Is it possible to create a perfect society - one where everyone is well-fed and healthy and carefree? How would you do it? Are people only entitled to live in the society if they actively contribute? What do you do with those who are not capable of contributing? Do you have to sacrifice individual freedom for the greater good?
Well, this story is set in a perfect world, but it is only perfect for the inhabitants bec
ause they are subdued to the point where they do not question the decisions which are taken for them by their elders. Children live in family units but not with their natural parents. At the age of twelve they are assigned to learn their adult duties. The only object in life is to conform. But in return for this the people never experience hunger or pain. You may think they do not experience real life at all since there is no emotion.
But there are some ugly truths propping up this particular community. Who takes the really difficult decisions which are outside the limited experience of the ordinary inhabitants? Jonas, aged twelve, and teetering on the brink of trainee adulthood is selected to become the new Receiver of Memory.
How on earth do you bear the burden of memory of the whole of human experience? The agonies of war and disease and loss, the heights of human achievement, freedom, music, color, and the overwhelming power of love. Jonas must keep these memories on behalf of his community, but he may not share them with anyone because no-one wants to experience the whole range of human emotion. It is too painful. See how Jonas copes.
Lois Lowry earned the Newbery Medal for this book, so unlike any other for children -- or for adults. There have been utopian novels before--though few for children--but none that give the utopia such a fair shake. It is this fairness that makes The Giver so riveting and thought-provoking, and so perfect for triggering discussions. The author is true to her determination not to stack the deck for readers; the ending is deliberately ambiguous, with allegorical overtones, leaving readers to decide what they want to believe.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
Jonas's world is very appealing. The community runs by common agreement to its rules; some freedom is sacrificed for security; joy, for avoidance of misery. The choices, which provide the catalyst for discussion, all involve one central decision: to forgo the highs of life in order to get rid of the lows -- to find the middle way. There is a lot to be said for this, though Jonas, speaking presumably for the author, ultimately rejects it. Some children will agree with Jonas, but others will find themselves attracted to a life that is uniformly pleasant, if never exhilarating.
I really liked the book from the beginning and was ready to rank it among my most favorite books. But the ending unfortunately had me disappointed. I know what happens next isn’t that very important to the plot but still, it would have been nice if we could read those too.
For a book that’s centered around feelings, this one didn’t leave me with the feeling of "warmth and love". It was cut short before I could even enjoy it. So thats why I feel alittle bit down because of the ending but the overall message still resonates well through me. It will stand as a constant reminder each time I question the reason why we live the way we live.
ArcticMonkey said...
May 11, 2009 at 3:42 PM
I read this, or to be more precise, I struggled to read this. Would you believe my english prof replaced works of Hemingway, Shakespeare for this book? This book had a good premise going on, but it bored the hell outta me. It took too to long to progess that I ended up using the magic copy/pasta move to finish my book report.
Very good review though, even better than the one I submitted.=)
D E N said...
May 13, 2009 at 4:20 PM
The idea behind The Giver is clearly a unique perspective on things. It is the type of book where, you are placed in the middle of a totally different area, and you are left to figure out how it works. Gradually, you learn more and more, and things you thought were obviously true, weren't. However, there are some things in this book that are unacceptable. For instance, this society is very complex, and yet, there was still only one active plot throughout the entire book. There was not a single scene that did not contain the main character. This book has the potential to be alot more entertaining to read, if it were to have more subplots. Also, the book is very simply written when it comes to the grammar and choice of vocabulary, thus, you do not have to be "mature" to understand this book at all.
I say its a brilliant idea, but poorly written.
stratos said...
May 14, 2009 at 2:17 AM