The Giver is written from the point of view of Jonas, an eleven-year-old boy living in a futuristic society that has eliminated all pain, fear, war, and hatred. The society has also eliminated choice: at age twelve every member of the community is assigned a job based on his or her abilities and interests. Jonas is given the highly honored Assignment of Receiver of Memory. The Receiver is the sole keeper of the community’s collective memory, which holds all the memories of pain, war, and emotion.