Chapter 17 started in a very unusual way for Jonas he was in his when he and his family heard a voice from the wall speaker saying that said "Today is declared an unscheduled holiday". Everyone in the community was really happened because unscheduled holidays happened rarely. Jonas had not taken his pills for a few weeks now and the stirrings had returned. In the holiday the other children were playing a game the regularly played and normally enjoyed. This time it was different, now Jonas understood many things that he did not really thought about before, Jonas now knows about war and he is now much wiser in a way. Jonas started to wonder about Release he also started to wonder what would if he died and all the memories he had acquired over his training would return to the people. Jonas said to The Giver that he had been able to bear all the memories was because of his help, the idea of him helping the people of the community bear the memories intrigued The Giver. Jonas told The Giver that he would like to watch how his father released a twin that morning. The Giver told him all Releases were recorded so he could watch and he told Jonas he should because it would show him what Release is. Jonas watched as his father weighted the babies, then father's assistant took the other baby while he stayed with the smaller baby, Jonas watched as his father grabbed a syringe and injected the baby with a clear liquid. Jonas watched as the baby started to calm himself and then he went limp. Jonas recognized the limpness of his body it was the same as the boy on the war memory he saw how life left his eyes, Jonas couldn't believe it. The Giver and Jonas started to wonder about a place, a community with love, with real feelings, with wisdom. They started to plan, plan something that would change everything, Jonas was to escape the community, he was supposed to go elsewhere maybe even start a community. He was supposed to slip out unnoticed while everyone was at the ceremony.
On page 162 after The Giver and Jonas were planning his escape the Giver says "Im grateful to you, Jonas, because without you I would never have figured out to bring about the change. But your role now is to escape. And my role is to stay." Earlier in the book The Giver was intrigued by the idea Jonas brought to him which was that he could help the community going through with the memories when Jonas is gone. I think The Giver could help the community with such strong memories like love or war, but it will be hard. The Giver also tells Jonas about Rosemary who was the previous Receiver in training and how she could not bear the memories anymore and applied for Release, when the Giver is talking about Rosemary he said he really loved her. After The Giver tells Jonas he has to stay he also mentions that he wants to see his daughter, Rosemary, I did not expect Rosemary being The Giver's daughter but that got me thinking if Rosemary was his actual daughter or his assigned daughter. If Rosemary is his actual daughter then Jonas can also be his son because of the lighter eyes and as mentioned before the eyes and seeing beyond is not the only way to connect to the past since The Giver started by hearing beyond. The Giver and Jonas could be related and that would be interesting although they could not be related after all. I don't know what Jonas will find out there given that the author has never mentioned anything about how the world ended up as Jonas knows it but I hope he is not alone when he travels to elsewhere.I am really close to the end of this book and I have really enjoyed reading it. A big question I have right now is what actually happened to Jonas' world and if there are still things of the old world that Jonas practically knows through the memories. I am also wondering if Jonas will take Fiona with him or leave her there in the community. I hope my questions will be answered but there is not much of the book left. I am really looking forward to reading chapters 21-23 and finding out what the world out there really is like.
