The Giver
by Lois Lowry
analysis by Tracey Jacobs
December 2, 2014
Jacobs 2
Table of Contents
Knowledge
Plot Diagram ..............................................................................................................pg. #
Title/Setting/Genre .....................................................................................................pg. #
Comprehension
Main Conflict .............................................................................................................pg. #
Application
Creative Project Explained ........................................................................................pg. #
Analysis
Character Transformation ..........................................................................................pg. #
How To Read Literature Like a Professor connection ..............................................pg. #
Synthesis
Controversial Issue.....................................................................................................pg. #
Theme ........................................................................................................................pg. #
Evaluation
Personal Review.........................................................................................................pg. #
Works Cited ..........................................................................................................................pg. #
Professional Review #1 ........................................................................................................pg. #
Professional Review #2 ........................................................................................................pg. #
Jacobs 3
Knowledge – Plot Diagram
Exposition: At the beginning of the novel we are introduced to the main character, Jonas (our
eleven year old protagonist). We also know the story is set in a small, controlled community
during late November and December. The community is preparing for an annual Ceremony.
During the first couple of chapters the reader learns some of the rules of the community (ie.
Ceremony for Ages, Release, etc).
Rising Action:
1. Jonas is “apprehensive” about the upcoming ceremonies. When he allows the reader to
know his feelings, we realize the importance of precise language in the community. This
gives us our first glimpse of the rigidity of the community. The third person point of view
allows the readers to know how Jonas is feeling. We also see Jonas’s feelings when he
discusses them at the nightly “Telling of Feelings” ritual that the family units do at
dinner. The family consists of “mother”, “father”, Jonas, and Lily. During this time we
find out that Jonas is going to receive his “Assignment” or chosen career. These careers
are decided on by a Committee of Elders.
2. Jonas’s “Family Unit” is going to take on the care of a newborn (Gabriel). Lily points out
that Gabriel has “funny eyes” like Jonas. Differences are not supposed to be
acknowledged in the community. Apparently, Jonas has pale eyes – few people have this
trait.
3. Jonas remembers an incident with Asher when an apple “changed”. The incident happens
while Jonas and Asher are playing catch.
Jacobs 4
4. The people in the community participate in a morning ritual where they must share their
dreams. Jonas is uncomfortable with sharing his dream – he dreamed about his friend
Fiona and wanting to bathe her. This event took place after Jonas volunteered at the
House of the Old where he had to bathe an elderly woman. After sharing his dream, his
mother reveals that these feelings are called Stirrings and that the people of the
community take a pill to suppress them.
5. It is time for the Ceremony to take place. Several things happen over these two days.
Family Units are created, Newborns are given to families (they do not stay with their
Birthmother), and each age group receives something that symbolizes their ages. For
example, Eights lose their Comfort Object (stuffed animals) to show they are maturing.
Nines receive bicycles so they can go out into the community. Twelves are given their
assignments. At this point, the reader can piece together that everyone becomes the next
age at the same time. During the Ceremony of Twelve, each child is called to the stage in
birth order. A short testament of their life is given and then they receive their
Assignment. Jonas is skipped. This type of mistake causes stress to the entire community.
When everyone else has received their assignment, the Chief Elder apologizes to Jonas.
Jonas has to “accept her apology” because it is a community rule. The Elder explains that
Jonas hasn’t been assigned but instead has been “selected” to be the next Receiver of
Memory. This is a very prestigious honor.
6. Jonas finds out that the last person selected as Receiver failed. He also becomes aware of
people treating him differently. This will continue as the novel progresses. Jonas is
puzzled by many things; he is also puzzled by the rules of his assignment. One of the
rules is that he may lie; he also has permission to be rude. These rules give further insight
Jacobs 5
to the peculiarities of this community. Another rule is that he cannot share any of his
training with anyone.
7. Jonas reports to his first day of training. Several things confuse him this first day: the
Receiver’s dwelling has locks on the doors (locks are not permitted in the community);
he also has books (the families of the community are only allowed a book of rules and
community references). The furnishings of the dwelling are also more luxurious. Jonas
discovers his job will be to hold the memories of the community. The first memory that
Jonas receives is that of sledding down a snow covered hill. To give Jonas the memories
the current Receiver of Memories (now referred to as The Giver), places his hands on
Jonas’s bare back. The memory somehow moves through him into Jonas in a way that
makes Jonas feel he is participating in the event. The Giver explains that the citizens of
the community only have “first generation memories”. He holds all the memories
including painful ones. The first “painful” memory Jonas receives is that of a sunburn.
These memories also give the reader the understanding of “Sameness” – something the
community chose to go to, so that everything would be “easier”.
8. The next day Jonas notices that Fiona’s hair “changes” in the same way that the apple
did. The Giver explains to Jonas that he is seeing color, specifically the color red. The
community got rid of color when it chose to go to Sameness. The common characteristic
between The Giver and Jonas is pale eyes – the reader can infer that people with pale
eyes have a special ability to “see beyond”. Gabriel also has pale eyes; Jonas begins to
ponder if he is special in some way.
9. Jonas receives more memories over the next few days: colors, animals, weather, etc. He
receives some negative memories as well including animal poaching and broken bones.
Jacobs 6
He is frustrated that no one else can understand what he is seeing and learning. Gabriel is
struggling – he’s not sleeping at night. Jonas asks if Gabriel can stay in his room. During
the night Jonas accidently gives Gabriel a memory of a sailboat. Jonas learns that his
Assignment will cause him great loneliness. He sees the pain The Giver is in and wants to
help him with that pain. The Giver gives Jonas the painful memory of a war.
10. Father discusses that a Birthmother is going to have twins. One of the twins will be
released – it is a rule in the community (twins would be confusing). Jonas begins to
question Release. Up to this point the reader knows that Release is a punishment for
people that make three mistakes, it is a celebration for the old, and it is sad when a
newborn is released for not properly developing. Release is going “Elsewhere”.
Climax: Jonas asks The Giver if he can see the Release of the twin. As he watches the tape
of this activity, Jonas discovers that Release is lethal injection. He is outraged that such
behavior is the acceptable standard. The Giver explains that he and Jonas are the only ones
with true feelings. Others in the community don’t know what they are doing because they are
without the knowledge of memories. Jonas and The Giver begin to make a plan to change the
course of the community.
Falling Action:
1. The Giver and Jonas make a plan for Jonas to escape before the next Ceremony. Until
this day is reached, The Giver will transmit all the memories to Jonas that will help him
with survival. The Giver will stay behind to help the Community cope. The reader is
informed that when Jonas leaves the community, all of the memories that have been
Jacobs 7
given to him will return to all the community members. They won’t know how to handle
these memories without The Giver’s wisdom and guidance.
2. Jonas finds out that Gabriel is scheduled for a release. He can’t stand the thought of this
child being killed, so he runs away. He takes Gabriel, steals food from the family
dwellings, steals his father’s bicycle, and begins pedaling away from the community.
3. As time passes, Jonas is tired and hungry. He isn’t wholly prepared for the landscape or
climate outside of the community. The community sends heat sensing planes out to look
for Jonas and Gabriel. Jonas uses the memories of cold to escape the sensors. The further
Jonas gets from the community the memories begin to fade.
4. Jonas and Gabriel are weak and starving. Jonas does the best he can to protect the child.
Jonas also wrecks the bicycle and sprains his ankle. Jonas is worried that Gabriel and he
will die.
Denouement: In the final chapter, it begins to snow. The snow is so heavy that Jonas can no
longer pedal the bicycle. He begins to walk up a hill carrying Gabriel. When he reaches the top
of the hill he sees a town. The houses are lighted and he hears sounds which Jonas perceives to
be music. The ending is ambiguous. The reader is unsure of Jonas’s survival. One interpretation
is that he hallucinates and collapses. Another, more optimistic, believe is that there is a sled at
the top of the hill, and Jonas and Gabriel ride the sled to the town below.
Jacobs 8
Knowledge – Title/Setting/Genre
The title of the novel The Giver has both a literal and metaphorical interpretation. The
obvious reason for the title is that Jonas is receiving the memories of the world from The Giver,
one of the main characters. However, The Giver also represents what Jonas becomes. By
escaping from the community and going Elsewhere, Jonas is giving the memories and the
responsibility of the memories back the members of the community. He is also giving the
community the opportunities to experience true emotions/feelings.
The novel is set in a rigid community. The fact that this community is isolated from other
communities is important for the progression of the novel. Also important to the plot
development is the Sameness the community experiences – the lack of weather, color, and
terrain. This lack of description for the setting allows the readers to focus on the events that are
taking place. It also helps us to see what the community is lacking. The plot begins and ends
around December. This is when the annual ceremonies take place. The story ending in December
explains the snow, Christmas lights, and singing at the end of the novel.
This novel is science fiction. This genre allows the scientific advancements this
community has. Somehow, the community has learned to alter the genetics of humans. People
with pale eyes are rare. Memories and emotions are suppressed with science and medicine. The
community is able to eliminate climate and color. Even though technology as we know it is
lacking, it is assumed to be a futuristic world.
Jacobs 9
Comprehension – Main Conflict
Jonas is faced with several conflicts in this novel. However, most of the issues link back
to the lack of choice and knowledge. Jonas is frustrated that choices have been taken away from
him and the others in the community. Simple choices like wearing a red tunic or a blue one. The
choice of having a family. The choice to experience real love. Jonas is frustrated and feels very
lonely in his role. “They were satisfied with their lives which had none of the vibrance his own
was taking on. And he was angry at himself, that he could not change that for them.” (pg ??).
As the number of memories he receives increases, this loneliness grows. No one
understands that animals really exist. His friends play war games without realizing what warfare
really is. Worst of all, the community he is in doesn’t know the joys of a real family and love.
They have chosen a different style of life that has eliminated these elements. Jonas wants others
to have the knowledge he has, to see the world the way he gets to see it. “The worst part of
holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared” (pg
??). Jonas feels isolated.
The frustration and isolation turn to outrage when he discovers what Release really is.
When he discovers that his father “murdered” a twin, he cannot continue on in the community.
He knows he has to do something to spark a real change. When Gabriel is scheduled for Release,
Jonas puts his plan into action. He leaves the community taking the small child with him. The
farther away he gets, the memories begin to fade and return to the community he left behind. The
community will have to face the memories and will have the knowledge.
Jacobs 10
Application – Creative Project Explained
In this essay, I would describe what I made. In the description, I would include what
materials I used, how it was constructed, etc. I also need to explain why I made what I did. How
does what I made connect to the book? I need to completely describe my project. The most
important part though is to explain why and how it connects to the novel.
Some ideas for a creative project:

simulation of being colored blind

create a chart of the ceremonies

timelines of memories
If you are looking for creative ideas for your novel you might check the following
websites. Some of the ideas on these sites are good.
http://teachnet.com/lessonplans/language-arts/more-ideas-than-ever-book-reports/
http://www.ncte.org/library/nctefiles/resources/journals/ej/0871-jan98/ej0871ideas.pdf
http://archive.csustan.edu/TeacherEd/FacultyStaff/betts/Handouts/PDFs/101CreatLitProj.pdf
http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/cms/lib3/GA01000373/Centricity/Domain/1510/101%20book%20reports.pdf
Jacobs 11
Analysis – Character Transformation
Jonas, the protagonist, is transformed throughout the events of the novel. In the
beginning, we realize that Jonas is not like the other children of the community. Even though the
reader isn’t yet familiar with the term “seeing beyond”, we can tell that Jonas is intuitive and
contemplative. The first chapter shows that he thinks things through thoroughly as he tries to
decide which word best describes his feelings…apprehensive. As the novel progresses we find
that he is thoughtful and caring. He rarely breaks rules – the exception is the hoarding of the
apple from the recreation center, but even that has a thought out reason. Jonas tries to please
others and to not make waves. He spends his time doing what is expected and proving himself to
be a model citizen. It is understandable why the Elders would select him for the honor of
Receiver of Memory. Little did they realize that such an honor would cause such a drastic
change.
As Jonas begins receiving memories from The Giver, he begins to question how their
world is. The rules that he once thought were necessary seem to restrict him and take away rights
he feels he should have. He becomes sullen, angry, isolated, and frustrated. Jonas wants others to
see and experience what he knows. He tries to share memories with his family and friends, but
they don’t understand because they do not have the knowledge that Jonas now has. The more he
tries the more frustrated and isolated he feels. No one, except The Giver, understands what Jonas
is feeling.
As his wisdom increases, Jonas discovers the injustices of his community. Not only have
they lost their opportunity to have free will, he discovers they have lost out on the opportunity to
have emotions and true emotional connections. At this point he decides to quit taking his pill that
Jacobs 12
prevents Stirrings. This gives Jonas the ability to feel emotions on more than just a surface level.
Jonas’s true transformation happens when he discovers that his father murders a child. Of course,
Father thinks he is performing the Release ceremony and waving bye-bye as the child goes to
Elsewhere. Jonas can’t believe that the community would allow this to happen. Along with The
Giver, Jonas decides something needs to be done.
Jonas continues to put others before him as he and Gabriel escape the community.
However, the Jonas at the end of the novel is willing to take risk for others. He breaks the rules
to help out the greater good. In doing so, he saves Gabe’s life and hopefully changes the course
of his community.
Jacobs 13
Analysis – HTRLLP connection
This essay should contain information relating The Giver to HTRLLP. I can use one, two,
or three of the chapters. I’m not going to complete this essay as an example because I don’t want
students to be tempted to plagiarize. However, here are some of the things I might do:
1. Compare Jonas as a Christ figure and look at the Biblical allusions (Jonas – Jonah,
Gabriel – named after the Archangel, December – the month Jonas is named as the
receiver is the same month as Christ’s birth,
2. Discuss the concept of the hero’s journey – I could easily find the five concepts of a
quest.
3. Analyze the weather (lack of weather in the community, the use of snow and what it
symbolizes in the end)
Make sure this is a connected essay. I wouldn’t analyze the Biblical allusions AND the weather
in one essay. I would need to choose one of these things, so that I stay on topic and don’t ramble.
Also, I would need textual evidence from my novel, The Giver, and How to Read Literature Like
a Professor.
Jacobs 14
Synthesis - Controversial Issue
Jonas discovers that Release isn’t what the members of the community think that it is. In
the community, Release has many meanings. Release means going to Elsewhere (a vague place
that no one understands but everyone accepts). If someone from the House of the Old is released,
then it is a celebration of a life well lived. If a Newborn is released, there is a since of failure, of
what could we have done. Someone that is a repeat offender is released after their third offense.
Members of the community can also request Release. It isn’t until he is training in his
Assignment that Jonas discovers what Release really is. He is appalled to find out that Release is
lethal injection; he watched the video of his Father releasing a twin. After this, he discovers that
Release is murder.
Lethal injections have been debated for years. Is it ethical? Is it murder? We have groups
that believe lethal injection is an acceptable punishment for criminals such as murderers and
rapist. After all, an eye for an eye, right? Other groups believe that life in prison is the better
punishment. After all, who are we to judge? But, what about the other uses for lethal injections?
What about euthanasia? Jonas doesn’t seem outraged about the Release of repeat offenders in his
community. His anger stems from seeing his father murder the twin. Then, he realizes the same
is done to the old.
Euthanasia, or assisted suicide, is a hot topic. Is it murder? Is it ethical for a doctor to
provide permanent “relief” to a dying patient? or a patient that has chronic pain? Dr. Jack
Kevorkian was doing just that. Dr. Kevorkian is a euthanasia activist. He assisted in many patient
suicides sparking a debate on the ethics of euthanasia. The difference between this and what is
going on in Jonas’s community though is choice. In Jonas’s community, the people didn’t always
Jacobs 15
have a choice to be Released. The people in the House of the Old didn’t understand that they
were being killed. They weren’t choosing to have their life ended. This is wrong.
Jonas’s fathers and other Nurturers had to Release newborns that weren’t “adequate”.
They would also Release the smaller twin. In their mind, the Nurturers would get the baby
comfortable, perform the small Ceremony of Release and then wave bye-bye. The Nurturers
weren’t aware that they were murdering innocent babies. This is wrong. In our world, parents
have the option to “terminate” a pregnancy if they discover their baby’s health is at risk or if
their baby is not “adequate”. This termination takes place before the baby is born. However, after
the birth of the baby, if the baby is not “adequate”, the parent cannot legally “release” their
infant. If the parent, or the doctor, kills the baby, it is murder. If a parent has twins, one is not
killed to make it easier for the parent.
Jonas is clear on how he feels about the Release of Newborns. His view is just like the
views of any human with a conscience and a heart. It is wrong. The Release of an elderly or a
person in chronic pain is a little more blurred for us. We know it is wrong, but we don’t want to
be the one to make the decision or prevent someone from the choice. As for the Release of
criminals, more people, not all, are in agreement that this is okay.
Jacobs 16
Synthesis - Theme
“Oh.” Jonas was silent for a minute. “Oh, I see what you mean. It wouldn’t matter for a
newchild’s toy. But later it does matter, doesn’t it? We don’t dare to let people make choices of
their own.”
“Not safe?” The Giver suggested.
“Definitely not safe,” Jonas said with certainty. “What if they were allowed to choose
their own mate? And chose wrong?” (pg #)
There are many themes of this novel, but most of them come back to the idea of choice.
Free will or the power to choose comes with risks and consequences. This is the overall theme of
The Giver. In the community, all choices are eliminated. Since there is Sameness, members of
the community don’t have color. This eliminates simple choices. “I want to wake up in the
morning and DECIDE things! A blue tunic, or a red one?” (pg #). The community has set strict
rules and guidelines. Spouses are chosen by a committee – since their Stirrings (or emotions)
have been eliminated, there is no love. Members of the community don’t have to worry about
choosing the wrong spouse. This reduces consequences such as divorce. Careers are chosen by a
committee that spends years analyzing each child’s strengths and weaknesses. Since this is the
way things have always been, no one questions the lifestyle.
Since the community members don’t have the memories, they can’t make good choices.
They don’t have the knowledge and experience to choose. Without the knowledge of what war
is, the children play war games without true understanding of what they are doing. Jonas realizes
as he receives memories that they have been deprived of more than just options. They have been
robbed of their individuality and freedom. The more memories he receives, the more choices he
Jacobs 17
wants to make. He chooses to quit taking his pill for Stirrings so he can experience emotions.
The biggest choice he makes is at the end when he chooses to leave the community early in order
to not only return the memories to everyone else but also, more importantly, to save Gabriel’s
life. He makes the decision to leave without taking the time to tell The Giver. At this point, Jonas
has to make several small decisions that will determine whether he and Gabe will survive. At the
end of the novel, Jonas still is unsure of the choices; he doubts himself. “Once he had yearned for
choice. Then, when he had had a choice, he had made the wrong one: the choice to leave. And
now he was starving” (pg ##). When he first discovers what “choice” is, he realizes there could
be dangers in making choices. Of course, at first his worry was more about choosing the wrong
spouse. By the end of the novel, he realizes that choices can have much larger consequences and
regrets.
Jacobs 18
The Giver
by Lois Lowry
Review by Tracey Jacobs (PreAP 2014-2015)
Rated “PG” for brief nudity, intense elements.
The Giver by Lois Lowry should be required reading for all middle school students. The
book has a flawless plot. It addresses complex topics in a way that is interesting and easy to
understand. I recommend this book for anyone over the age of twelve. … (I need to finish this
essay…I need to quote something from the official reviews that I use, I need to address
everything on the rubric. The official reviews I use must be properly cited on the Works Cited
page, and I need to attach them to this document).
Jacobs 19
Works Cited
<insert citation for HTRLLP here>
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York: Laurel Leaf, 2002. Print.
"The Giver by Lois Lowry - Review." The Guardian. N.p., 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2013.
"The Giver." Focus on the Family. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2013.
Jacobs 20
Professional Review #1
The Giver by Lois Lowry - review
'Humans do cause wars and chaos but the book shows that a society where no one feels anything
is not the right solution to the problems we face in our world today'

silvercrab

theguardian.com, Friday 23 August 2013 10.00 EDT
The Giver by Lois Lowry is a tale of an orderly society which is free of pain and chaos caused by
humans but is also devoid of emotions and feelings. Therefore, there is no place for love, joy,
guilt or remorse or any other human emotion in this society. Freedom of choice and individuality
are unknown concepts. Only two people know and understand feelings – The Giver and a 12year old boy Jonas.
The two main characters are Jonas – a young boy who is apprenticed to The Giver and The Giver
himself, a kind old man who transmits emotions and feelings to Jonas. The Giver is the 'human
memory bank' – the only person who carries memories of all forgotten human emotions within
himself. His job is to transmit them all to Jonas who is his successor.
I liked the book very much because it made me think how important it is to have freedom of
choice and not have your life set out for you. In this book, Birthmothers give birth to children but
they do not nurture them or bring them up their own way. The babies are taken away from the
Birthmothers as soon as they are born, and are brought up by a different family, never again to be
seen by the Birthmother. They give birth three times and are then dismissed to work as labourers
for the rest of their lives.
And it is not just the Birthmothers whose lives are unfair. Every family has 'one son and one
daughter' and all families eat the same food which is cooked in a central location and delivered to
them every evening. In their pursuit for 'sameness' and absolute equality, the community has lost
the ability to feel any emotion. Everyone's life is pre-determined and the lives are more robotic
than human.
The crisis comes when Jonas experiences feelings for the first time – the first tingle of
snowflakes, the first time he sees colour, the first time he sees a family celebrate Christmas, the
first time he feels love.
Overall, this is a great book. It shows how important it is for us as humans to 'feel'. Humans do
cause wars and chaos but the book gives an idea of a society where no one 'feels anything' and
how that can only makes us like robots, it is not the right solution to the problems of chaos and
destruction that we face in our world today. That is what makes this book such a powerful read
for me.
I will give it 4.5 out of 5.
Jacobs 21
Professional Review #2
The Giver
A book review for parents
This science fiction/fantasy, coming-of-age book by Lois Lowry is published by Delacorte
Books for Young Readers as a paperback and Dell Laurel-Leaf as a mass market book. Both are
imprints of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc. The hardback
book is printed by Walter Lorraine Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin. The book is written
for kids ages 12 and up. The age range reflects readability and not necessarily content
appropriateness.
Plot Summary
Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a nearly perfect community. Every family has two children, one
boy and one girl. They share their feelings together each morning and each night. When the old
tire of life, infants fail to thrive or someone doesn't fit in, they're simply "released" to a place
known as Elsewhere. Rarely does anyone suffer or die.
The community Elders spend years observing the children to ensure each receives a vocation
matching his or her aptitude. At an annual ceremony, 12-year-olds are assigned their careers.
When the officiating Elder fails to call Jonas' name at his ceremony, he fears he's done
something wrong. The Elders have saved his assignment for last because of its significance. He
will be trained for a rare, honored and secretive position called the Receiver of Memory. He's
unnerved to learn the position will involve pain and isolation, and troubled to hear that the last
person selected for the position 10 years earlier "failed" at her task and mysteriously disappeared.
Jonas meets with his new mentor, a man he calls The Giver. Jonas will take all of the older man's
memories — some of which were given to him by a predecessor — and preserve these truths and
experiences about which the rest of the community is oblivious. The Giver transfers his
memories to Jonas by touching the boy's bare back. Jonas is thrilled to discover feelings and
objects he's never known. The Giver allows him to feel snow as he speeds downhill on a sled and
the warmth of sunlight on his face. Jonas also begins to "see beyond" what his community has
been genetically engineered not to see. He discovers color and begins to question why his
neighbors aren't given the choice to see color. He convinces himself that, given too many
choices, people would make the wrong ones and disaster would follow.
The more Jonas understands about objects and ideas others can't see, the more isolated he feels
from his community. He begins to understand why The Giver is so tired, weighed down with
difficult concepts he's forbidden to share. When Jonas asks why they must retain these painful
memories, The Giver explains that memories are the key to wisdom. The Elders don't consult
The Giver as often as he feels they should, but when they do, he's able to recall tragedies of the
past and steer the leaders in the right direction.
Jacobs 22
Jonas' father, a Nurturer who works with newborns, brings home a failure-to-thrive baby named
Gabriel. He hopes the extra attention will help the infant. If Gabriel doesn't improve, he will be
released. Gabriel continues to sleep poorly, so Jonas offers to keep him in his room. When the
baby fusses at night, Jonas secretly shares comforting memories that The Giver has passed on to
him. These memories help Gabriel sleep soundly and begin to improve.
The Giver continues to share memories, both of intense pain — like war — and amazing
warmth, which The Giver calls "love." Jonas tries to convince himself a world with love would
be dangerous, but he begins to believe it might be worth the risk. Jonas learns more about the
previous failed Receiver of Memory. The Giver, who deeply loved his protégée, says she could
not handle all of the painful memories, and she requested release. She even asked to perform the
release herself. The memories she had already assimilated re-entered the community, causing
chaos.
Jonas asks what happens when someone is released. The Giver allows him to watch a tape of the
release Jonas's father performed earlier that day. Jonas is stunned as he watches his father
euthanize an infant and throw away the body. Jonas tells The Giver he wants to leave the
community. The Giver agrees to help him, believing it may be good for the sheltered citizens to
have Jonas' feelings and memories thrust into their world. He refuses to escape with Jonas,
saying he should stay behind to help people deal with their newfound emotions.
Jonas's father says Gabriel is failing to sleep back at the nurturing facility, so he will soon be
released. Jonas kidnaps Gabriel and leaves the community, sleeping and hiding by day and
biking briskly by night. Eventually, people stop searching for them. He and Gabriel find
themselves in a new landscape, which includes hills and animals and snow. But their food has
run out, and their bodies are cold. Jonas no longer cares about himself. He believes his power is
gone, as he can no longer call up warm memories to give the baby. In a cryptic conclusion, Jonas
and Gabriel slide downhill on a sled, seeing lights and hearing music. It is unclear whether they
survive or die of hypothermia.
Christian Beliefs
None
Authority Roles
Elders oversee Jonas's community, maintaining a strict system of rules and discipline while
allowing for friendliness and levity among the people. The rules aren't particularly difficult to
enforce because people have been genetically stripped of memories and abilities to see color,
hear music or feel emotion. The Giver loves Jonas. He tries to temper the painful memories he
must convey with joyful ones. His memories and wisdom have taught him about intense feeling,
and he wants to share these things with the community even if it comes at a price. Jonas' parents
are kind and pleasant, effectively carrying out their vocational and parenting responsibilities.
Even as Jonas' father lethally injects a child and prepares to do the same to Gabriel, his tone is
gentle and playful. Because he is "programmed" not to know love or emotion, his actions are not
calloused or cold-blooded. He feels he is just doing his job.
Jacobs 23
The creators of Jonas' community implemented a climate control system and revised the
landscape to optimize it. As such, those in the community have never seen animals (those
depicted in their "comfort objects") or hills, snow or sunshine. Jonas is shocked to see books in
The Giver's home. The only books Jonas knew existed were dictionaries and books about the
community's rules and offices.
Other Belief Systems
Jonas's society is founded on the belief that a community will be happy, functioning and fulfilled
if it is able to jettison deep emotions, such as love and pain. Rules, rituals and order reign
supreme, creating a "Sameness." In this way, no one has to experience prejudice, injustice or
insecurity.
Families are required to share their feelings with one another each night and their dreams each
morning. Otherwise, people keep their thoughts to themselves, lest they say anything that makes
someone else feel uncomfortable or different.
The entire community attends an annual two-day ceremony where children in each age group are
promoted. For example, becoming a Seven (year-old) means getting a front-buttoning jacket so
the child can learn independence. Eights relinquish their stuffed animal (called a "comfort
object") to be recycled to younger children. Nines are further allowed to demonstrate and
develop their maturity by getting their first bikes. Twelves, which was Jonas' group, receive their
vocational assignments.
The community creates the family. People apply for spouses and are matched based on a number
of attributes. Those who fail to demonstrate the appropriate ability to connect are not given
spouses. After three years of marriage, a couple can apply for children. Each family may receive
one girl and one boy. When children are Ones, they are given to families at the community
ceremony. The vocation of Birthmother is viewed as vital but not prestigious. Birthmothers are
given excellent food and care until they've borne three children. Then they spend the remainder
of their adult life as laborers. When a couple's children are grown and the parents are no longer
needed to create family units, they go to live with the Childless Adults. When they've aged
further, they're well cared for and respected as they finish out their lives at the House of the Old.
Once children become adults with families of their own, they cease to have contact with their
parents altogether because that bond is no longer necessary.
Jonas' friend Asher used to mix up his words as a 3-year-old. He was subject to increasingly
intense lashings until he finally stopped talking altogether. An Elder speaks of this situation
fondly at the community ceremony, beaming because Asher now speaks and is a productive
member of society. She indicates the punishment had obviously been effective. When Fiona
begins her formal training with the elderly, she notes off-handedly that the old, similar to the
children, are punished with a disciplinary wand. Each home has a speaker box that conveys
community news and can also monitor the activity inside each dwelling.
Except in the rare event of an accident, no one in the community dies. They are "released" into
"Elsewhere." After more than a year with The Giver, Jonas learns that to "release" someone is to
Jacobs 24
kill the person through lethal injection. Most people never learn this. The elderly are given a
celebration of life ceremony before they are led through a door leading to Elsewhere. When a set
of twins is placed in the care of Jonas's father, his father decides by their birth weights which will
be allowed to join the community and which will be released. (Jonas's family notes that they
certainly can't have two people who look alike running around. How confusing would that be?)
Those who fail to follow community rules are sent Elsewhere in disgrace. One family whose
child drowns is presented a new one. The new child receives the same name, so it is "as though
the first child were returning." Names are chanted in ceremonies both to release and to welcome
new community members.
Profanity/Graphic Violence
The Giver conveys a memory of an elephant being shot by poachers. A second elephant hovers
over the mutilated body, trumpeting its grief. In another memory, Jonas bleeds and vomits on a
scary sled ride, and in another, he sees bloodshed and death as men and boys suffer on a
battlefield. Jonas' father punctures a newborn in the top of the forehead with a syringe full of
lethal fluid. He talks to the crying baby, gently saying he knows it hurts. Then he nonchalantly
wraps up the dead child and puts him in a trash bin.
Kissing/Sex/Homosexuality
Jonas tells his family about a dream where he longs to have his classmate, Fiona, take her clothes
off so he can bathe her. His mother calmly explains that these Stirrings are normal. Now he will
begin taking pills that make the Stirrings go away as the other adults in the community do. After
The Giver helps him know what love feels like, Jonas stops taking the pills.
Awards
Boston Globe-Horn Honor Book, 1993; Newbery Medal Winner, 1994; Margaret A. Edwards
Award, 2007
Discussion Topics
If your children have read this book or someone has read it to them, consider these
discussion topics:



What would it be like to live in a perfect community?
What would make our world perfect?
What would make your life perfect?
What was good about Jonas' community, family and life?
What would you have disliked if you were in his situation?
How is Jonas' community sheltered from dealing with death?
What happens to people who are "released"?
What kind of people are released?
How did you feel when you read about people being killed this way?
Jacobs 25




How does this practice align with your views on life and death?
What does the Bible say about the value of human life?
Why does Jonas think the kind of love people once experienced must have been
dangerous?
How is a world without love dangerous?
Why do you think the author wrote a book without telling you exactly what happened in
the end?
What do you think happens to Jonas and Gabriel?
How would you have ended the book if you were the author?
What does The Giver mean when he tells Jonas that everything is meaningless without
memories?
What would the world be like if people could only remember back as far as the years they
personally had lived?
How does remembering make us wise?
Why is wisdom sometimes painful?
Imagine you knew and remembered things no one else could.
What would it be like?
How would you feel?
What would you say to others? What if you were sworn to secrecy about your unique
knowledge?
Note:
According to the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, The Giver was
one of the most frequently challenged books from 1990-2000. Some parents have expressed
concerns about age-inappropriate content for middle school students, including occultist themes
and violence, sexually explicit material and the ideas of drug use, suicide and euthanasia.
Nudity: Jonas and other young volunteers bathe the elderly in the House of the Old. People are
forbidden to look at others naked, but this rule doesn't apply with infants or the elderly.
Lying: When Jonas receives his vocational instructions, he's shocked to learn he has permission
to lie. He wonders if others have the same permission. Later, when he sees his father euthanize a
baby, he realizes his father has lied by telling Jonas that babies are sent Elsewhere. Jonas lies to
his parents as he prepares to leave the community.
Suicide: When Rosemary, the failed Receiver of Memory before Jonas, seeks release, she asks to
inject the needle into herself.
Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit,
and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. A book's inclusion
does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.