Symbolism

Lowry does a wonderful job of incorporating symbols into this novel, symbols like the newchild Gabriel, the sled and the river help further the messages and themes of the story.

• The Newchild Gabriel: The baby Gabriel stands for the rebirth of a new community that embraces individuality and hope. Since Gabriel is still growing up, he has not completely absorbed the strict regulations of the old community and this allows him to be the symbol of hope for change. It is also important to note that he has the same memory receiving abilities that Jonas possesses, and was also going to be released from the community until Jonas saved him. This highlights Gabriel's individuality and his potential for a new start.
• The sled: The first memory the giver transfers to Jonas is one of a sled going down a snow bank, and the sled as a symbol keeps appearing throughout the novel. The sled going down the hill is also a perfect metaphor for Jonas' journey, exhilarating at first, then more and more difficult as snow gathers and slows the sled. It is also important to remember that the first time Jonas experiences true pain is when the giver transfers him a memory of the sled rider breaking his leg during the ride. The sled is like a double edged sword, enjoyable and dangerous. To tie all of this together he ends up finding a real sled at the end of the book, signifying his escape from the old community to the new community where emotion and color exist in real life and not just in dreams.
• The River: The river also has multiple appearances in the novel; the little boy, Caleb, drowns in the river, and when Jonas runs away with Gabriel they hide by the river to survive. The river runs to Elsewhere, this is just the sort of unknown that people in the community do not speak of, overall, it symbolizes freedom from the strict community.

Review Quiz

1 . In the first chapter, why is the Pilot released from the community?

(A) He was a spy from an enemy community

(B) He failed to deliver his cargo of food on time

(C) He misread his navigational instructions and frightened the community

(D) He crashed his aircraft

2 . Why does Jonas decide that “apprehensive” is a better word for his feeling than “frightened”?

(A) He wants to use more sophisticated vocabulary, since he is turning twelve soon

(B) He thinks it expresses more precisely how he feels

(C) He likes words that begin with vowels

(D) His mother once used the word “apprehensive” and he admires her

3. What does Jonas’s mother do for a living?

(A) She is a Nurturer

(B) She is a Storyteller

(C) She is a Birthmother

(D) She works for the department of justice

4. Which rule is most frequently broken in Jonas’s community?

(A) Children must not ride bicycles until they are nine

(B) Adults and children are not allowed to look at each other naked

(C) Aircrafts are not to be flown over the community

(D) The names of newchildren are secret until the Naming Ceremony

5 . Why does Jonas’s mother discourage Lily from becoming a Birthmother?

(A) Giving birth is dangerous, and Lily might die from the complications

(B) Birthmothers are very lazy and never get anything done

(C) The position holds very little honor in the society

(D) The society is overpopulated

6. Why does Jonas worry about Asher’s Assignment?

(A) Asher is easily disappointed and will probably find fault with his assignment

(B) Asher does not seem to have any serious interests

(C) Asher will fail at any Assignment he is given

(D) Asher has not completed enough volunteer hours to qualify for an Assignment

7 . Why is Gabriel in danger of being released?

(A) He bites the staff at the Nurturing Center

(B) He is deformed

(C) He is not growing fast enough and cannot sleep through the night

(D) He smiles too much, and the staff suspects he will be abnormally gassy when he grows up

8. How does Jonas help the newchild Gabriel go to sleep?

(A) He transmits memories of lullabies and soft beds

(B) He tells him bedtime stories

(C) He transmits memories of peaceful sails on a lake

(D) He injects him with a mild sleeping drug

9 . Why do Jonas’s parents refuse to tell him that they love him?

(A) They think that Jonas will feel smothered by their love

(B) They secretly hate him

(C) They think love is an obsolete word with no meaning

(D) They were not paying attention when he asked if they loved him

10 . Why does Jonas interrupt his friends’ game of good guys and bad guys?

(A) They did not let him play

(B) They are not following the rules governing gameplay

(C) He has a better idea for a game and thinks his rank as Receiver should count for something

(D) He recognizes that their game takes a casual attitude toward tragedy

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/giver/quiz.html

Answers:

1. (C)

2. (B)

3. (D)

4. (A)

5. (C)

6. (B)

7. (C)

8. (C)

9. (C)

10. (D)

The importance of individuality

      What would we have left if our individuality was stolen from us? It is hard to imagine what life without individual characteristics would be, this book helps us see what it could potentially lead to. Almost every aspect of the community exists to squash diversity and individual creativity, all of the rules and ceremonies are the same for all of the children. Only when they go through the 12 ceremony are they granted some sort of job that allows them distinguish themselves from others based on their talents. Even the physical appearance of the people are the same, and any variations of this is not spoken of:
                "Almost every citizen in the community had dark eyes. His parents did, and Lily did, and so did all of    his group members and friends. But there were a few exceptions: Jonas himself, and a female Five who had noticed had the different, lighter eyes. No one mentioned such things; it was not a rule, but was considered rude to call attention to things that were unsettling or different about individuals." (Lowry 20)
      The fact that it is considered rude to point out someone's differences is proof of this ideal of everyone conforming and blending into the masses. This is a concept that Jonas struggles with after he is appointed the new Receiver of Memories. His new found awareness makes it extremely difficult for him to be content in a community in which the citizens so ignorantly follow the rules like a flock of sheep. And this conflict is part of the reason he decides to leave his community in the end of the book. This book encourages people to embrace their individuality and not be ashamed of it, which is something that young adults should always be reminded of.

Notes about the author

Lois Lowry was born in Hawaii, she is the middle child between her siblings, an older sister Helen and younger brother Jon. Her father was a military dentist and so her family moved around a lot and lived in many different places like New York, Tokyo and Washington DC. She married at the young age of 19 to her husband who she had four kids with before their separation in  1977. She has written more than 20 books for young adults, "The Giver", "Number the Stars" and the Anastasia Krupnik series being among them. She has earned a lot of honors like the Boston Globe-Horn Book award, the California Young Reader's Medal and the Mark Twain award; she also won the Newbery Medal award for "Number the Stars". 






Lois Lowry-Biography


"The Giver" is a science fiction novel about a young boy named Jonas whose world is turned upside down when he is appointed the coveted position of the new "Receiver of Memories". He grows up in a community that cherishes unity and dislikes individuality, if citizens do not adhere to the strict rules they are punished and could be "released" permanently. When children turn 12 they are considered adults and given positions in the community, since Jonas is the new "Receiver of Memories" he is trained by an old man called "the giver". As he goes through his training, he discovers dark secrets of his community that he finds difficult to live with. Everything he knows is questioned and he is forced to make a difficult decision that would risk his life, whether or not to leave the community for good.