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The Giver
by
Lois Lowry
(New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1994)
Author:
Lois Lowry was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 20, 1937. The daughter of a U.S. Army dentist,
Lowry moved around quite a bit while she was growing up. She was the middle child of three and
preferred to spend her time reading and imagining. At seventeen, Lowry went to Brown University
and majored in writing. After two years, she left school to get married and raise a family. She later
returned to the University of Southern Maine to finish her degree. Today, Lowry lives in Cambridge,
Massachusetts and has four grown children and two grandchildren.
Inspired by the concept of memory and its importance in our lives, The Giver is one of Lowry's most
well-known novels. Along with it popularity, it is the recipient of the 1994 Newbery Medal for the
Most Distinguished Contribution to American Literature for Children. She has received this same
honor for Number the Stars as well. Currently, Lowry has written over twenty novels for children
and young adults, many with comparable notoriety. Her novels have a great creative range from
historical fiction to fantasy, but they all share the common thread of addressing human themes.
Summary:
Jonas feels excited and apprehensive now that December has arrived. This is the month of the
Ceremony of Twelve, the most important ceremony in the community. The Committee of Elders
decides for each child turning twelve his Assignment as an adult in the community. Jonas is selected
to be the next Receiver of Memory, the most important job in the community.
Upon entering the current Receiver's room on the first day of his Assignment, Jonas thought it
looked rather similar to any living area except for one glaring difference: books. They covered the
walls. Jonas did not know that books existed beyond the community's rulebook and dictionaries. The
man sitting before Jonas tells Jonas that he is now the Receiver of Memory, and he, The Giver, will
transmit all of the world's memories of the past to Jonas. The Receiver is needed to hold the world's
memories so that he can advise the Committee of Elders. Jonas alone will now hold the memories of
the past.
As Jonas receives memories, many of them painful, he grows frustrated with his community. He
does not understand why he and The Giver have to be the only two people to carry the burden of
pain and suffering. He wants to change it but does not know how. Jonas is also passing on his
pleasant memories to Gabriel, the baby that Jonas's father has brought into their home for special
care. Then one afternoon, he asks The Giver to transmit to him his favorite memory. The Giver
shares family and love with Jonas.
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Jonas asks The Giver what had happened to The Receiver who was being trained ten years earlier.
The Giver tells Jonas that she could not endure the pain she was experiencing and asked to be
released. This was a serious situation because memories do not disappear with a person; they endure.
After her release, the community was overwhelmed with the memories she left behind. Jonas then
wants to know what it actually means to be released. The Giver decides that he should watch a
ceremony of release for himself. Jonas watches as a newborn baby is injected with a drug and killed
instantly. With this, Jonas is beside himself. He can't believe that the community allows its people to
be killed. Having felt this way much of his life, The Giver sees from Jonas's reaction that the time
has come for change.
Jonas and The Giver decide that Jonas will leave the community. Jonas wants desperately for The
Giver to come with him, but The Giver feels that he must stay to help the community through the
trauma they will experience when Jonas leaves his memories. Jonas is frightened but knows he can
no longer live in a community that lacks feelings. Because it has been decided that Gabriel will be
released, Jonas takes the baby with him and sets out. As the days wear on, Jonas grows weary with
starvation and fatigue. It begins to snow and he and Gabriel struggle to stay warm. Then Jonas
begins to recognize feelings that he experienced with The Giver. This gives him the strength to carry
on. He finally sees the sled from the first memory that he ever received. He and Gabriel get on the
sled and head downhill. When it stops, Jonas hears what he believes to be music. People are singing,
and Jonas believes they are waiting for him. Although uncertain, he thinks that the music may also
be coming from a place that he left behind.
Questions:
This guide provides questions and answers, but they are not the only possible questions and answers.
Readers bring their own personalities to books. Some readers see different things, some have
different responses to the characters, some have different ideas about what the story means. The
variety of possible answers is one of the reasons we find book discussions such a rewarding activity.
These questions and answers should be used to begin a discussion, not to replace the readers' own
responses to the novel.
The Giver details a society where "Sameness" is the way. Although this is very different from our
society, how are the two societies alike?
The community in The Giver is very different from what we know in our society today; however,
comparisons can be drawn. Readers may acknowledge that both societies are organized by laws and
rules. This is the strongest similarity and the most important, because laws and rules are created to
keep order. We must abide by the laws of our country, and we must follow the rules in our schools
and in our homes. Often times laws and rules are written for our protection, even though we may not
completely agree with them or we might even question their necessity. Yet, we rarely dispute them
because we believe those who are in the position of creating laws and rules know what is best for us.
The people in Jonas's community do not question the authority of the Committee of Elders just as
citizens in our society abide, usually willingly, by the laws of the government.
The communities are also similar in that our society organizes people into groups much like the
society in The Giver. For example, people are often categorized by age or profession. Schools group
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children by age, and agencies, such as unions, often group people by job or career status. This is
done, again, to maintain order, but also to place people who have similarities into categories.
As a society, we respect individuality to an extent, but we too feel comfort in "sameness." People
often associate with those who have similar values and ideas to their own. There is a sense of
security in knowing that people agree upon values and behaviors. Separation and fear arise when
people do not understand or do not seek to understand differences.
Why do Jonas's parents tell him the word "love" is not accurate? What has happened to the concept
of love in Jonas's community?
When Jonas asks his parents if they love him, he is surprised that they laugh at the question. They
tell him that "[love] is a very generalized word, so meaningless that it's become almost obsolete" (p.
127). In Jonas's community, the citizens take pills daily to curb any "stirrings" that are inside of
them. These "stirrings" are initially defined as sexual urges, however, Jonas comes to understand that
the pill curbs all feelings. Therefore, love, the strongest of emotions, is nonexistent and meaningless.
Jonas's parents tell him that they "enjoy him" and "take pride in his accomplishments," but a word
like love is "inappropriate" because it is too strong to describe human emotion. Feelings do not exist
on this level (p. 127).
Describe Jonas's relationship with his parents, his sister, and his friends. Do you think these
relationships are based on love? How do these relationships differ from Jonas's relationship with The
Giver?
Jonas's relationship with his parents, sister, and friends are based on respect and consideration. Jonas
has learned in his community to treat those who are older and who are authority figures with respect.
He treats his parents with deference, and with his younger sister and friends, he is courteous. The
people in Jonas's community always apologize and admit to wrongdoings. However, these
admissions lack sincerity and are done automatically after a mistake is made. This actually describes
most relationships in the community: respectful and courteous but without authenticity. For example,
when Jonas places his hands on Asher's shoulders to focus his attention on red flowers, Asher steps
back suspiciously. "It [is] extremely rude for one citizen to touch another outside of family units" (p.
99). Touching humans is a simple gesture that shows others that you care for them. However, in
Jonas's community, it is regarded as rude to touch someone outside the family unit because the
people are not supposed to feel any depth of emotion towards others.
The Giver's relationship with Jonas is very different merely because it is built on the foundation of
love. Both Jonas and The Giver are afforded the opportunity to know love because of the important
position that they hold in the community. By holding the memories of the past, they know both love
and hate; they know what it means to feel. They too are respectful and courteous with one another,
yet they understand that these are only surface feelings. It is the love they have for one another that
makes their relationship unique and so precious to them both.
Why is Jonas allowed to lie? Do you think there is ever an appropriate time for lying either in Jonas's
community or your own?
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Because of the important position for which Jonas is training, he is allowed to lie. Although truth
appears to be highly valued in Jonas's community, Jonas is above this value. His job as the Receiver
of Memory is to protect the community and advise the Committee of Elders when a new situation
arises. The Receiver is able to do this because he holds within himself all of the memories of the
past. The community, however, is ignorant of what the Receiver knows and prefers to keep it that
way. As a result, Jonas is permitted to lie to spare the community from knowing and experiencing
what he knows.
It seems appropriate that Jonas is allowed to lie because the Committee of Elders and the adult
community know what the role of the Receiver is. He is to shield the people from the past and
unpleasantness. In order to shield them, sometimes Jonas must lie. In our world today, people
sometimes lie for similar reasons: to protect others from information that they may not be able to
handle or to keep a painful truth hidden. Like Jonas's situation, sometimes lying may be appropriate
and in the best interest of others. However, choosing to lie is a decision an individual should not take
lightly. The person should understand the implications of lying and that often one lie leads to many.
Why are books banned in the community? How does this compare to the banning of books as we
know it in our world?
When Jonas enters The Giver's living area he is taken by surprise to see books lining the walls. Prior
to this, he was aware of only three books: a dictionary, a community reference, and the Book of
Rules (p. 74). Books contain knowledge of the past and the imagination of others. Neither of these
are valued or deemed necessary in Jonas's community. The citizens do not acknowledge the
existence of past generations and they only know "sameness." Therefore, they have no use for books
and what they contain. As a result, books are banned to protect the community from the knowledge
and creativity that can be found in them.
Book banning in schools and communities in the United States is a very controversial subject. And
although Jonas's world may seem far-fetched, many believe that when people begin to ban books
other acts of censorship will soon follow. When we allow for a chosen group to determine what is
best for individuals, choice and the ability to acquire knowledge are taken away, much like what
happened in Jonas's community.
In Jonas's community, choice has been taken away from the people. What effect does this have on
the lives of the people?
Jonas realizes that he and the people in his community do not make choices when he begins to see
color and understand that there are distinctions amongst people and amongst things. He tells The
Giver that it is unfair that the people cannot decide for themselves what color tunic they want to
wear or what color object they want to grasp (p. 97-98). The Giver explains to Jonas that these are
simple decisions that are not harmful to a person. But if people were allowed these simple choices,
then where would it stop? More important decisions breed greater consequences and greater room
for error. If people were allowed to choose their mate or their profession and chose incorrectly, the
effects could be detrimental to both the individual and to the entire community. The Giver goes on to
tell Jonas that it is much safer for the community to make choices for individuals. People are then
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protected from their mistakes. However, without mistakes people do not grow and learn and become
independent.
Do you agree with Jonas's decision to leave the community? Why or why not?
Jonas made the right decision to leave the community. After he learns of the past and comes to
understand love, hate, pain, and pleasure, it would be impossible for him to live in the community
without feeling isolated and miserable. Also, he becomes angry when he realizes that he, the
Receiver, alone will hold all of these memories and emotions. By leaving, the memories and
emotions will be passed to the people. Although the people will feel great pain initially, Jonas
understands that is the tradeoff for knowing love. It is a difficult reality to understand that pleasure
and love cannot exist without pain and hatred. Therefore, Jonas is setting himself free and giving his
community the experience of knowing genuine emotions.
What do you think happens to Jonas and Gabriel at the end of the novel? How do you interpret the
conclusion?
It isn't clear what is really happening to Jonas and Gabriel at the end, since the story stops before
they get to where the music is coming from. Perhaps they have found a part of the world where
Sameness has not been established, and they will be able to join a community with memory,
feelings, color, music, and love. Perhaps they have arrived at the real Elsewhere, which could be a
way of understanding the Afterlife (as we describe it in our culture). Either way, it seems that they
have arrived at the destination Jonas was seeking, and their ordeal has been worthwhile. The ending
is positive, whether you think that they have survived or died.
What do you think will happen to the community now that Jonas has run away and released all of the
memories?
Initially, the community will experience great chaos when Jonas leaves. The people will be
overwhelmed with fear as they learn of the existence of human emotion and the capability man has
for both love and hate. Some people will probably act irresponsibly and hastily. Some may commit
acts of violence on themselves or to others because they cannot understand what to do with the surge
of emotions. On the other hand, others may act equally hastily out of love. Either way, there will be
great fear as the people try to understand what they are feeling, and they come to terms with the fact
that what they have known is really a contrived community. Eventually, however, the people will
begin to feel like The Giver, Rosemary, and Jonas: life is far better when we know truth, allow
ourselves to experience emotions, and make our own choices and accept consequences.
Do you think a community like the one described in the novel could really exist in our world? Would
you like to live in such a community? Why or why not?
There are groups, often religious sects, that choose to separate themselves from the greater society.
Therefore, a community like the one described in The Giver could exist, to a certain extent. For
example, the Amish and the Hasidic Jewish peoples tend to establish their own communities
separate from the general population. However, the length to which the community in the novel goes
to maintain separateness is unrealistic because it is based on perfection. Although humans often
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strive for perfection in their lives, it is an unobtainable goal. The community seeks to live in total
peace and harmony, but that is impossible without emotion. It cannot be achieved if people do not
care for one another. Therefore, the community is completely fictitious.
The novel depicts the experience of living in this kind of community as very undesirable. When
people are guarded from emotions and choice, they lose their individuality and the true experience of
life. Although life has much pain and suffering, people would not know the joy of love of all kinds
without it. Love is too strong and special an emotion to sacrifice.
Further Reading:
Kyoko Mori, One Bird (1995)
After her mother leaves the family, fifteen-year-old Megumi tries to understand her father's need for
his mistress while dealing with her own aching isolation.
Sonia Levitin, The Cure (1999)
A sixteen-year-old boy living in 2407 collides with the past when he finds himself in Strasbourg in
1348 confronting the anti-Semitism that sweeps through Europe during the Black Plague.
Lesley Howarth, MapHead (1994)
Twelve-year-old MapHead, a boy with strange powers from a parallel world, goes to England in
search of his human mother. In seeking his mother, Maphead makes the journey from isolation to
community and from childhood to adulthood.
Aldous Huxley, Brave New World (1946)
John returns to London to live in the organized community of Alphas and Betas but is then forced to
choose between living in a society that denies what makes us most human or having no life at all.
This Book Discussion Guide was developed by Gina LaManna, a language arts consultant and
educational writer in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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