“The Giver” Study Guide: Literary Elements
Written by: Keren Perles • Edited by: Sarah Malburg
Published Mar 16, 2010 • Related Guides: Main Characters
This article lists the various literary elements of “The Giver,” including its plot, setting, characters, point
of view, conflicts, and themes.
Plot
The most basic of the literary elements of “The Giver” is the plot. “The Giver” is basically the story of a
young boy named Jonas who lives in a dystopian society in which there is very little pain or emotion.
Jonas is named the new Receiver of Memories, and he is apprenticed to the Giver, who passes along
communal memories from the past, filled with both pain and pleasure. Jonas eventually comes to see
the disadvantages to his society’s way of removing all emotion from life, and he runs away, releasing the
memories to the rest of the community. (See the first article in this series for a brief summary of the
novel.)
Setting
The setting of “The Giver” is a dystopian, futuristic world in which war, pain, and emotion are foreign
concepts. Families (or family units) consist of two parents and two children, both of whom were birthed
by Birthmothers who would never see them again. When people age or become ill, they are Released –
a word which Jonas later realizes is a euphemism for “killed.”
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Characters
The two main characters in the book are Jonas and the Giver. Jonas is intelligent and willing to think
outside of his community’s norms. The Giver is patient and wise, and he helps Jonas to absorb the
memories and to choose which path he will take. (See the analysis of main characters article for a more
complete list of characters and their descriptions.)
Point of View
The point of view of the novel is third-person, subjective. This means that although the story is told as if
by an outside observer (refraining from using first person pronouns, for example), the narrator still
describes Jonas’s thoughts and emotions. The reader learns about the events in the story through
Jonas’s perceptions, which enables the reader to learn about various hidden aspects of the dystopian
society along with him.
Conflict
There are several major conflicts in the novel. One “man vs. nature” conflict is depicted by the way in
which society tries to control or overcome the forces of nature. They do this by controlling life and
death, the weather, and any other aspects of nature that they can. At the same time, pain and suffering
from nature sometimes do overcome society’s constraints on them.
Perhaps the most important conflict in the novel is that of man vs. himself, or Jonas’s struggle to do
what he thinks is best for society. Having grown up believing that his society was perfect, Jonas’s
decision to leave the society and release all of the memories takes considerable courage.
Various man vs. man conflicts appear in the book as well, including the Giver’s conflict with Jonas when
he transmits some of the memories, as well as Jonas’s minor conflict with his father over whether
Gabriel should be Released.
The Giver Elements of Literature
Element of LiteratureDefinition
Page
Quote
Number
Description
setting: The environment or 44
time where a story is set.
“The community was The quote describes the community that
extraordinarily safe, Jonas lives in as safe and reliable.
each citizen watchful
and protective of all
children.”
Imagery: The use of words 82
to appeal to our five senses,
and help us imagine what
the story is like.
“He was free to enjoy The quote describes what Jonas is feeling
the breathless glee
as he goes down the hill on the sled.
that overwhelmed
him: the speed, the
clear cold air, the total
silence, the feeling of
balance and
excitement and
peace.”
characterization: The
9
process of describing a
character to make him/her
more realistic.
“This evening he
This quote describes Jonas as a bit shy,
almost would have
but still honest and a good citizen. Many
preferred to keep his people can relate to this, so it is realistic.
feelings to hidden. But
it was, of course,
against the rules.”
irony: The difference
55
between what is expected
to happen and what
actually occurs.
“Eventually, for a
period of time, Asher
stopped talking
altogether, when he
was a Three.”
The precision of language is enforced so
that people could communicate what
they’re thinking better, but instead, it
made Asher not talk for a while.
euphemism: A mild term or 3
phrase that is substituted
for a more offensive one.
“Jonas had done it
once, had shouted at
his best friend, ‘That’s
it, Asher! You’re
released!’ when
Asher’s clumsy error
had lost a match for
his team.”
The term “release” is used as a
substitute for “kill”, thus making it a
euphemism. This is also kind of ironic
because precision of language is
extremely important in Jonas’
community, and yet they use vague
words like “euphemism.”
symbol / symbolic /
symbolism: An object, a
“Suddenly, he was
aware with certainty
Gabe is a sort of a symbol for a better
future in the book. For one thing, he is a
178
place, a character, or a
word that represents
something beyond what it
is on a literal level.
and joy that below,
ahead, they were
waiting for him; and
that they were waiting
too, for the baby.”
mood: An emotional state 8
or the atmosphere of the
book.
“‘I’m feeling
The quote describes the mood for the
apprehensive,’ he
first part of the book, where Jonas is
confessed, glad that fearfully anticipating the ceremony.
the appropriate
descriptive word had
finally come to him.”
conflict: The opposition
between two characters,
two groups, a character
and the forces of nature
“Jonas did not want to
go back. He didn’t
want the memories,
didn’t want the honor,
didn’t want the
wisdom, didn’t want
the pain.”
121
Theme: The central idea of 135
a book that unifies it.
newborn child, and has not been
exposed to the community’s darker side
yet. This sentence pretty much means
that the people are waiting for him to
bring the bright future to them.
This is internal conflict, where it’s a man
against himself. Jonas refuses to go back
to the Giver, but in the end, he decides
to.
“He felt such love for One of the main themes in the book this
Asher and for Fiona. quote describes is how important
But they could not feel memories are and how without painful
it back, without the
and happy memories, you wouldn’t be
memories.”
able to feel emotion.
Elements of Literature: The Giver
KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS
SETTING
The setting of The Giver by Lois Lowry is both familiar and strange. The time is the future. There are
family groups, each with a boy and a girl. The adults work. The children go to school. But, people have
made changes in how society operates since our time. As we first encounter the characters in the story,
we think that they live in a utopia. There is a sense that their way of living is better than that of
communities that are far from them historically or geographically.
CHARACTER LIST
Major Characters
Jonas
Jonas, the protagonist, is an eleven year-old boy at the beginning of the book. He has blue eyes. He is
awaiting an important milestone in December when he and all the other Elevens will find out what their
future jobs will be and will begin preparing for their new assignments. He receives a very special job
assignment. He is to become the Receiver, the only one besides the Giver who has Memories.
After he begins receiving the memories, Jonas changes. He seems to become more intelligent. He does
not accept the ways of the community as easily as he did in the past before he was the Receiver.
The Giver
The Giver, known in the community as the Receiver of Memory, already knows what Jonas will discover.
He is troubled by what he knows. He believes that the community would be better able to live wisely if
everyone had the Memories, even though some of the memories would be painful for them as they are
for him. Like Jonas, the Giver does not approve of much that he knows about the community. However,
he seems resigned to living with his inability to change it.
Jonas’s father
Jonas’s father is a Nurturer, a job that fits his personality. He cares for infants in their first year of life.
He, like the rest of the community, has no memories. He lives the way that the community rules dictate.
He does not believe in love, but does seem to exhibit it at times nonetheless.
Minor Characters
Jonas’s mother
Jonas’s mother does what is required of her in her assigned job and in her role as mother to Jonas and
Lily. As with the other women in the other family groups, she is not the natural mother to the children in
her home.
Lily
Lily, Jonas’s sister, is a Seven when Jonas is an Eleven. She becomes an Eight in the December ceremony
when Jonas becomes a Twelve.
Gabriel
Gabriel is one of the babies that Jonas’s father nurtures. The other babies that Jonas’s father nurtures
do not have names yet. But, hoping to help him to thrive by calling him by name, Jonas’s father finds out
what name is planned for him at the Naming Ceremony and begins to use it. Gabriel becomes especially
close to Jonas.
Asher
Asher is Jonas’s best friend. He has difficulty always using the correct words when he speaks. Using
precisely the right word is an important ability for community members.
Fiona
Fiona is Jonas’s friend. She has red hair. The job that she is assigned is as a Caretaker in the House of the
Old. She is in a dream that Jonas has as he matures.
Larissa
Larissa is an old woman in the House of the Old. She looks forward to her Release.
The Chief Elder
The Chief Elder is the person whose job it is to announce the assignments of the Twelves.
CONFLICT
Conflict arises when Jonas becomes aware of reality as he receives Memories. This awareness is very
unsettling to him. He begins to mentally revolt against some of the restrictions placed on community
members.
Protagonist
Jonas is the protagonist in this story.
Antagonist
No one character fits the label, antagonist. But, the antagonist can be something in the physical
environment or in the society. The system of Sameness under which the community lives is the
antagonist when this more expansive definition of the word is used.
Climax
The climax of the story, the point of no return, is when Jonas realizes that “Release” of newchildren is
actually killing them. The fact is made worse by the knowledge that it is his father doing the killing.
Outcome / Falling Action
The outcome of this realization is that Jonas flees the community with Gabriel in order to save Gabriel
from being "released".
THEMES
Major Themes
The Importance of Memory
In Jonas’s community there is no need for memory. At least that is what those who guide the
community believe. Jonas’s community does not want its members to experience the pain that memory
often brings. But, some memories are pleasant. And, without memory there are no pleasurable
recollections either.
The Importance of the Individual
As Jonas grew up he ignored differences between people. The members of the community considered it
impolite to draw attention to differences between people. As Jonas acquired memories he realized that
differences are something to be celebrated and made use of, not ignored.
The Value of Freedom to Make Choices
The people in Jonas’s community do not make choices. The community’s choices have been made by
others in the past. A few new choices are made by a small group selected to do that. Most people in the
community do not realize that there is a better way. As the story develops, Jonas realizes the
importance of making choices even if the wrong choice is sometimes made. The story leads us to realize
that the positive results of freedom to make choices outweigh the negative effects, such as making
mistakes.
The Relationship between Pain and Pleasure
Just as sweet and sour tastes each help us to notice the other more fully, pleasure and pain each help us
to notice the other more fully.
Minor Themes
The Value of a Multi-generational Family
The members of the families in the community are put together by others. When the two children in
each family are grown, the parents do not remain together. There is no longer a family unit. The older
people are separate from the rest of the community. When Jonas receives a memory of a family group
that includes grandparents, he immediately sees the value of such a group.
The Importance of Making Connections
Our connections with other people are very important. The author knows this and incorporates it into
her story.
The Value of Diversity
The story shows the value of diversity. Sameness gives the community a feeling of safety, but diversity is
more interesting.
The Importance of Honesty
When he becomes the Receiver of Memories, Jonas is told that he can lie. He begins to wonder if others
also have permission to lie. He cannot ask if those whom he asks are forbidden to lie because an
affirmative answer could be a lie. This distresses Jonas. He is also distressed by the way that the names
of various things are misleading and dishonest. An example is the use of the word “release” in the
community.
MOOD
The mood of this novel is apprehensive. We see through the eyes of the protagonist, Jonas. In the
beginning of the story, Jonas’s apprehension is centered on what assignment he will be given during the
Ceremony of Twelve. Later in the tale, the causes of his apprehension are more serious.