Chapter 4 - The Giver

Jonas usually does his volunteer work on various sites and today he decided to spend his volunteer time at the House of the Old with his friends, Asher and Fiona. He helped Larissa taking a bath and had a talk about the recent release with her. It was Roberto who got released in that morning and he seems to have had very respectable life.

I was very shocked that the people in the community can’t look at another people’s naked bodies except newborn child and the old by the rules. THEN! How about between couples? Yeah. I know they don’t give a birth for themselves but still it does not make sense! Moreover, what about in hospitals?  In many cases patients might be unable to change their clothes by themselves. I can guess two ways about this. There is no sickness and no hospital in this community as it is well-designed or they have some special methods to change patient’s clothes.

 

People in this community should not state about one’s successes. What is this rule for? What is the benefit from this rule? Well. It is said that praise breeds willingness. If one got succeeded, I think she should have been praised and she would get more motivation for the next one. Finally this would make some huge power to develop the society in a better way. However, Jonas’s community seems to have focused only on some side effects of applause, for example, jealousy, envy and excessive competition etc. sometimes those feelings could be resulted in crimes. Yet, in every society, praise still practices an important role. I wonder how Jonas’s community can work well without the culture praising each other and motivation (yeah, of course it’s also possible that people in the community are very good at making self – motivation) and its theory might be from Communism as I’ve mentioned before. :)

 

They almost invariably did their hours on Recreation Duty first,
invariably (ɪnˈvɛərɪəblɪ )
adverb
always; without exception
If something invariably happens or is invariably true, it always happens or is always true.
They almost invariably get it wrong.

as they developed self-confidence and maturity, they moved on to other jobs, gravitating toward those that would suit their own interests and skills.
gravitate (ˈɡrævɪˌteɪt )
[VERB] If you gravitate towards a particular place, thing, or activity, you are attracted by it and go to it or get involved in it.
Traditionally young Asians in Britain have gravitated towards medicine, law and engineering.

he had even developed some machines and methods to hasten rehabilitation.
hasten (ˈheɪsən )
[VERB] If you hasten an event or process, often an unpleasant one, you make it happen faster or sooner.
She saw his frown and hastened to explain.
The treatment she received may, in fact, have hastened her death.

There was never any comfortable way to mention or discuss one's successes without breaking the rule against bragging.

bragging (ˈbræɡɪŋ)
noun
the act of boasting loudly or exaggeratedly
brag [VERB] - He bragged to his friends about the crime.

Better to steer clear of an occasion governed by a rule which would be so easy to break.
steer/stay/keep clear (of somebody/something)
avoid somebody/something  
I'm trying to lose weight so I have to steer clear of fattening foods.
It's best to stay clear of the bank at lunchtimes as it gets very busy.

All of his volunteer hours would be carefully tabulated at the Hall of Open Records.
tabulate  (ˈtæbjʊˌleɪt )
[VERB] To tabulate information means to arrange it in columns on a page so that it can be analysed.
Results for the test program haven't been tabulated.

It was a serene and slow-paced place,
se·rene [sə|ri:n]
[ADJ] Someone or something that is serene is calm and quiet.
She looked as calm and serene as she always did.

The woman beside him, whose arm he held, was hunched over as she shuffled along in her soft slippers.
hunch (hʌntʃ )
[VERB] If you hunch forward, you raise your shoulders, put your head down, and lean forwards, often because you are cold, ill, or unhappy.
hunch over
round one's back by bending forward and drawing the shoulders forward

shuffle (ˈʃʌfəl )
[VERB] If you shuffle somewhere, you walk there without lifting your feet properly off the ground.

He helped the woman from the chair, led her to the tub, removed her robe, and steadied her with his hand on her arm as she stepped in and lowered herself.
steady (ˈstɛdɪ )
[VERB] If you steady something or if it steadies, it stops shaking or moving about.

He began to wash her frail body.
frail1 (freɪl )
[ADJ] Someone who is frail is not very strong or healthy.

It was a nuisance to keep oneself covered while changing for games

nuisance (ˈnjuːsəns )
[NOUN] If you say that someone or something is a nuisance, you mean that they annoy you or cause you a lot of problems.
He could be a bit of a nuisance when he was drunk.

the required apology if one had by mistake glimpsed another's body was always awkward.
glimpse (ɡlɪmps )
[VERB] If you glimpse someone or something, you see them very briefly and not very well.
glance | gaze | stare | glimpse | glare

Jonas thought Larissa had drifted into sleep.
drift (drɪft )
[VERB] If someone or something drifts into a situation, they get into that situation in a way that is not planned or controlled.
We need to offer young people drifting into crime an alternative set of values.
The injured man tried to speak but soon drifted into unconsciousness.

she whispered with a mischievous look,

mischievous (ˈmɪstʃɪvəs )
[ADJ] A mischievous person likes to have fun by playing harmless tricks on people or doing things they are not supposed to do.
a mischievous grin/smile/look

And of course,"she added primly, "all lives are meaningful....
primly (ˈprɪmlɪ)
in an affectedly proper, precise, or formal manner
We sat primly at either end of a long settee.
affected (əˈfɛktɪd )
behaving, speaking, etc, in an artificial or assumed way, esp in order to impress others

Jonas said slyly, and Larissa chortled with laughter.
slyly (ˈslaɪlɪ)
in a crafty or cunning manner/ mischievously
He tried to cover up his mistake slyly.

chortle (ˈtʃɔːtəl )
[VERB] To chortle means to laugh in a way that shows you are very pleased.
There was silence for a moment, then Larry began chortling like an idiot.

"Right.!" she hooted,
hoot1 (huːt )
to cry out or shout, especially in disapproval or derision.