Jonas is frightened of the jet plane that flies unexpectedly over his community.
In Jonas’s community, every aspect of daily life is tightly controlled. The idea is to make sure no one ever feels uncomfortable. People are rarely unhappy or scared. This is why the jet plane made such an impression on Jonas. It flew overhead unexpectedly, and scared him out of his wits.
Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice. He had seen it both times. Squinting toward the sky, he had seen the sleek jet almost a blur at its high speed, go past, and a second later heard the blast of sound that followed. (Ch. 1)
The jet plane incident turned out to be an accident. A pilot-in-training made a mistake. It was a serious mistake. The community reacted by telling everyone to immediately take cover, and then severely punishing the errant pilot. The Speaker, a community watchdog, informed everyone what was going to happen.
NEEDLESS TO SAY, HE WILL BE RELEASED, the voice had said, followed by silence. There was an ironic tone to that final message, as if the Speaker found it amusing; and Jonas had smiled a little, though he knew what a grim statement it had been. (Ch. 1)
Release means death by lethal injection. Jonas’s community is not tolerant of mistakes. The new pilot frightened people, and he must pay the price. Usually a citizen would be given three chances to break a rule or make a mistake, but serious blunders could result in immediate release. Flying a jet over the community in broad daylight certainly qualified, in the community’s mind.
This incident foreshadows trouble to come in Jonas’s community. When jet planes make another appearance later, they are chasing Jonas as he tries to run away. He then has reason to be frightened.
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