The Giver

Lois Lowery
Background
Published in 1993, The Giver reflects some of the social criticism
of the times. Abortion, family ethics, euthanasia, and assisted
suicide are all issues that were hotly debated in the 1990s.
Lowry deals with these issues by creating a seemingly perfect
society that never experiences any of the unpleasant realities of
life.
Like its predecessors Brave New World and 1984, The Giver is
Lowrys attempt to criticize reality by creating a utopian
society.
As we read, we discover that the act of controlling a society is
often worse than the disappointments it is meant to eliminate.
We quickly realize that this utopian society is really dystopian.
However, Lowrys society, unlike the others, offers some hope
in the end.
Setting
Lois Lowrys The Giver is set in an imaginary world
during an unspecified time.
The community in the novel is isolated and
seemingly utopian in nature, with no pain, illness,
or color.
Each individual has a designated place in society.
Many of the unique traits and rituals that set people
apart in other societies have been eliminated.
The author is deliberately vague in further defining
the setting, for to narrow it down any more
specifically would detract from the ominous
atmosphere of this society of Sameness.
Characters
Jonas: He is the main character. The Committee of
Elders chooses Jonas to become the next Receiver of
Memory. Jonas assignment distances him from his
family and friends and forever changes the way he
looks at life in the community.
Lily: She is Jonas sister. Shes a talkative and simple
child.
Jonas mother: She works at the Department of Justice.
Her job involves handing out punishment to
community members who break one of the many rules.
Jonas father: Because of his nurturing qualities, he is
chosen to work as a Nurturer.
Characters
Asher: He is Jonas best friend. Hes a boy who
frequently uses imprecise language, a punishable offense
in the community. He enjoys making up making up
games and is assigned the job of Assistant Director of
Recreation.
Fiona: Fiona is gentle and caring with the Old; she is
assigned the job of Caretaker of the Old.
Larissa: Larissa lives in the House of the Old. She tells
Jonas of two releases.
Chief Elder: She is the leader of the community.
Rosemary: Rosemary was selected as the new Receiver
of Memory before Jonas. She lasted only five weeks
before she requested release.
Characters
Committee of Elders: They make sure that all rules are
followed and occasionally asks The Giver for his
opinion about the rules. They are responsible for
assigning all jobs at the Ceremony of Twelve. The
Committee of Elders is responsible for bringing
sameness to the community.
Gabriel: He is the newchild that Jonas father brings
home to live with the family. He has light eyes like
Jonas.
The Giver: The Giver has pale eyes like Jonas. He is an
old man who appears to be much older than his actual
age. His job as Receiver of Memory, although a position
of honor, has caused him to live with great pain and
loneliness.
Synopsis
Eleven-year-old Jonas seems to live in a perfect community.
Everything is very well planned, and the community takes care of all
needs. No one ever feels pain, sadness, or hunger. There is no
competition between the children in school, and the Committee of
Elders assigns a career to each child. The Committee has many rules
designed to keep the community running smoothly. After careful
study, the Committee selects which men will marry which women.
Every couple is presented with one male and one female child. Only
fifty children are born each year. It seems to be a perfect place to live.
At the annual December ceremony where each age group
receives its new privileges and responsibilities, Jonas and his agemates
receive their adult assignments. Jonas feels apprehensive before the
Ceremony because he has no idea what his assignment will be. When
the Committee chooses him to serve as Receiver of Memory, his life
changes dramatically. People begin to act differently toward him. As
Jonas enters training with The Giver, he begins to see the real
consequences of the perfect life of the community.
Welcome to Utopia
Utopia is a place of
ideal perfection,
especially in laws,
government, and
social conditions.
Dystopia is an
imaginary place
where people lead
dehumanized and
often fearful
lives.
Who invented rules?
No one knows for sure when the first rule was
invented.
There have been formal rules for people to follow since
ancient times.
Golden Rule- Do unto others as you would have them
do unto you.
Bushido- unwritten code that guided the samurai
Gravitas- a traditional rule of dignity that Roman
citizens were expected to live by
Watching your words
Early in the novel, we learn that the citizens of
Jonas world are taught to use precise language.
Not only are rules and apologies recited in
unison at school, but students carefully choose
the right adjectives to describe certain situations
or what they are thinking or feeling.
This makes the use of connotation and
euphemism important tools in Jonas world, as
well as ours.
Euphemism
A euphemism is a word or
term that has mild or vague
connotations and that serves
to mask the offensiveness or
harshness of the actual word
or term. What euphemisms
are used in our society?
Example:
A used car being called
certified pre-owned
Think of two other
examples of your own.
Connotation
The connotations of a word are the suggestions and
associations that go along with the word, stretching
beyond its dictionary meaning.
Notice the first sentence of the novel.
It was almost December and Jonas was beginning to
be
frightened.
The word December is rich in connotations: cold,
darkness, the death that comes to plants in winter.
The opposite of connotation is DENOTATION, or the
dictionary definition of a word.
Every word has both a denotation and a connotation.
About the Author
The Giver was inspired in part by Lowrys
relationship with her father who was, at that time,
in a nursing home having lost most of his long-term
memory.
She realized one day while visiting her father that,
without memory, there is no pain, and began to
imagine a society in which the past was deliberately
forgotten.
The flaws in that supposedly ideal society show the
need for personal and societal memory and for
making connections with the past and with each
other.