasia. In this seemingly perfect universe, the most imperfect members are eliminated. When elderly people no longer have utility, they are “released” (read, euthanized), as are sickly babies.