The Giver-Lois Lowry

BOOK REPORT

“THE GIVER”

BY: LOIS LOWRY

Submitted by:

Jonathan Del Rosario

Settings

Place:

●Jonas’s Dwelling

●Jonas’s School

●Nurturing Center

●Nursery

●Recreation Center

●House of the Old

●Auditorium

●The Giver’s Dwelling (Annex)

Time:

        The time is set in the future. People had embraced sameness. They couldn’t remember anything before sameness came. Their everyday lives and emotions are controlled by the elders. For instance, they should apply for a spouse and if they match with each other, they will be permitted to become husbands and wives. They should also apply for a child, one boy and one girl for each family unit. The children, however, were not their own for it is the responsibility of the birthmothers to carry and give birth to the children. The newborns are being cared for in the Nurturing Center wherein the Nurtures monitor their developments and when they’re ready for the Ceremony of One, they will be named. There are also uniformity as you progress on your year level. When you reach the Ceremony of Nine, you can now have your own bicycle and when you reach the Ceremony of Twelve, you will be assigned to your job based on the observations of the elders. In the beginning, The Giver seems to be utopian. But as the story progresses and goes deeper, it reveals that is dystopian.

Characters

Jonas- An eleven year old boy who has a pale eyes and curious nature that makes him quite set apart from the others. He is very apprehensive about the upcoming Ceremony of Twelve for he is unsure of what his job would be. But due to his distinctive qualities such as Intelligence and Capacity to See Beyond, he is assigned to be the next Receiver of the Memory. At first, he is confused why he’s the one chosen and what surprised him the most that it was said in the instructions given to him that he may lie. And so he started his sessions with the current Receiver of the Memory. The current receiver passed memories on him from generations back and back and back. Soon, he discovered that the Capacity to See Beyond was referring to colors. Because before he became a Receiver, he could see weird things happening. First, at the apple that he and Asher were throwing at each other. Second, at the faces of the audience when he was assigned as the next Receiver of Memory. And third at Fiona’s hair when they are together the last time. These memories gave Jonas intelligence and wisdom. He began to disagree and question their community.