Lowry, L. (1993). The giver. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Usage Information
The Giver, 1994 Newbery Award Winner; Genre: Fiction/Science Fiction/Fantasy Fiction; Age Range: 12 and over; Grade Level: 7-9; Lexile Range: 760L
Response
The Giver illustrates a dystopian reality that might occur if society decides to pursue a world without variation or freedom of choice. The story felt as if we were experiencing a communist ideology that was taken too far. The story is reminiscent of novels I read in high school, such as: A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley , 1984 by George Orwelll, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Like all great science fiction dystopia novels, The Giver provides an eerie insight into how certain ideals and points of view should not be applied to society because most of the beauty and love would be forsaken in the process. We cannot live a life that is restrictive and predetermined. Humans desire adventure, wonder, and the unknown. I feel it is necessary for students to read books such as The Giver because they can enlighten young minds as to how society can be affected by science and certain ideologies.
Critique
The Giver is a science fiction and dystopian fiction novel that does not disappoint the reader. The author spends the first half of the novel (110 pages) introducing you to the characters, their “utopia”, and their way of life. I believe this was an effective approach to stage the story. The reader feels curious about what will happen to the main character, Jonas, and concerned about how the overly structured society will influence Jonas. The story is from the point of view of Jonas, who is a twelve-year-old boy, but his observations and insights make the reader feel as if he is mature and level-headed for his age. The author uses brilliant descriptions to illustrate the memories that Jonas receives from the giver. I felt as if I too could see the snowy mountain and feel the warmth of a Christmas gathering with Jonas. I think a class lesson could reflect on the words and language used to portray the vivid memories.
There are numerous themes throughout the story which could be used for discussions while reading the novel; the one I felt was brilliantly illustrated is the coming of age realizations about life and society. Jonas begins to see the world for what it truly is, and it is scary, ugly, and hard to bear at times. This is an awakening that most of us experience once we witness and learn of the faults in society and mankind. He has been sheltered, as are many people in our society. Jonas struggles with how to reconcile the knowledge he has been given. Students in middle school and high school will identify with Jonas and his adolescent battles. One way to manage the stress and frustration is to find the beauty, love, and peace in life. Which is another inspiring theme in the novel. Jonas realizes this and it drives him to find a new way of life because he cannot return to the veiled point of view. It would be interesting to hear student’s reactions to Jonas’ choices in the novel. Would they have the same reactions and choices?
Lesson Ideas
Objective: After reading The Giver, the student will be able to complete two written activities reflecting on and analyzing themes and ideas in the novel.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
Lesson Activities: 1. Write five “memories” about our current society and world that you would share with Jonas to make him aware of how different his world is from ours. Use detailed descriptions to illustrate the “memory”. 2. Write two page essay exploring three main themes from the novel and how they develop.
Discussion Questions:
- How does the society in The Giver differ from our society? How is it the same?
- What qualities does Jonas possess that make him a viable “receiver”?
- What do you think will happen at the end of the story? (question to be asked before the last two chapters).
Resources
Santa Ana School District Extensive Lesson Plan ideas for The Giver
Trisha's University Blog 