The+Giver

Greg Johnson Adolescent Novel Review Wiki: The Giver by Lois Lowry

APA Reference: Lowry, L. (1993). //The Giver//. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.


 * The Giver **

Adolescent Novel Review Wiki: The Giver by Lois Lowry

APA Reference: Lowry, L. (1993). //The Giver//. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Summary: // The Giver //, by Lois Lowry, is a coming-of-age story set in a vaguely futuristic, dystopian society. The novel follows Jonas, an 11-year old boy growing up in a community that is heavily regulated to the point of actually being void of human emotions. Upon turning 12, Jonas begins to discover new abilities and thoughts that set him apart from the other children his age. He is eventually appointed to a position of high honor in the community: the “Receiver of Memory.” The community only has one Receiver at a time, so the previous Receiver, a wise, older man who has now become “The Giver”, mentors Jonas. Through his time with The Giver, Jonas gains new knowledge about the past, discovers painful truths about the community he lives in, and is intrigued by the possibilities of life outside of his community. By the novel’s end, Jonas and the Giver will have to use their wisdom to make decisions that will be life changing for both themselves and the community as a whole.

Critique: // The Giver // is an excellent novel for young adolescents. The story is engrossing and complex, and young adolescents will find Jonas to be an easily accessible and relatable protagonist. His experience with puberty will ring true for most readers, as will the overall theme of the importance of identity and freedom. The Giver himself also represents a positive adult role model to Jonas, and readers will be able to learn from their example. Readers of all ages will enjoy uncovering the mysteries of the community along with Jonas, and will discover many, many surprises along the way. The novel does contain a few graphic scenes, but they are presented in such an appropriate context as to not be too overwhelming for young adolescent readers.

Ideas for Different Content Areas:

Language Arts:
 * The novel’s ambiguous ending could lead to an in-depth discussion of the meaning of ambiguity and its value in literature.
 * For a creative writing assignment, students could either create their own community with its own complex rules, or imagine themselves as a character within Jonas’ community and write about how different their lives would be.
 * Another valuable classroom discussion could focus on the various motifs present in the novel and their possible meaning, including: seeing and vision, and release. Other discussions could focus on the novel’s symbolism, like the recurring symbol of the Sled.
 * Yet another classroom discussion could focus on the idea of good and evil in the book, and whether the protagonist and various antagonists are right or wrong and what the meaning of “right and wrong” is in the context of the novel.

Math:
 * A discussion of the logistics of the community in the novel could lead to many interesting math problems. For example: In the novel, there are 50 people in each age group in the community. Birthmothers are only allowed to have 3 children each. If this is true, how many birthmothers must be added each year?

Science:
 * Like in math, the work in science could focus on the logistics of the community. Students could ponder and brainstorm possible solutions for many of the science-based questions that are left without explicit answers in the novel. For example:
 * None of the members of the community have ever seen an animal, nor do they believe that they exist. What does this say about their diet?
 * How does the community and the surrounding ecosystem function without the presence of animals?
 * The weather is constant in the community; how could this possibly be achieved?

Social Studies:
 * Students could work on a group project where they match ideas presented in the book with actual political philosophies or government systems and present their findings to the class.
 * Another group project idea would have students working to create their own imaginary utopian community, including a government system.

Art (Or as an Art project in any of the other content areas):
 * It is revealed mid-way through the novel that none of the characters can see color except for Jonas and the Giver. Students could create their own interpretation of one of the first times that Jonas noticed the presence of color in the community.