The seemingly utopian society that Lois Lowry creates in The Giver is based upon the principle of Sameness. The Committee of Elders controls every aspect of a person's life, including everything from what they wear to how many children they are permitted to have. Citizens in Jonas' community have every aspect of their lives planned out for them; choice does not exist in their lives. The function of Sameness in the novel invites readers to examine their own thoughts and opinions about what would happen in their lives if choice was removed.
The idea of not having to make choices in life does seem rather appealing, especially in the lives of young adults and college students, as many important choices and decisions occur during this point in a person's life. It would certainly seem convenient to have a person act as a guide down each path without having to worry about a thing. However, the absence of choice most certainly has its downfalls. It is up to each reader to examine how Sameness might function in their own society.
The pros of Sameness, and the purpose behind this philosophy, involve eliminating the negative elements in the world. First of all, we can look at physical sameness. Everybody in Jonas' community is the same color; skin color, hair color, and eye color (with the exception of a chosen few) are universal throughout the community. Ideally, this type of Sameness would eliminate racism, prejudice, and racial privilege in their society. We can also look at socioeconomic sameness. While there are certainly stigmas related to specific assignments (think about the way Jonas' mother perceives Birth Mothers) each member of the community is assigned a role and must respect that decision. Therefore, class in the traditional sense does not exist in the novel.
Another pro of Sameness would be the services and opportunities available to community members. Each person receives the same amount of food, appropriate shelter, medical care, education, and employment. No member of the community ever has to worry about doing without or providing for their family. At one point in the novel, Jonas is punished for stating that he is starving. His community values precision of language and although Jonas may have been hungry in that moment, he is reminded that he is not and nor will he ever be starving as long as he lives there.
In Jonas' community, feelings and emotions are limited. Each morning, family members share the dreams they had the night before and each evening they share their feelings about the day. However, Jonas learns how limited their feelings actually are when he receives a memory of love. Although living without love or passion may seem difficult, their society also lives without knowing sadness, disappointment, heartbreak, or emotional pain.
In a nutshell, the purpose of Sameness involves leveling the playing field so that each member of the community receives the same opportunity to live a healthy and successful life without struggling. While this may seem like a utopia, Jonas ultimately decides that individual choice, emotions, and diversity are important and puts himself in a dangerous situation to do what he believes to be right.
Would Sameness actually create a utopia? Or would this level of control create a dystopia? It is up to each reader to decide what they might do in Jonas' situation.