The Giver Reflection

Melissa McDonald LBSC646 Book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

A major theme in this book was the idea that memories are meant to be shared; they are given and received, and should guide your future.

His feelings were too complicated this evening. He wanted to share them, but he wasn’t eager to begin the processof sifting through his own complicated emotions, even with the help he knew his parents could give. (5) “No, I have to stay here,” the Giver said firmly. “I want to, Jonas. If I go with you, and together we take away all their protection from the memories, Jonas,the community will be left with no one to help them. They’ll destroy themselves. I can’t go.” (156) But he began, suddenly, to feel happy. He began to recall happy times. He remembered his parents and his sister. He remembered his friends, Asher and Fiona. He remembered The Giver. Memories of joy flooded through him suddenly. (178) Theseare good examples of the theme becausethey talk about what memories and sharing mean to humans. Memories can be good or bad; sharing those memories can help you celebrate, help you understand, or help you help others.

The protagonist is Jonas,the 12 year old boy who was chosen to be the next Receiver of Memories in their ‘utopian’ community.

Antagonist is the dystopian community that Jonasrealized he lived in as he began training for his position as the receiver of memories.

The main conflict was Jonasrealizing he was different; that as he received the community’s memories from the giver, and felt real love, real pain, and came to find out the true meaning of being released from the community, he realized that he could not live in such a society where no one is allowed to feel real pain, joy, or to make decisions for themselves.

How is Main Conflict Resolved? Jonasescapesfrom the community with baby Gabriel, but the reader is left questioning whether or not they made it to elsewhere, or if they were hallucinating and ultimately died of exposure in the harsh winter. Becausethey left the community, the memories that Jonasheld were released back to the community. Becauseof this, the community would have to learn coping skills as they assimilated the memories into the collective consciousness.

Melissa McDonald

The Giver

by Lois Lowry

I first read this book about 10 years ago, when I was in a book club, and I listened to the book on CDfor this class. I remember that back then, I was sure that Jonasand Gabriel made it to Elsewhere…surely the symbolism of Gabriel, the holiday lights on Christmas trees, and music-Christmas carols- that Jonas heard were ‘Christianity’ and being born into the light of Christ. However, now I am not so sure….maybeI am more pessimistic becauseI am older and ‘wiser’, but maybe it was the memories he received from The Giver that he was ‘seeing’ and he was hallucinating before he froze to death.

What issuespresented themselves to young adults? In addition to sharing memories, other issuesthat young adults could relate to is being told by your elders what to do, what to be, when to eat, sleep, work, and the never ending list of rules.

As I read through this book both times, I had the overriding question: how does this work? How does one person hold all the memories of the community, but when they die, the memories are released back into the community? How can that be? Are we just supposed to ‘go with the flow’ and simply assume that is the truth, as far as this book is concerned? Or are we supposed to question the very premise of the book?

Melissa McDonald

The Giver

by Lois Lowry