The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for LS5603.20, Genre 6—fantasy, fiction and young adult.
1. Bibliography
Lowry, Lois. 1993. The Giver. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell.
ISBN 0-440-2272-5
2. Plot Summary
Jonas lives in a perfect world. There are rules for everything
and everyone follows the rules. No one has to make choices
about anything—not even about getting married, having
children, or what career to work in. There is no pain or sick-
ness and no war or struggles of any kind. Everyone in the
community does everything possible not to upset the routine.
On the rare occasions when the rules are broken or when a
“newchild” or an older person is ill, there is a “release.” When
Jonas is twelve years old, he is given his assignment. He is to
be the Receiver of Memory. Through his training, Jonas will
come to understand fear and pain, but also joy and love and
the value of individuality. When Jonas learns what it truly
means to be “released,” he must make a choice that will
change his life forever.
3. Critical Analysis
The Giver is an example of modern fantasy, specifically
dystopian or anti-utopian fantasy, where a seemingly perfect
world is really one that is completely authoritarian. The
society in The Giver is so completely controlled that its
citizens never have to make decisions at all. The highest
value is conformity.
The plot of The Giver is similar in some ways to that of other
novels of this type, but it is original enough to hold the
reader’s interest. Given the rules of the community, the
events are very logical, and the author uses foreshadowing
to predict them before they occur. One example of that
occurs when the Giver is telling Jonas about the previous
Receiver who asked to be released. The Giver says that if
anything happened to Jonas, he (the Giver) might be able
to help the entire community in the way that he helps Jonas.
The setting of The Giver is only described as the Community.
It is a perfect world where there is no sickness or pain or war.
Even the weather is controlled. This is important to the story
because it indicates the extent to which the people of the
Community have given up control of their lives, and how they
value predictability and security over individualism. This choice
between conformity and individual choice is one of the major
themes of the story. The theme is not directly stated, but it is
very obvious throughout the story.
Lois Lowry does a good job of revealing the frightening aspects
of life in the Community slowly, letting the reader learn through
small details and incidents the price that the people have paid
for their perfect world. From the opening sentence, where Jonas
is concerned about choosing exactly the right word to describe
his feelings, the reader is given notice that this is not a normal
society. This impression continues throughout the story as the
reader learns that there are rules for everything in the society—
how many children are born each year, how many children each
family may have, what job each citizen has, how children dress
at each age, even when citizens will die.
Lowry uses a combination of narrative and dialogue to tell the
story of The Giver. When she uses conversation, it is natural
and appropriate for the characters, and for the purpose of the
book. The ease with which the characters talk about subjects
like punishment for minor rule infractions and the “release” of
sick and elderly citizens adds to the mood of horror.
The Giver is an interesting story, and Lowry uses it to give the
reader an opportunity to think about an important topic—the
value of choice and freedom.
The Giver won the 1994 Newbery Award.
4. Review Excerpts
Booklist: “The simplicity and directness of Lowry’s writing force
readers to grapple with their own thoughts about this dichotomy
[sameness and safety vs. individualism]; though it is clear what
the right answer is (and, at times, the narrative lacks subtlety
in insisting upon that answer)….” Ilene Cooper
Amazon.com: “With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994
Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people
might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create
a more stable society.”
Publishers Weekly: “Lowry's development of this civilization is
so deft that her readers, like the community's citizens, will be
easily seduced by the chimera of this ordered, pain-free society.
With a storyline that hints at Christian allegory and an eerie
futuristic setting, this intriguing novel calls to mind John
Christopher's Tripods trilogy and Hans Christian Andersen's
The Little Match Girl. Lowry is once again in top form—raising
many questions while answering few, and unwinding a tale fit
for the most adventurous readers.”
5. Connections
● As a basis for class discussion, have students complete a
survey about what they consider an ideal society. One
example of such a survey is found at
http://www.tallmania.com/GivSurvey.htm
● Illustrate a memory that you would transmit if you were
the Giver. It can be a pleasant one or an unpleasant one.
● Make a chart illustrating the advantages and disadvantages
of living in a controlled society like the one described in
The Giver.
● Using a digital camera, take pictures of objects that Jonas
saw. Print them in color and in black-and-white and
compare them.
Books with similar themes:
● The Guardians by John Christopher. ISBN 978-0-606-02006-0
● The Tripods Trilogy by John Christopher. ISBN 978-0-020-42571-7
● Animal Farm by George Orwell. ISBN 978-1-595-40429-9
● 1984 by George Orwell. ISBN 978-8-483-28006-5
● Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. ISBN 978-0-345-34296-6
for LS5603.20, Genre 6—fantasy, fiction and young adult.
1. Bibliography
Lowry, Lois. 1993. The Giver. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell.
ISBN 0-440-2272-5
2. Plot Summary
Jonas lives in a perfect world. There are rules for everything
and everyone follows the rules. No one has to make choices
about anything—not even about getting married, having
children, or what career to work in. There is no pain or sick-
ness and no war or struggles of any kind. Everyone in the
community does everything possible not to upset the routine.
On the rare occasions when the rules are broken or when a
“newchild” or an older person is ill, there is a “release.” When
Jonas is twelve years old, he is given his assignment. He is to
be the Receiver of Memory. Through his training, Jonas will
come to understand fear and pain, but also joy and love and
the value of individuality. When Jonas learns what it truly
means to be “released,” he must make a choice that will
change his life forever.
3. Critical Analysis
The Giver is an example of modern fantasy, specifically
dystopian or anti-utopian fantasy, where a seemingly perfect
world is really one that is completely authoritarian. The
society in The Giver is so completely controlled that its
citizens never have to make decisions at all. The highest
value is conformity.
The plot of The Giver is similar in some ways to that of other
novels of this type, but it is original enough to hold the
reader’s interest. Given the rules of the community, the
events are very logical, and the author uses foreshadowing
to predict them before they occur. One example of that
occurs when the Giver is telling Jonas about the previous
Receiver who asked to be released. The Giver says that if
anything happened to Jonas, he (the Giver) might be able
to help the entire community in the way that he helps Jonas.
The setting of The Giver is only described as the Community.
It is a perfect world where there is no sickness or pain or war.
Even the weather is controlled. This is important to the story
because it indicates the extent to which the people of the
Community have given up control of their lives, and how they
value predictability and security over individualism. This choice
between conformity and individual choice is one of the major
themes of the story. The theme is not directly stated, but it is
very obvious throughout the story.
Lois Lowry does a good job of revealing the frightening aspects
of life in the Community slowly, letting the reader learn through
small details and incidents the price that the people have paid
for their perfect world. From the opening sentence, where Jonas
is concerned about choosing exactly the right word to describe
his feelings, the reader is given notice that this is not a normal
society. This impression continues throughout the story as the
reader learns that there are rules for everything in the society—
how many children are born each year, how many children each
family may have, what job each citizen has, how children dress
at each age, even when citizens will die.
Lowry uses a combination of narrative and dialogue to tell the
story of The Giver. When she uses conversation, it is natural
and appropriate for the characters, and for the purpose of the
book. The ease with which the characters talk about subjects
like punishment for minor rule infractions and the “release” of
sick and elderly citizens adds to the mood of horror.
The Giver is an interesting story, and Lowry uses it to give the
reader an opportunity to think about an important topic—the
value of choice and freedom.
The Giver won the 1994 Newbery Award.
4. Review Excerpts
Booklist: “The simplicity and directness of Lowry’s writing force
readers to grapple with their own thoughts about this dichotomy
[sameness and safety vs. individualism]; though it is clear what
the right answer is (and, at times, the narrative lacks subtlety
in insisting upon that answer)….” Ilene Cooper
Amazon.com: “With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994
Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people
might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create
a more stable society.”
Publishers Weekly: “Lowry's development of this civilization is
so deft that her readers, like the community's citizens, will be
easily seduced by the chimera of this ordered, pain-free society.
With a storyline that hints at Christian allegory and an eerie
futuristic setting, this intriguing novel calls to mind John
Christopher's Tripods trilogy and Hans Christian Andersen's
The Little Match Girl. Lowry is once again in top form—raising
many questions while answering few, and unwinding a tale fit
for the most adventurous readers.”
5. Connections
● As a basis for class discussion, have students complete a
survey about what they consider an ideal society. One
example of such a survey is found at
http://www.tallmania.com/GivSurvey.htm
● Illustrate a memory that you would transmit if you were
the Giver. It can be a pleasant one or an unpleasant one.
● Make a chart illustrating the advantages and disadvantages
of living in a controlled society like the one described in
The Giver.
● Using a digital camera, take pictures of objects that Jonas
saw. Print them in color and in black-and-white and
compare them.
Books with similar themes:
● The Guardians by John Christopher. ISBN 978-0-606-02006-0
● The Tripods Trilogy by John Christopher. ISBN 978-0-020-42571-7
● Animal Farm by George Orwell. ISBN 978-1-595-40429-9
● 1984 by George Orwell. ISBN 978-8-483-28006-5
● Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. ISBN 978-0-345-34296-6
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