The Giver by Lois Lowry

Wow!  Reading The Giver, by Lois Lowry, as a sixth grader and when you are twenty-four makes a world of difference and allows for very different analyses of the text.  However, one interpretation is still the same…I knew it was a good book then and I still hold the same belief today!  Although this book is considered science fiction, the plot is very believable as well as thought-provoking.  I love books where you don’t quite get the full picture until the middle of the story.  Actually, finding out the whole story is really the climax of the plot.  It is a pretty short book and moves very quickly, but it tackles huge questions, such as is there such a thing as a perfect society? And, if given the choice, would you choose a life without pain if it meant giving up the joys as well?  The ending is open to the reader’s interpretation because there is textual evidence to support a variety of opinions on what happens to Jonas and Gabriel.  Although we get to know Jonas pretty well, in my opinion, not a lot of time was devoted to character development in this book.  We aren’t given many details about how the characters look, sound, or what they believe.  Part of this is because, due to the nature of the community, the character’s have few idiosyncratic traits that give us an overall picture of who they are.  However, nothing seems to be lost from not having much character development because the setting is much more important.  The setting is really everything in this story because the plot is based on a unique environment.  Lowry did not disappointment in creating a realistic, utopian setting.  Great book!
            I would love to use The Giver in my classroom someday because I believe it appeals to any audiences’ tastes and interests.   Using this book is a great way to introduce the concept of a utopia.  It is important that students learn what a utopia is because it helps them realize that there are a variety of ways our society could be structured and some people disagree with our current way and have visions of a better society.  I would have students write about their own visions of a perfect society and/or have them draw pictures or make a model of it.  I would then have students decide how much they would be willing to give up in order to obtain this perfect society.  Would they give up their education? Their family?  Their freedom?  I think this type of activity helps students consider their values and priorities.  This book would also be a great one for students to write their own stories about what happened before this story, such as what led to this society, and what happens after.  I think this is a good exercise because it will empower students to create characters who make big changes that influence the world.  I would also use this book to discuss memories.  This is an interesting topic because memories are something we often take for granted.  I would want the kids to ponder the following questions: What are you favorite memories?  What are your least favorite memories?  Which memories would you have a hard time parting with?  How can memories influence politics and the world?  If you were the Giver, what memories/ history of the world would you be sure to pass along?  Lastly, I think a fun activity for this book would be having a mock ceremony of twelve in which the teacher randomly selects occupations for his/her students.  Students could then discuss or journal about their feelings associated with the ceremony.  How do you feel about your assigned occupation?  I think activities like this are important because it forges a connection to the characters and what they are going through and allows the book to come alive for awhile.
Year Published:  1993          Awards: Newbery Medal