A hero is someone who does something hard because it will help someone else. Jonas is a hero in the novel The Giver, by Lois Lowry, because he makes sacrifices in order to save the people he loves. His community claims to be 'perfect' because everyone gets along and follows the rules. The definition of a good citizen is someone who values truth, responsibility, equality, and justice. Jonas realizes that the community is not perfect at all, and many of the parts of the community that they think are true, responsible, equal, and just, are not actually any of those things. He decides he is going to help them see what they are missing, giving them the opportunity to realize they can have choices in their lives. This decision makes him a hero.
Jonas is a hero because he values truth much more than his community does. Children in the community are not allowed to lie. Before he turns 12, Jonas thinks that everyone needs to tell the truth at all times. When he receives the rules for his assignment, he sees that one of the rules is that he CAN LIE. This is huge for him, because it makes him think that maybe some of the other adults also could have received rules that they can lie. So the community that he thought was always honest, could be full of people telling lies. When Jonas decided to form a plan to give memories back to everyone in the community, he showed he valued telling everyone the truth. This proves he is a hero, as he values truth more than the leaders of his community.
Jonas is also a hero because he values responsibility. In his community, all citizens were assigned their jobs when they turned 12. Responsibility for their jobs, and also to follow all the rules in the community, are taken very seriously. Jonas always tried to be responsible by following the rules. When he realizes how much the people in his community are missing, he takes on the responsibility to help them by giving them more experiences than they originally were given by their community. This additional responsibility makes him a hero because he has to sacrifice himself and his comfort in order to help his fellow community members experience the memories he has.
Jonas is also a hero because he values equality. He realizes that the people in his community think they are equal because they don't have choices to make. They all follow the rules and have their roles in their community. They don't have true equality of choice, however, because they don't have the ability to make choices in their lives. Everything is assigned for them. Jonas knows this kind of equality is not what people need - they need equal opportunities, not equal expectations. His plan to help them see this for themselves makes him a hero.
Jonas is also a hero because he sees the justice the community needs. His community 'releases,' or kills, people who don't follow the rules. This is not good justice and Jonas knows it. When he heard that his baby 'brother' Gabriel was going to be 'released' because he couldn't sleep well, he knew that was not justice. Gabriel should not be killed just because he didn't sleep well. That is not justice. He wants people to see that true justice is doing what is right - not only doing what you are told. This makes him a hero for his community, and for Gabriel. He saved his life.
Jonas made the decision to leave his community to help release his memories to everyone. He had to travel a long way and almost starved to death. He did this not only to release memories to everyone so they could have choices in their lives, but also to save Gabriel's life. He showed true citizenship because he truly valued truth, equality, responsibility, and justice. This makes him a true hero.