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The Giver

 


The Giver
Published in 1993
Page 225
Written by Lois Lowry
Rate 8/10

My summary of The Giver

    The story follows a young boy named Jonas who lives in a utopian society as he learns his place within the community. Once children turn twelve they are considered adults and are assigned to do the same job for the rest of their lives. There are many rules within the society Jonas lives in, however, when he gets his assignment as The Reciever of Memory, his instructions say he can break almost all the rules he grew up with. With the help of The Giver, Jonas soon uncovers how his utopian society might actually be a dystopian society. 

My opinion on The Giver

    The narrative was a third-person point of view, because of that it was easy to follow along. The world within this book was pretty well thought out, the community functioned incredibly well, and because of that, it wasn't hard to understand the setting. The third-person point of view was also slightly more insightful than it would have been if it was just from Jonas' perspective.

    There weren't too many characters introduced all at once, in fact, there weren't a lot of characters at all. The most important characters were: Jonas, The Giver, Fiona, Asher, Jonas' family, and Gabriel. The limited amount of important characters helped the focus remain on Jonas and the things he was discovering through his training. 

    Jonas and The Giver are the only ones who can remember the past, feelings, and amplified senses. As Jonas and The Giver exchanged memories, Jonas' thoughts became similar to the atonement of Christ. Christ took on all the pain and suffering of others so that they might not bear it as much. As Jonas gains all the painful memories he wishes he didn't have to carry the burden from everyone. Jonas was like a savior to his community, but he wished the community could experience the past and remember joy, but he understood, a person cannot have joy without pain.

    The ending of this book was intense, it is a little bit of a cliffhanger. It seems unfinished, and the next book in the series is not about Jonas. Some people might argue that the ending is up for interpretation, others think it's obvious. I can see it both ways, but I lead more toward the brutal one, it just makes sense. This is partially why I only gave this book an 8/10, it seems unfinished which bothers me, but I also see the poeticness of it. 

Quotes
"I think that it would seem a little easier if the memories were shared. You and I wouldn't have to bear so much by ourselves, if everybody took a part." The Giver sighed. "You're right," he said. "But then everyone would be burdened and pained. They don't want that. and that's the real reason The Receiver is so vital to them, and so honored. They selected me -- and you -- to lift that burden from themselves." (Lowry, 142)

His childhood, his friendships, his carefree sense of security -- all of these things seemed to be slipping away. With his new. heightened feelings, he was overwhelmed by sadness at the way the others had laughed and shouted, playing war. But he knew that they could not understand why, without the memories. (Lowry, 170)

During his twelve years in the community, he had never felt such simple moments of exquisite happiness. (Lowry, 216)

But perhaps it was only an echo. (Lowry, 225)

More information

Lois Lowry
To read more about Lois Lowry check out her website using this link: Lois Lowry
Want to read The Giver? Here's a link to Barnes & Noble: The Giver
To read more reviews on The Giver, here's the link to Goodreads

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