Lois Lowry’s “Book the Giver” is supposed show us what it would be like if everyone were the same. It shows that we are all different and that we can be happy being different. The author attempts to make the reader realize that life is better when we don’t have take pills to suppress our emotions.
Jonas feels isolated because of his pale eyes. This is something he noticed when Gabriel was born. Jonas was shocked to see the child looking up from the basket. The light-colored eyes. Nearly all of the residents had dark eyes. Jonas, his mother, and one of the five female citizens he knew had darker eyes, were two exceptions. Next is the ceremony of twelve. Jonas and his friends line up to receive their jobs by their numbers. Fiona, his friend, is number 18 and gets called. Jonas follows. He took deep, exhaling and smoothed out his hair with one hand. He heard her voice clearly say, “Twenty,” Jonas thought she skipped me, and was stunned when the chief elder walked up to Jonas to give him his job. Jonas is shocked by what happened, and feels embarrassed that everyone in the audience has heard Jonas’ mistake. Jonas refused to have his job even after the chief elder apologized. After all the numbers had been called, Jonas was the last one left. She said, “I know,” in a bright, friendly voice, that she was aware of the fact that all were concerned. That I am making a mistake. The crowd was stunned when she stated that Jonas had been rescheduled. She continued. Jonas has now been selected. Jonas will be the next recipient of memory. Jonas is shocked and gasps for joy. He learns that to be a recipient, you need intelligence and integrity. Jonas didn’t know what it was, but he saw red when he stood on stage. Jonas was unsure what it was.
Jonas was given instructions and told that he could perform tasks that others were unable to. “4. It is important to keep information about your training confidential and not to share it with anyone outside of the community, including family and older individuals. You may lie”. Jonas knows for as long time that they discuss their day at dinner. Now he is being told that he cannot lie. He was also told that he could lie. Jonas is now allowed to lie. Jonas is the receiver’s first memory. Jonas is immediately able to feel a whooshing sensation from the giver. He’s then on a snowy hill. He looks for a sledge. He walks toward it and climbs on. The sledge moves downhill until he reaches its bottom. Bad memories are also possible. The giver will have passed both good memories and bad ones over the years. Bad ones include war, hunger, death and pain. Jonas’ father must make the decision to release one of his youngest twins. “All private ceremonies can be recorded. It is in the Hall of Closed Records. Jonas was unsure if he wanted to watch the movie that came out today. It was a private thing, and he was worried that his father would not like it. The giver was firm in telling him to do so. Jonas agreed. Everyone in the community believes release is a good thing. They cheer on their fellow walkers as they go. Jonas will find out the truth after he has watched one. They use a needle to deliver a newborn child. Their veins are too small to inject the needle into their heads. Jonas believed they were normal jags that all children get. Jonas watches as the child becomes limp and floppy. The father grabs the child and wraps him in blankets. The father takes the child and wraps him in a blanket. Jonas refuses the offer to go home and stays with his giver.
Jonas devises a plan with the giver to flee to other countries. “For the next 2 weeks, Jonas would receive every ounce of strength and courage he had, until the December ceremony was near. They would be able to assist him in finding somewhere else that they both knew existed. They both knew it would be difficult. Jonas was given the strength and courage to get there. He leaves a note for his family and heads to Gabriel to meet him at the airport. Gabriel will be released the next morning. They slept in hiding from planes all day, then they traveled through the night.
It was interesting, but not too good. I enjoyed that he was able to escape the life he lived. The community doesn’t know that this is not normal. Jonas learned and changed his ways, leaving to make sure Gabriel has a better lifestyle.