The Giver by Lois Lowry

Lowry, Lois. (1993) The Giver. Random House . 192 pp.

Science Fiction

· Newberry Medal 1994

The Giver tells the story of a boy named Jonas. Jonas lives in a perfect world where everything is governed and fair. There are no emotions, no colors, no crime, only “sameness”. Everyone in his community is assigned a specific role to be trained in and perform for the community. On Jonas’ twelfth birthday, he is selected to be the new 'Receiver’. He will eventually become The Giver after he has received all the memories from the current Giver. These memories change Jonas’ life forever. Now, he can experience the pleasures of life, along with the many pains of life. As Jonas learns more and more about how society once was, he longs for everyone to know the pleasures and pains that he now knows. Jonas and The Giver struggle with the idea of giving the community these memories, and through a clearly thought-out plan, Jonas and The Giver change their community’s ways of thinking and ways of life forever.

The story centers around Jonas and his training to become The Giver. His parents are active in his life; as active as one can be in this community. Jonas and his younger sister, Lily, have a “normal” brother/sister type relationship. They tease each other and help each other. Lowry makes it clear that Jonas is different, but he gets along with the kids his age including his best friend, Asher, and his ‘crush’, Fiona. The Giver is very wise because of his memories. He acts as Jonas’ mentor and seems to really care for Jonas in an authentic way.

As readers, we learn about the ways of this perfect world. As we question the community’s rules, so do Jonas and Lily when we they interact with their parents. When Jonas is selected to become the new Giver, we are able to ride along with him as he discovers the new ideas and concepts that seem so simple to us. Jonas discovers the joys of snow and sunlight. Then, we also hurt for Jonas when he feels the pain of the old world. He feels the destruction of war and the pain of breaking a bone. Jonas struggles with gaining all of these memories and having access to things that no one else in the community can access. However, the turning point for Jonas is when he discovers that his father’s role as a ‘Nurturer’ isn’t so nurturing.

The Giver brings up many great issues, such as “sameness” and safety. Isolation is another key topic in this novel. Jonas has to deal with his disconnection from the community as he learns from The Giver. Some teenagers fight to be the same and fit in, while others fight to be totally and completely different. Would kids rather live in a perfect world or in our society? How important are our differences? How important are our feelings and emotions, especially love? The novels deals with authority and rules, and could be used as a great tool to stimulate ideas and discussions around those issues. It is also important to look at the importance that is placed on the individual, the community, and our memories.

I was truly touched by this novel. I even cried when I found out about the connection between Penelope and the Giver! I loved this novel and I think that students of all ages should read this book. Everyone can get something out of this novel. It will really allow students to think about their lives and communities as opposed to Jonas’. I would use this novel as a read aloud or class novel in middle school classes and up. I think a lot of great discussion would occur because of this novel. I also think that this novel would be a great bridge into 1984.