Book Review Genre 6
TWU assignment
LS 5603 – 20
THE GIVER
Bibliographic Data:
Lowry, Lois. 1993. THE GIVER. New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395645662
Plot Summary:
Jonas is a boy who lives in a seemingly utopist future community. However, when he is chosen to be "The Receiver,” Jonas begins to find out about many wonderful and terrible truths about the world and his community; this new knowledge changes Jonas in various ways.
Analysis:
In THE GIVER, Lowry takes the reader on an adventure into a fascinating future society, which is governed by Elders. Unlike our world, the community is extremely structured and attempts to do away with the past ills of society by imposing strict rules on people.
For example, all infants are born to “birthmothers,” and then taken to the building for the "newchildren" (babies from birth to one year old) to be cared for by “Nurturers.” After the first year, the babies are given to pre-approved families who will raise them. The elders match the family members by personality, disposition, and intelligence, so that the family will be a harmonious and pleasant unit.
The community that Lowry creates is fascinating and believable. She creates just the right amount of fiction versus humanity to make this community come alive to the reader. The way she unfolds the tale is done so well that the reader will be completely engrossed in finding out the next rule or detail of the fictitious community.
To the reader, this very structured community might seem somewhat appealing because it has many of the qualities that society is often missing today, like two parent families that pay attention to their children by spending time with them and communicating. In addition, the community is very safe to live in. These qualities really bring the reader into the novel, and make them consider whether living like the people in the book might be better. Lowry’s use of this technique is expert; the reader goes on a journey as the book progresses, and begins to change his or her mind about things at about the same time that Jonas does in the book’s action.
Jonas, the eleven-year-old protagonist is a normal young boy, who kids will identify with, because of the common youth concerns, like “What will I become?” However, Jonas will discover his lifetime job at the Ceremony of Twelve Year Olds, during which every child who is twelve is assigned a position.
Jonas is assigned a very honored, yet secretive and frightening position – a position that the community only has one of – “The Receiver.” Soon, Jonas learns that his job will separate him from society, be very painful, and will allow him access to vast amounts of knowledge.
When he starts his training, Jonas begins to grow as a character. He begins to develop independent thought, and a new perspective about his community. He comes to find out that the people in his community are completely ignorant of most of the world and its history. Jonas, by himself will be the carrier of generations of knowledge that the community in general is protected from; all this knowledge is a great burden that the “Giver” must pass along to Jonas before he can retire.
One example of how the information is passed from “The Giver” (the former “Receiver”) to Jonas is the passage below.
“I’m right then,” The Giver said. “You’re beginning to see the color red.”
(Jonas) “The what?”
The Giver sighed, “How to explain this?
Once, back in the time of memories, everything had a shape and size, like they
still do, but they also had a quality called color.”
This learning of so much new knowledge about so many things causes Jonas to see how shallow and without the people of the community are, and how much they are missing by keeping the community free of all things unpleasant. The community standard of “sameness” has removed many of the special and happy things about life along with the pain; Jonas comes to find that without certain knowledge, people cannot experience the greatest emotion – love.
The shallowness of the citizens is highlighted in a passage in which Jonas’ father is discussing the “release” of the baby that would be born as a twin. The community rules said that only one twin could be kept. It was Jonas’ father’s job to decide which twin to keep and which to “release.”
“I want to get some sleep early tonight,” Father said, “tomorrow’s a busy day
for me. The twins are being born, and the test results show that there
identical.”
“One for here, one for Elsewhere,” Lily chanted. “one for
here, one for Else—“
“Do you actually take it Elsewhere, Father?” Jonas
asked.
“No, I just have to make the selection…then I get the smaller one
all clean and comfy…..Then I perform the ceremony of Release and –“He glanced
down, grinning at Gabriel. Then I wave bye-bye,” he said, in a special sweet
voice.”
Later, Jonas actually views his father performing the “release.” Jonas is horrified to watch his father stick a large needle into the baby’s head that kills him. Jonas is increasingly seeing that the community would be better off without the “sameness” doctrine; he is seeing how the entire community is functioning like clones, not fully aware human beings.
The novel ends with a plan between “The Giver” and Jonas, to redistribute the good and bad memories between the people of the community.
THE GIVER is a masterpiece that will cause readers to examine the human condition, the value of pleasure and pain, and the point of living.
Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal, 05/01/1993
The Giver, who passes on to Jonas the burden of being the holder for the community of all memory ``back and back and back,'' teaches him the cost of living in an environment that is ``without color, pain, or past.’’ --Amy Kellman, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
BookList, 04/15/1993
There's a distinctly appealing comfort in sameness that kids--especially junior high kids--will recognize. Yet the choice is clear. Sameness versus freedom, happiness at the risk of pain. ((Reviewed Apr. 15, 1993)) -- Ilene Cooper. Booklist, published by the American Library Association.
The above reviews are from Book Index with Reviews. 2007 EBSCO Publishing, Powered by The Title Source TM (Accessed through http://online.twu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_142_1 on November 20, 2007).
Connections:
Other books with similar themes
ANTHEM by Ayn Rand, TUCK EVERLASTING by Natalie Babbitt, GATHERING BLUE by Lois Lowry, and MESSENGER by Lois Lowry.
