Punishment

Punishment is an important theme in Lois Lowry’s novel The Giver. Any violation of the rules is severely punished and the members fear these sanctions. Jonas's mother and sister Lily, for example, both  have nightmares about breaking a rule . Several forms of punishment are used.

At school, the young children are punished with hits with a stick: 

The punishment used for small children was a regulated system of smacks with the discipline wand: a thin, flexible weapon that stung painfully when it was wielded. The Childcare specialists were trained very carefully in the discipline methods: a quick smack across the hands for a bit of minor misbehavior; three sharper smacks on the bare legs for a second offense." (Chapter 7, 67%).

 Everyone laughs when the Chief El...