THE GIVER

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lowry, Lois. 1993. THE GIVER. New York, New York: Random House. ISBN 0440237688


PLOT SUMMARY
This is a modern fantasy novel about a 12 year old boy named Jonah that becomes the Receiver of all memories. Jonas and the people that live in his community live in a world that is void of "life" and beauty. Their world has no color, noone has any feelings and no memories. Everyone is assigned a lifetime job at the age of 12 based upon a high-ranking committee that decides after observing the children for the past 11 years what they are best at. In fact one of the most "lowly" jobs that is only great for three years before the glamour is gone is the "career" of birthmother.

Several women are "chosen" to be birthmothers who produce all the children that are born into this society. Once the children are born they are sent to the Nurturing Center where they are nurtured and observed to make sure that they are healthy and if not are disposed of. The "releasing",as it is called, is done by inserting a hyperdermic needle filled with a fluid that causes instant death into the skull of the baby. A child does not receive its name until December, no matter when during that year it is born. This is also the time when it is decided which set of parents get the child, provided that they do not already have one boy and one girl. This same procedure of eliminating the "useless" is used on anyone that is deemed unfit to continue in this society--the old, sick, weak, the smaller of a set of newborn twins. The only difference being is that if the person is old enough the injection is made into a vein in the arm instead of the head.

Everyone's life is very structured and any rule-breaking or disrespect of any kind is dealt with in a harsh manner. Obedience to the rules, each other, and elders is begun as soon as a child is able to start walking. If the child does not "perform" correctly he/she is swatted with a switch. Noone is allowed to talk about any personal matters or ask questions and people automatically ask for forgiveness and the apology is accepted for any offensive words or deeds such as being late for school. Here is one example of a pilot making a simple mistake and for this bringing death upon himself-"...a Pilot-in-Training had misread his navigational instructions and made a wrong turn. Desperately the Pilot had been trying to make his way back before his error was noticed. NEEDLESS TO SAY, HE WILL BE RELEASED, the voice had said, followed by silence."

Jonas is excused from the rules governing the others and may ask any question of anyone at any time because of his status as the Receiver. He meets with the Giver, the one that holds all of the memories for their society, to have all of the memories, good and bad, passed on to him before the old man is sent to Elsewhere. Elsewhere is the term for where people are sent once they are no longer of any use and therefore disposed of. During the year that Jonas spends after school with the Giver he learns all about the secret life of the society that he lives in and also realizes that the boy child, Gabriel, that his father has been allowed to bring home to try and nurture, a far cry from the norm, that he too has "the gift." The gift being that he too can see colors and "retain memories."

Jonas soon comes to realize that he can no longer live life as he has known it for the past 12 years of his life so as agonizing as it is he knows he must leave his community and take Garbriel with him because both will be killed if they do not flee--Jonas for not following the "rules" of his chosen career and Gabriel for having the gift of memories. After traveling by bicycle for many days Jonas finally arrives in Elsewhere as it was seen in one of his dreams that the Giver had passed to him. And as the story ends the reader cannot help but wonder what awaits these two at the bottom of the hill--at a house filled with people awaiting the arrival of Christmas.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lowry has written many books and in THE GIVER she again demonstrates that her "gift" is writing. A well-written modern fantasy must demonstrate the following: a plot that is believable, internally consistent, original, and creative; a setting that provides enugh description to help the reader visualize the surroundings; characters that the reader can identify with, characters that are credible and multi-dimensional; a theme that transcends time and place; and the style of language should be appropriate for the story and do just the right amount of explaining with a clear and consistent point of view that encourages the reader to believe in the fantasy world.

The plot of THE GIVER is believable eventhough it is a fantasy world. There is a community, people, "typical" roles as far as family units go. The protagonist, Jonas, has to obey rules and be respectful to others and his elders, many of the same things that all parents want and expect of their children. Teenagers also experience "growing pains" much as Jonah does, wanting to fit in while at the same time struggling to make up his own mind about what is right and what is wrong. "Now Jonas had a thought that he had never had before. This new thought was frightening. What if others--adults--had, upon becoming Twelves, received in their instructions the same terrifying sentence? What if they had all been instructed: You may lie? His mind reeled. Now, empowered to ask questions of utmost rudeness--and promised answers--he could, conceivably (though it was almost unimaginable), ask someone, some adult, his father perhaps:"Do you lie?" But he would have no way of knowing if the answer he received was true."

When it comes to the setting Lowry provides details that allow the reader to know that this could be a real place. The people, adults included, ride bicycles, they eat real food, colorless though it may be, and the people go to school and to work every day. The children are also required to do volunteer work and eventhough this is not a requirement in all families the reader does know what it means to volunteer. "Jonas rode at a leisurely pace, glancing at the bikeports beside the buildings to see if he could spot Asher's. He didn't often do his volunteer hours with his friend because Asher frequently fooled around and made serious work a little difficult."

Jonas and the other characters are people that the reader can relate to and feel for them as obstacles arise in their lives, eventhough these people are not allowed to express any bad feelings nor love. In one part of the book Jonas' sister Lily is talking about her day. "I felt very angry this afternoon," Lily announced. "My Childcare group was at the play area, and we had a visiting group of Sevens, and they didn't obey the rules at all. One of them--a male; I don't know his name--kept going right to the front of the line for the slide, even though the rest of us were all waiting. I felt so angry at him. I made my hand into a fist, like this." She held up a clenched fist and the rest of the family smiled at her small defiant gesture."

The theme of Lowry's book reflects universal truths that transcend time and place. "Giver," Jonas suggested, "you and I don't need to care about the rest of them." "The Giver looked at him with a questioning smile. Jonas hung his head. Of course they needed to care. It was the meaning of everything."...."And you have the courage. I will help you to have the strength."...But he felt a very deep sadness that he had left his closest friend behind." Later in the story Jonas "robbed the community of food: a very serious crime, even though what he had taken was left-overs, set out on the dwelling doorsteps for collection."

Lowry's style of writing uses language that sounds much like the way real people talk and think. She has the reader believing in the story eventhough it is a work of fiction. She draws the reader in from the very first page. "It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought. Frightened meant that deep, sickening feeling of something terrible about to happen. Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overfown the community twice. He had seen it both times. Squinting toward the sky, he had seen the sleek jet, almost a blur at its high speed, go passt, and a second later heard the blast of sound that followed. Then one more time, a moment later, from the opposite direction, the same plane." Even a reader that does not normally read modern fantasy will be drawn in to the story and not be able to put it down until the last word has been read.

REVIEW EXCERPT
School Library Journal:"This tightly plotted story and its believable characters will stay with readers for a long time."

CONNECTIONS
A few other books by Lois Lowry that are modern fantasy include:

GATHERING BLUE. ISBN 0385732562

MESSENGER. ISBN 0385732538

GOSSAMER. ISBN 0385734166

Other ways to stretch the learning after reading the book include:

1)Have the students write the next chapter. The book ends with "... and all at once he could see lights, and he recognized them now. He knew they were shining through the windows of rooms, that they were the red, blue, and yellow lights that twinkled from trees in places where families created and kept memories, where they celebrated love. ....Suddenly he was aware with certainty and joy that below, ahead, they were waiting for him; and that they were waiting, too, for the baby. For the first time, he heard something that he knew to be music. He heard people singing."

2)Pretend that in the community Jonas and Gabriel left behind that it is ok to choose a new Receiver. Have the students create an advertising campaign promoting their character of choice from the remainder of characters still there.

3)Have students write a letter as if they were one of Jonas' family or friends and in the letter share deep thoughts and describe what life is like for the people that are still living in the community.