what are some themes of the giver

• Individuality and Freedom of Choice. Throughout The Giver, Lowry underscores the dangers of enforced homogeneity. She urges her readers to value individuality and freedom of expression and thought.
• Memories. One of the most important themes in The Giver is the significance of memory to human life. Without memory, the same mistakes can be made over and over again.
• Death and Release. “Release” is a euphemism for death in the novel. Since they are devoid of memories, the residents, however, see it merely as a pleasant exit from society.

Full Answer

What is the most important theme in the giver?

• Freedom and Choice. In Jonas's community, no one makes choices. All choices about the community were made in the distant past when Sameness was created, and any additional changes involve ...
• Coming of Age. The annual December ceremony, when the "birthdays" of all children are celebrated simultaneously, is a ritual full of rites of passage.
• Memory

What are the main characters in the giver?

• Jonas. The protagonist of the novel, Jonas is thoughtful, intelligent, sensitive, and compassionate.
• The Giver. Known as the Receiver until Jonas becomes his trainee, The Giver is a kind, elderly man whose breadth of experience through memory makes him look and seem older ...
• Gabriel. ...
• Jonas's Father. ...

What are the themes for each age in the giver?

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. The Importance of Memory. One of the most important themes in The Giver is the significance of memory to human life. Lowry was inspired to write The Giver after a visit to her aging father, who had lost most of his long-term memory. She realized that without memory, there is no pain—if you cannot remember physical pain, you might as well not have experienced it, and you cannot be plagued by regret or grief if ...

What is the theme in Chapter One in the giver?

What is the theme of the giver in Chapter 1? One of the most important themes in The Giver is the significance of memory to human life. Lowry was inspired to write The Giver after a visit to her aging father, who had lost most of his long-term memory.

What is theme of The Giver?

The Importance of Memory One of the most important themes in The Giver is the significance of memory to human life. Lowry was inspired to write The Giver after a visit to her aging father, who had lost most of his long-term memory.

What are 4 themes in The Giver?

Generations ago, they chose Sameness over freedom and individuality. Now, they know no other way of life. Other themes in The Giver, such as family and home, friendships, acts of heroism, as well as the value of remembering the past, are familiar because they are themes in Lowry's previous novels also.

What is the theme of a story?

A literary theme is the main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work. The theme of a story can be conveyed using characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these elements.

How is family a theme in The Giver?

Family in “The Giver” exists in order to help organize the community. Every person has a role to play in this society. No one is able to have their own experiences and feelings or even chose what kind of job they would like to do. A group of people has the role of choosing which job each person will have.

The giver studysync

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How are children taught in Jonas's society. What is your opinion?

Everything that the children learn is closely monitored and regimented. The children receive and lose things to mark maturity. This "maturity" must...

Discuss how people get a spouse in Jonas's community. What is your opinion on this practice?

The people in the community are matched together by Elders. In my opinion, people should be allowed to choose their own wives and husbands.

The Importance of Memory

One of the most important themes in The Giver is the significance of memory to human life. Lowry was inspired to write The Giver after a visit to her aging father, who had lost most of his long-term memory.

The Relationship Between Pain and Pleasure

Related to the theme of memory is the idea that there can be no pleasure without pain and no pain without pleasure. No matter how delightful an experience is, you cannot value the pleasure it gives you unless you have some memory of a time when you have suffered.

The Importance of the Individual

At the Ceremony of Twelve, the community celebrates the differences between the twelve-year-old children for the first time in their lives. For many children, twelve is an age when they are struggling to carve out a distinct identity for themselves, differentiating themselves from their parents and peers.

Rules and Control

Throughout The Giver, Lowry explores how Jonas’s community infantilizes people by requiring total obedience to rules, keeping people from thinking for themselves. Pointedly, the community has rules instead of laws. The word “rules” evokes the sort of guidelines that children follow—what they must do or must not do.

Rituals

Within the novel, rituals tend to surround the moments in which community members can express limited emotions, such as dreams, aging, and death. These rituals almost always work to expel the emotions involved.

What are the themes of The Giver?

Now, they know no other way of life. Other themes in The Giver, such as family and home, friendships, acts of heroism, as well as the value of remembering the past, are familiar because they are themes in Lowry's previous novels also. Like Rabble in Rabble Starkey, Jonas has to leave the family that was created for him.

What are some examples of themes in The Giver?

For example, she concentrates on the tradeoffs involved when Jonas' community chooses Sameness rather than valuing individual expression. Certain themes in the book are familiar because they can be found in other novels by Lowry.

Why does Jonas change in The Giver?

He changes during the course of the novel due to his experiences and actions. We know how Jonas changes because Lowry narrates The Giver in the third person , limited omniscient viewpoint in order to reveal Jonas' thoughts and feelings. When the novel begins, Jonas is as unconcerned as anyone else about how he is living.

What does the Giver say about Jonas' father?

As The Giver says of Jonas' father's killing the lighter-weight twin male, "It's what he was told to do, and he knows nothing else.". Another important theme in The Giver is the value of the individual. Lowry points out that when people are unable to experience pain, their individuality is devalued.

Why is the Giver so familiar?

Certain themes in the book are familiar because they can be found in other novels by Lowry. Throughout The Giver, Lowry attempts to awaken each and every reader to the dangers that exist when people opt for conformity over individuality and for unexamined security over freedom. At one time in the past, the people who inhabited Jonas' community ...

What does Jonas learn from The Giver?

But as he receives The Giver's memories and wisdom , he learns the truth about his community, that it is a hypocrisy and that the people have voluntarily given up their individuality and freedom to live as robots. Jonas' character changes and becomes more complex.

What chapter does Lowry write about Jonas?

Lowry writes of Jonas toward the beginning of Chapter 17, "But he knew he couldn't go back to that world of no feelings that he had lived in so long.". Jonas also experiences an external conflict between himself and the community.

What does the giver learn from the memories?

As The Receiver of Memory, The Giver has to draw upon his memories of mankind's most terrible experiences in order to advise the Committee of Elders whenever they have an unusual experience, such as that of the rogue plane, or when they want to change the rules, such as adding a third child to each family unit. It is also reiterated a number of times that although Jonas has little true wisdom at the beginning of the novel, he learns it through his new memories and through his discussion of these memories with The Giver. In the end, his respect for human life as gained through the memories allows him to understand what he must do in order to benefit the larger community. Meanwhile, the lack of memories held by the rest of the community prevents them from adjusting their own destinies wisely, so they remain terrified of change and are forced to remain in a static, stagnant existence.

What is the result of Jonas and the Giver?

The result is a dystopia of conformity. A series of conversations between Jonas and The Giver shows that the totalitarian rationale for restricting each person's choice of clothing, job, spouse, and children results from the fear of making wrong choices. Yet, as Jonas realizes after he escapes from the community, he would rather be able to choose his destiny than remain in the safety of a community that normally does not even allow its citizens to choose their time and manner of death. Although the possibility of individual choice sometimes involves risk, it also exposes Jonas to a wide range of joyful experiences from which his community has been shut away. His conversations with The Giver lead him to understand both the advantages and the disadvantages of personal choice, and in the end, he considers the risks worth the benefits.

What does Jonas learn from the novel?

Whereas the nightly sharing of feelings is intended to explain away and resolve the emotions of the day, Jonas learns that the most important emotions are those that cannot be explained or discussed but only felt, such as the Stirrings or the love of a family. In many cases over the course of the novel, Jonas instinctively feels that something is right but allows his intellect to convince him that it is wrong, such as when he takes the pills to counteract the Stirrings or when he tries to argue to The Giver that love and family can be very dangerous. Yet, by the end of the novel, Jonas has learned to embrace the full range of human emotion, including to an extent the negative ones, and he allows his emotions and instinct to inform his actions. In contrast, the other citizens of the community, such as Fiona and Jonas's father, have not learned to allow their emotions to reveal their character and help them develop a sense of right and wrong, so they feel no guilt at delivering lethal injections as part of their jobs.

What is the concept of release in the novel?

The concept of release is introduced early in the novel, during Jonas's anecdote about the Pilot-in-Training who mistakenly flies over the community. The concept is continually and mysteriously mentioned without sufficient explanation until nearly the end of the novel. The mysteriousness of death and Elsewhere echoes the uncertainty about death that humans face during their lifetime. Multiple kinds of release are explored in the novel. The Old are released at the end of a long, fulfilled life, and citizens such as Roberto are often joyful at their Releasing Ceremony. Meanwhile, those who make significant mistakes or break the rules, such as the Pilot-in-Training, are summarily executed. The punishment appears overly harsh and adds to the community's dystopian aura. Furthermore, in the cases of Gabriel and the twin, some are executed for no reason at all except that it is inconvenient not to do so. Jonas finds the latter category of killings to be the most offensive of all because they truncate entire lives. Jonas finds such outrages particularly heinous because he has developed an increased appreciation for individual human life due to his received memories.

What does Jonas feel when he is selected as the Receiver of Memory?

Jonas has learned from early childhood to conform and be part of the collective, so when he is selected as The Receiver of Memory, he immediately feels the loneliness that comes from being a special individual in a society where almost everyone is merely a cog in the larger wheel.

Do Fiona and Jonas' father have guilt?

In contrast, the other citizens of the community, such as Fiona and Jonas's father, have not learned to allow their emotions to reveal their character and help them develop a sense of right and wrong, so they feel no guilt at delivering lethal injections as part of their jobs.

Themes of The Giver

Imagine that all of a sudden the person closest to you cannot remember anything. What memories would you share with him? What would you want that person to know about himself, you, your relationship, and the world around him? In The Giver by Lois Lowry, it isn't just one person who has lost touch with his past but an entire community of people.

Pleasure and Pain

When the Chief Elder announces Jonas' assignment as the town's next Receiver of Memory, she warns, ''…you will be faced, now,…with pain of a magnitude that none of us here can comprehend because it is beyond our experience.'' The only type of pain that anyone in the community had experienced were minor bumps and bruises, such as skinned knees.

Individuality

In addition to pleasure and pain, the community sacrificed things like color. Color represents many things, both good and bad. Without color, racial tension disappears. ''There was a time, actually—you'll see this in the memories later—when flesh was many different colors.

What is the theme of The Giver?

One of the most important themes in The Giver is the significance of memory to human life. Without memory, the same mistakes can be made over and over again. Memory allows people to learn from their mistakes; however, nobody other than Jonas and the Giver comprehends its importance.

What does Lowry say about homogeneity?

In its attempt to create an ideal society, the community denies its citizens the right to make choices and forces them to lead a life dictated by rules. However, these utopian ideals go awry. In practice, this amounts to manipulation and excessive, unjustifiable control of people . The community is thus devoid of real feelings and emotions.

What does release mean in the novel?

“Release” is a euphemism for death in the novel. Since they are devoid of memories, the residents, however, see it merely as a pleasant exit from society. In some cases, the residents also see the release as occasion for celebration. Jonas learns about the reality of “release” when his father releases one of the twins. He understands that “release” in indeed just death. Further, Rosemary’s self-inflicted release leaves a deep impression on Jonas. He does not want Gabriel to experience a similar fate. Therefore, unable to live in a society that does not acknowledge pain and suffering and in an attempt to save Gabriel, Jonas decides to escape.

What does the apple represent in the Giver?

The apple is a symbol for all that’s missing in the community. Its red color, something that’s lost to everyone in the community except Jonas, represents freedom, human nature, and emotions. The red of the apple also appears in other parts of his life. It comes to represent desire when he sees it in Fiona’s hair, and then later. It features in the rainbow that the Giver shares with him. It reemphasizes the entire range of human experiences and emotions that Jonas, his friends, and family members are missing out on.

What does Jonas learn about Gabriel?

He gives Gabriel memories to calm him down. Jonas starts to see colors. He learns about the Giver’s daughter, the previous receiver of memory, and her release. Jonas learns what “releasing” means . The Giver and Jonas make a plan for him to escape the community. Jonas runs away with Gabriel.

What does Jonas dream about?

After receiving the memory, Jonas dreams about the sled ride and the unknown destination at the hill’s bottom. There’s something in the distance that he’s riding towards, but he doesn’t know what it is. It symbolizes his future and the new life that waits for him when he escapes the community at the end of the novel.

What does Jonas realize at the end of the novel?

One of the more powerful moments of the novel comes at the end when Jonas realizes that he’s making memories of his own, ones that belong only to him.

What does Gabriel represent in Jonas?

The child represents innocence and acts as a powerful contrast to the emotionless community that chooses to kill him. For Jonas, Gabriel also represents hope. Hope for a better life, one filled with love, and one where a child can grow up without the threat of being “released.”.

How does Jonas' community work?

Jonas’s community is nothing without control. The community leaders exert control by making everyone believe that total obedience is the only way to live. The rules are their lives, and there is no choice but to follow them. There are rules for every part of life, ensuring that free will is surprised and the individual.

How does the simple language help describe Jonas?

Additionally, the simple language helps describe the simple lives of Jonas, his family, and his friends. Everyone lives preplanned, organized lives, similar to how Lowry’s writing depicts them. This is also how one might describe the tone. It is direct in most parts of the novel and, as it progresses, becomes more emotional ...

How many paragraphs does the Giver have?

​You will identify one of the major themes in the novel THE GIVER and write a 3 - 5 paragraph essay explaining how author Lois Lowry develops this theme in three distinct ways, using specific text evidence to support your ideas.

What is a theme in literature?

What is theme? ​. "In contemporary literary studies, a theme is the central topic a text treats. Typical examples of themes of this type are conflict between the individual and society; coming of age; humans in conflict with technology; nostalgia; and the dangers of unchecked ambition.

What are the feelings in Jonas' society?

In Jonas's society, feelings are to be feared. Feelings cause trouble and pain, and there is no place for the trouble and pain they cause. Feelings disrupt the contentment of the community, so to dull them, people take pills and learn nothing about the past.

What is the setting of a story?

Setting - social norms and values during the time frame of the story; the physical barriers or challenges a setting provides. Symbolism - objects or characters that represent important ideas or truths. Structure - the contrast between the beginning and the end of a novel; multiple perspectives/narrators.

The Importance of Memory

• One of the most important themes in The Giver isthe significance of memory to human life. Lowry was inspired towrite The Giver after a visit to her aging father,who had lost most of his long-term memory. She realized that withoutmemory, there is no pain—if you cannot remember physical pain, youmight as well not have experienced it, and you cannot b...

See more on sparknotes.com

The Relationship Between Pain and Pleasure

The Importance of The Individual

Rules and Control

Rituals