The Giver: Summary

After meeting the Giver, Jonas stopped taking his pills. As a result, his stirrings returned, but he continued to not take his pills. In the novel it stated, “The next morning, for the first time, Jonas didn’t take his pill. Something within him,

     Jonas is helping his family take care of a problem newborn. His name is Gabriel, he had problems sleeping at the Nurturing Center. Jonas helps Gabriel sleep by transmitting memories to Gabriel. They become really close. Jonas finds out that Gabriel is in danger of being released. He talks to The Giver and finds out that release means the same thing as death. Jonas gets really mad knowing that his father killed the babies. That was his father’s job. Jonas wants to create a plan to change the community forever.

Jonas is very mature at the beginning of the novel. For example, he volunteers at many places, plays games, goes to school every day, shares his dreams and feelings, and most importantly follows the rules.

Jonas accepting his society because he's unaware of emotions of the other people in his community. Jonas follows the rule of having the share your feelings everyday. Not telling

One day, it was time for Jonas to get a job. He was really nervous. His friends went with him and they sat together. When it was Jonas’ number they skipped him. He was getting so nervous that he thought he was not going to get a job. When Jonas’ name got called to be Receiver. He was going to work with an old man. When they met Jonas loved this man, he could show Jonas fun things that kids do, like us! The old man could also show Jonas pain. Jonas wanted to be different from the other people in his town. It couldn’t be that way.if you were different you were released, if there were twins then the one that weighed the most got cleaned and got a new home.if you were the one that weighed the least then you were released.

When some of the babies are not perfect they would take their lives if they are not developing fast enough. Jonas finally found that out when he was watching his dad in his memories of him not knowing that he was killing a baby. The people never knew what they were actually doing, they thought they were just releasing the babies somewhere else and helping them. Since they lived in a universe where there is no such thing as pain, sadness, or death. For example if a woman had a set of twins, one of the would only be aloud to survive. Jonas finally had a feeling about death, something horrible and deceiving at all times.

As said here by a parent: "I'm just trying to keep my little girl a little girl," she said. (Anderson). According to Anderson a committee remember named Maria Lewis said the book taught valuable lessons. Parents agree that the book is teaching a valuable lesson on how the society that Jonas is in is trying to shield people from how painful life can be, just like how the parents are doing. Later in the novel Jonas just stops taking pills, he decides on his own that it’s not what he wants. As said here: “The next morning, for the first time, Jonas did not take his pill. Something within him, something that had grown there through the memories, told him to throw the pill away.” (Lowry 133). The book says that something within him told him to throw the pill away, but the reader realized that Jonas discovered his free will.

The author uses the characters to show that life can not be taken for granted. In the novel, Jonas’s father is releasing a twin. He uses a syringe to inject a liquid into the child's head. The book states, “Bye-bye, little guy, Jonas

Jonas’s community is perfectly made for everyone, and to make sure of that, the community has everything planned in advance for them. Their employment, their marriage, their children, even their death is scheduled in

There are similarities between the book and the movie. Both the movie and the book are similar of how they take their daily medication and don’t see color. In the book Jonas starts his daily pill. The texts states, In chapter 5, The speaker says “ A REMINDER THAT STIRRINGS MUST BE REPORTED IN ORDER FOR TREATMENT TO TAKE PLACE ”. (Lowry,37) In the movie, the

“He killed it! My father killed it!” (Lowry pg. 150). This is clear evidence of madness and sadness built up in Jonas. Whom who reads this knows Jonas pain and feeling. The young man was just like any other community member, blind to death. Before it had meant leaving to elsewhere. After hearing the truth nothing could stop Jonas from having the heavy feelings. Which is exactly what the community needed.

Jonas learns that those who don't take risks never grow. Jonas takes risks by not taking his stirring pills. He has not taken the pills, now for four weeks. The stirrings had returned, and he felt a little guilty and embarrassed about the pleasurable dreams that came to him as he slept (Lowry 130). Jonas also takes a hazard by giving gabriel memories of joy so he can fall asleep.

The medication is presented through different ways in each medium. In the novel Jonas receives daily pills that suppress emotion and sensations like color, smell and emotion. The movie takes a more futuristic approach on this with an injection into the bloodstream. At the start of the book Jonas is an eleven-year-old boy who is about to turn twelve. When a boy turns twelve in the community, he is given his life-long job; this is called the ceremony of twelve. In the movie Jonas is fifteen, and he receives his job at sixteen. This allows for a love triangle to be present during the movie that wouldn’t be as likely in the book. In the movie Jonas pursues a relationship with a childhood friend, Fiona. The movie has multiple scenes where they are romantic with each other, and even a scene where they kiss. Fiona and Jonas never kiss in the novel nor do they pursue and relationship. The movie also portrays the Giver as an old grumpy man, while in the book the Giver is always pleased with the presence of Jonas.

To begin with, Jonas has had many experiences in his life which had a huge impact on him, one of which was the newborn baby's release. This particular event led to many changes in his life like having the courage to leave the community. This is supported by the quote "Jonas felt a ripping sensation inside himself, the feeling of a terrible pain clawing its' way forward to emerge in a cry". This conveys the sadness that took over him

n society wasn’t as perfect as he thought it was. Jonas’s community is a dystopia because there is no contact with others outside the community, there is killing of the young and old, and there is no freedom.