In The Giver, there is discussion of other communities in the very first chapter, in the scene in which Jonas' family has the after-dinner ritual, "the evening telling of feelings" (5). Lily relates that a group has visited with her Childcare group, and one of the visitors does not know how to take turns, which made her angry. Jonas reminds Lily that she has visited other communities with her age group, and that he...
In The Giver, there is discussion of other communities in the very first chapter, in the scene in which Jonas' family has the after-dinner ritual, "the evening telling of feelings" (5). Lily relates that a group has visited with her Childcare group, and one of the visitors does not know how to take turns, which made her angry. Jonas reminds Lily that she has visited other communities with her age group, and that he has, too. Lily learns from this conversation that it is difficult to be in a place that has different rules, and that her anger is really misplaced.
The other communities seem to be distinct from the "Elsewhere" in the story, since Elsewhere represents places that do not have communities like Jonas'. Elsewhere means places that do not have rules or dome protection or Sameness. I think we can infer this from the first chapter, too, where we learn that a pilot who mistakenly flew over the community set off a panic in the community and that this pilot was Released because of his error. So, there are supplies, perhaps, that the community needs from Elsewhere, things it cannot produce itself, but it maintains its protection by Releasing anyone who strays within its boundaries. On the other hand, the other communities are welcomed for visits, and members of this community visit other communities, too. While there seem to be differences amongst the communities, it seems reasonable to infer that all are subject to various rules and all maintain a distance from Elsewhere.
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