We first learn about how Jonas feels about lying in chapter 9 on
page 68, when Jonas reads his rules. It is the last rule, the shortest, and the only one that is
not a procedural instruction. This indicates that it will be
significant.
Jonas is shocked to read the last rule. After he
“steeled himself” to read the rule, he reflects that “he had been trained since earliest
childhood, since his earliest learning of language, never to lie” (70). Significantly, lying is
associated with imprecise speech rather than morality. In fact, “the reason for precision of
language was to ensure that unintentional lies were never uttered” (70-71). Preventing lying is
deeply engrained in the community’s culture.
The thought of lying
to anyone makes him very uncomfortable, and when he considers that others might also lie it is
“terrifying” (71). Jonas considers asking other adults if they lie, but realizes that if he did,
“he would have no way of knowing if the answer he received was true” (71). The fact that
everyone tells the truth is part of the certainty the community is trying to ensure. Uncertainty
makes people uncomfortable, and preventing discomfort is
paramount.
Since openness about feelings is so essential to the
community's emotional control (thus the nightly ritual involving feelings), this rule signifies
Jonas's separation from community life. One of the reasons that Jonas reacts so strongly to the
rule is that he realizes that it makes him very different from everyone else. He has never had
anything to hide before, so he has had no reason to lie. That rule, coupled with other ominous
warnings about pain, foreshadow difficulties in Jonas's future and the continual separation of
Jonas from his family and friends.
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