In chapter six, Jonas reminds his sister, Lily, how excited she was when she received her front-buttoned jacket as a Seven. In Jonas's community, children the ages of four, five, and six are all required to wear jackets that fasten down the back so that other children will have to help them get dressed. The reasoning behind requiring children to wear jackets that fasten down the back is to nurture interdependence. The Committee of Elders values interdependence and attempts to foster cooperation among the youth by requiring them to wear unique jackets that fasten down the back. Children are then forced to rely on their peers for help, which fosters camaraderie among them. Once the children turn seven years old, they are given jackets with buttons in the front, which are a sign of independence. At the age of seven, children are no longer forced to rely on their peers for help getting dressed, which is why they are a sign of independence.
In Lois Lowry's The Giver, before a child becomes a seven, the buttons on their jackets are at the back. These children cannot button their jackets themselves. They must depend on parents and peers to help them get dressed. This develops a sense of interdependence in the children. They learn to rely on others to care for them and to care for others in need. They also indicate the child's age and maturity level to other people in the community.
Seven is the age when children take the first steps toward becoming independent and caring for themselves. For the first time, these children have to take responsibility for their own appearance, rather than relying on others. It is a visible indicator that they are growing up and will soon need to take on other responsibilities.
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