The Giver Lois Lowry Jessica Castro Romero 2°B
Setting Jonas’s community is a very structured place, in which everything is order. Jonas’s community is a Utopian place in which mistakes or rudeness are not allowed. Each family is formed by a mom, a dad, a boy and a girl. The education in this community is normal until you get 12 years. Whenever you are 12 years, you receive special training for preparation for your job, before being a 12 you give volunteer hours, and when you become a 12 your job will be assigned at the ceremony. Jonas’s community uses bicycles for transportation, you receive a bicycle whenever you are 9 years.
Characters Jonas is very important since he will become the next Giver. His responsibility now is to take care of the people and have many memories as he can to pass them to the next Receiver of Memories when he is the Giver. Jonas is very caring since he is having the privilege of having the best memories and feelings and he wants to share them with everyone in his community. The Giver is very important too, he is the one giving the memories to the next Receiver of Memories (Jonas in this case). Jonas and the Giver are the ones with more power among the community.
Conflict (Man vs. Man and Man vs. Society) Towards the book the loss of memories is a very huge problem. Jonas starts to think about the necessity of memories in the community and starts to worry. They don’t bring memories to people because they give pain, so only the ones with more power (Jonas and the Giver) are the ones that know them. So if you asked someone in the community, they won’t have a memory of a feeling or about colors, all because they are restricted. Jonas wants to give memories back to the community but there’s only one way… escaping from there. “But why can’t everyone have the memories? I think it would seem a little easier if the memories were shared. You and I wouldn't have to bear ourselves, if everyone took a part” (Lowry p.142) So here is where they explain that not everyone in the community is able to know about memories, just because they don’t want people to have pain, and all of the pain goes into Jonas and the Giver.
Theme Lois Lowry communicates memories towards Jonas and the Giver because they are prepared for pleasure and for pain, or for any notice. So Jonas is very important in his community because he is in charge of the memories from the past. The loss of memories is so tragic for Jonas, so he tries to make a escape plan but the Giver stays since is very dangerous to leave the community alone while they are experiencing pain or even pleasure. “ He rested for a moment, breathing deeply. I am so weighted with them” (Lowry p. 99) That means that pain tires you and not everyone will support it. That’s why the Giver needs to stay the community. Memories are important because they make us remember our best moments with great feelings and our worst moments to learn from our mistakes. Lowry demonstrated the memories may cause pain, so it won’t be something good for a Utopian community to have painful memories or even the more beautiful feelings.
Personal Point of View This book is the best I’ve ever read, it was so interesting. The book really catched my attention since the beginning. I think this book became my favorite! Is the first time I really understand a book. It was very enjoyable. I would really recommend this book to anyone, is very interesting, easy to read and enjoyable.
APA: Lowry, L. (1993). The Giver. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin.