Chapters six to eight: Summary; Chapter ten: comic

Chapter six to eight: Summary

At the beginning of these chapters the family of Jonas prepares for the Ceremonies. Than the family drive to the Auditorium and the children go to their groups and sit down in their groups on the stage. The Naming, the earliest ceremony, begins and the newchildren born by the Nurturers to the stage get their name and the family. Gabriel is not released, but he is not at the newchildren too. It is the result from the father´s plea that he gets an additional year in Jonas family. After the ceremonies of the Two, Three and Four is a break of midday meal.

The day ends with the Ceremonies of Fives, Sixes, Sevens and Eights. Lily gets an Eight and get her new jacket and she should do volunteer hours for the first time. At the next day the Ceremonies of Nines, who get their bikes, the Tens, who get a new haircut and the Elevens, who get new clothes again. After the midday meal it follows the Ceremony of Twelve:

The group of Twelve is sitting in front of the stage. Every child has a number, the numbers they had given at birth. Jonas is the Nineteen. The Chief Elder, who made the Ceremony of Twelve, delivers a speech. At the end she calls number One on the stage and the Assignments begin. The girl Madeline gets an Assignment as Fish Hatchery Attendant. The next is a girl named Inga, who gets an Assignment as Birthmother. Asher gets an Assignment of Assistant Director of Recreation. Fiona, number eighteen, is given thee Assignment of Caretaker of the Old. Now Jonas is the next. But the Chief Elder skipps him. She calls number twenty. Jonas is shocked and asks himself, weather the Chief Elder has make a mistake, but the Chief Elder makes no mistakes! Jonas feels shame but he doesn´t know what he had made wrong?!

The numbers continued in order. At the end the Chief Elder begin to speak again. Jonas should go on the stage. She apologizes at him and explains that Jonas had been selected to be the new Receiver of Memory. She tells the other that Jonas had all the things a Receiver must have: Intelligence, Integrity, Courage, Wisdom and the Capacity to See Beyond.  But he had to hold out physical pain. The Chief Elder thanks Jonas for his childhood and lets the stage. The crowd begin to whisper at first than they shouted Jonas name to show him that they have accepting him and his new rule.