The Chief Elder outines the four qualifications that Jonas has to have in order to be the next Receiver of Memory when she announces his selection at the Ceremony. The four qualifications are:
Intelligence - Jonas has proved that he has this quality by being "a top student throughout his school days".
Integrity - Jonas, like any other citizen of the community, has "committed minor transgressions". He has shown his integrity, however, by always "presenting himself promptly for chastisement" whenever he has realized that he has done wrong.
Courage - Jonas has never had to deal with real pain, and cannot truly be prepared for the pain of a magnitude beyond the ordinary citizen's comprehension that he will have to endure as Receiver of Memory. The Chief Elder, however, in conjunction with the current Receiver, "feel certain that (Jonas is) brave".
Wisdom - This "fourth essential attribute" is also something that Jonas will acquire only through his training, but again, in conjunction with the current Receiver, the Chief Elder feels that "Jonas has the ability to acquire wisdom".
There is a fifth quality that the next Receiver of Memory must have, a quality that can be named but not described. This is the "Capacity to See Beyond", and it is something that is not really understood by the members of the community at large. The Receiver, however, recognizes that "Jonas already has this quality"; It is evident in his fleeting capability to perceive colors (Chapter 8).
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