Overcoming Obstacles In S. E. Hinton's The Giver

A challenge is something that stands in your way; it is like a barrier. If you try hard enough, the barrier can be knocked down. Everyone faces challenges, but only the people who rise to them can come out victorious. Although challenges come both big and small, facing them is never easy. Some of them can be resolved by just putting in a little effort and determination. On the other hand, some challenges take much more. At the end of the day, a challenge is an obstacle that will only stop you if you stop yourself from trying. The main characters in S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, Lois Lowry’s The Giver, John Steinbeck’s The Pearl all face challenges that they have to overcome. Throughout the three books, no one hides in their shadow, but instead, …show more content…
Jonas’s biggest challenge was knowing that his father kills the babies who are going to Elsewhere. It hurts him to know that he has been lied to, and this challenge ultimately illuminates other challenges later on in the book. Once Jonas found out about this, he starts to think about what is really going on in the community and he realizes that something has to change. After seeing the “release” of the child, Jonas cries, "I won't! I won't go home! You can't make me!" (152). Jonas didn’t want to go home after watching the release because he felt betrayed. Bigger than that, Jonas doesn’t want to return to the community at all. He cannot be a part of this. Even though he is angry, he uses determination to conquer the challenge. He turns his anger into determination to change the community. Although it took him a little while to comprehend why his father would do this to a baby, he eventually understands that his father didn’t know any better. Instead of being angry, Jonas decides to do something and doesn’t just rise to the small challenge he was facing, but instead rises up to a challenge that was larger than life. It was the challenge of changing life itself. The killing of the baby makes him want to do more. He most definitely rises up to the challenge, and although we, as readers, are unsure if he fully succeeds, we know he was able to …show more content…
Kino had to face the challenge of being cheated due to his status. This challenge set the stage for the main part of the book and it changed Kino for the worst. Kino was a pearl diver, and to make money after finding a pearl you have to sell it. He is not in poverty because he is a bad pearl diver; he is actually very good. He is in poverty because since he lacks a good education and because he isn't wealthy, no one gives him a fair price for the pearl. Throughout the book, he has to fight for a decent price and he faces the challenge because of his obstinacy and grit. Although he is told that his pearl is worthless, he chooses to believe that this is untrue. Instead, he and his family go to the capital to get a better price. He was standing up to the challenge. Kino was doing everything that he could to get a better price but more importantly, he wanted the respect he deserved. He rose to the challenge in hope that he would get a fair price and ultimately be able to provide for his family and son. When he is told no, he is very obstinate and fights back; he won’t take no for an answer because no means that he can’t get married and his son doesn’t get to go to school. "I am cheated(7)" Kino cried fiercely after being told his pearl is worthless time after time. He wouldn’t give up and although he never sold his pearl for the value he hoped for, he still attempted to rise to the challenge, but he wasn’t able to realize that the pearl was not going to