The Giver Synopsis and Critique

The Giver. ISBN 0-440-23768-8. Lois Lowry. 1993. Newberry Medal. Fantasy. Ages 11 +. Utopian/Dystopian Society.

Synopsis
A young boy, Jonas, lives in a futuristic, Utopian society where at the age of 12 children are given their assignments for what they will do as adults in the society.  Jonas is given the special assignment of the Receiver of Memories, which was only given out ten years before.  This means that he will study with The Giver who will give him the memories of civilization and the world.  As he progresses through his studies, Jonas begins to realize that the world he lives in is not quite the way it should be and sets out to find a better place for him and Gabriel, another child that has the ability to "see" like Jonas. 

Critique
Everything about this book is done well.  The writing is perfect for the age group, yet still enjoyable for older teens and adults.  Lowry creates a society that is believable, yet scary, but also still interesting to read.  As the protagonist, Jonas excels at being a child torn by duty to be the Receiver of Memories and also the heavy burden of knowledge that comes with it.  Students will be able to identify with the decisions that Jonas has to make while still being a child.  He knows more than the adults in his world and he cannot share this knowledge with anyone else.  He is alone in the world save for the Giver and Gabriel.

What I've always wondered about with this story is what truly happens at the end.  Are Jonas and Gabriel dying and the sled is their passage to heaven?  Or have they truly found refuge in a world that Jonas only knew of in his memories?  Or are they just freezing to death, hallucinating as they live their final moments?  What I look forward to most is to seeing students' interpretation of the ending and what they think happens to Jonas and Gabriel, and even the society from which they escaped.  I believe Lowry has written sequels to this book where the question of what happened to Jonas and Gabriel is answered, but I would still like to believe that the ending is ambiguous and that Lowry wants the reader to interpret as they please.


The Giver is a classic book commonly used in late elementary and middle school literature.  The story will lend itself to examining many different aspects of society.  It is a great book that would lead to discussions on politics and society and the way the world works.  Students can compare and contrast our society and Jonas'.  They can also examine the family dynamics and why and how it works the way it does.  They can also speculate as to why the world changed into being that way.  The Giver has a lot of open ended questions that will allow students to use their own imagination to answer them.