The Giver by Lois Lowry ADELE ADKINS ENGLISH

The Giver by Lois Lowry ADELE ADKINS ENGLISH II 1 S T HOUR 19 DECEMBER 2016

◦ SETTING AND TONE ◦ An unspecified time in the future ◦ A utopian community that is part of a larger utopian society, probably on Earth ◦ TONE ◦ Lowry uses direct, simple language with very few figures of speech or ironic comments (though Jonas and the Giver make ironic statements. ) ◦ The simplicity of the language is appropriate for Lowry’s audience, children between eleven and fifteen, but it also echoes the “precision of language” demanded by Jonas’s community. ◦ Despite the simplicity, the tone is somewhat elevated, suited to the nature of Jonas’s discoveries about the richness of life. ◦ There are both positive and negative attitudes that Lowry has about the society of the novel.

CHARACTERS ◦ Jonas is the eleven-year-old protagonist of The Giver. He is sensitive and intelligent, with strange powers of perception that he doesn’t understand. He will be the new Receiver of Memory for his community when he turns twelve. After his training begins, Jonas’s universe widens dramatically. His new awareness of strong emotions, beautiful colors, and great suffering makes him extremely passionate about the world around him and the welfare of the people he loves, though on the whole he remains level-headed and thoughtful. ◦ The Giver - The old man known in the community as the Receiver of Memory. The Giver has held the community’s collective memory for many years and uses his wisdom to help the Committee of Elders make important decisions, even though he is racked by the pain his memories give him and believes that perhaps those memories belong in the minds of everyone in the community. ◦ Jonas’s father - A Nurturer who works with infants. He has an affectionate, playful relationship with his two children, usually referring to them by silly nicknames, and he likes playing childish games with the children he nurtures. ◦ Jonas’s mother - A practical, pleasant woman with an important position at the Department of Justice. Jonas’s mother takes her work seriously, hoping to help people who break rules see the error of their ways. She frequently gives Jonas advice about the worries and fears he faces as he grows up. ◦ Gabriel - The newchild that Jonas’s family cares for at night. He is sweet and adorable during the day, but has trouble sleeping at night unless Jonas puts him to sleep with some memories. He and Jonas become very close.

PLOT

QUOTE "There was a time, actually—you'll see this in the memories later—when flesh was many different colors. That was before we went to Sameness. Today flesh is all the same“ (Lowry 94). This is a haunting quote from The Giver given in Chapter 12. Lowry makes it clear in the novel many times that "sameness" is emphasized, that it is rude to point out anyone's individuality, but you don't get a sense for just how extreme it is until the Giver says this. As kids in this society, the first indication as a reader is that was happening is inherently wrong. Up until the point that The Giver says this, it seems like a weird utopian society that is full of doubt, but this brought on implications of genocide—racism for the sake of "ending racism. " The way that Lowry presents this quote to us through the Giver is unbiased and blunt. It gives the reader the ability to come to the conclusion that this is wrong independently, the way Jonas experiences it himself.

THEME THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY AND INDIVIDUALITY