The Giver

Summary
Jonas, an eleven-year-old boy living in an imagined society where everyone is virtually the same.   Pain, fear, war, hatred, and prejudice do not exist.  At age twelve every member of the community is assigned a job and future career.  No one has any choices because life is intended to be easy and painless.  Citizens do not even choose their spouses and they do not have biological children but instead receive two children each which are born from Birthmothers, which is another possible job one might be assigned. When people become too old to perform their jobs, they move to the House of the Old where they are cared for and finally “released” from society.  The novel examines Jonas's life once he is assigned his calling, at the age of 12,  which is to become the society's new Giver or Memory Keeper.  During his training, Jonas begins to receive memories of pain, pleasure, and difference, everything that normal citizens know nothing about.

The Last of the Mountain Men by Raschella and Of the Same Mind by The Little Chickadee.

Polar Opposites by and Meerorkats both by HisssIllustrations.

Earthlight by The Cellophanes

Noel Blanc by DoubleParlour and Guy with Blue Eyes by OutsideTheBoxArt.


Noted Themes and Questions
The Giver asks really philosophical questions, which is why I am surprised that it's usually taught in middle schools.  Because the novel imagines a society where people have no choice yet no pain, the reader begins to wonder if sacrificing choice would be worth eliminating pain.
Reflection
In light of our class discussions on the dystopian novel, The Giver doesn't seem at first like a dystopian text.  It is a bit of a dystopia in disguise.  It reminds me a little of Brave New World and Feed, in that sense. The characters all appear to be happy, they don't experience pain or difficulties in life, and because of their absence, we begin to wonder about the value of sadness, strife, and inconvenience. Because choice has been eliminated, and the community leaders assign citizens job, homes, and even families, I at first wondered if the novel was a commentary on communism. However, as I read further, it seemed to me that Lowry was raising some more universal questions about the value of choice, pain, and other negative aspects of the human existence.  Why are they necessary? How do they factor into the human experience?
Student Reaction
Though The Giver is not at all difficult read, my sense is that many students might find the conversations about the book more interesting than the actual reading.  I might teach this book because I think it would spark really interesting discussion. 
Grade
The Giver is typically taught in middle school classrooms. I think it would be a good 9th grade book.