LITERATURE CIRCLE BOOKTHE GIVERBY: LOIS LOWRY

By: Ellen Nikoriak, Sophie Curhan, and Emily Corbeille

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2012/08/reading-lois-lowrys-giver-adult/56114/

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SETTING

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SETTING In the book The Giver, By Lois Lowry, The book takes

place in the future. It was a utopia which turns into a dystopia. The character’s live in a community in which they have different rules that they have to live by/follow. In the community which is called Sameness everything and everyone is the exact same. It is a very bland, simple, and plain community. The setting consists of dwellings in which citizens live in, a school, a town square, the house of old, and The Annex where Jonas is trained by the giver, Sameness is a modern day city.

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These are how we picture peoples dwellings in the community Sameness.

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CHARACTERS

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CHARACTERS: JONAS Jonas is an 11 year old boy when the story The

Giver begins. Eventually there is the Ceremony of Twelve’s which makes him 12 for the majority of the story. Also, people in his community, almost always have light eyes but Jonas has dark eyes. Every 12 year old gets an assignment and Jonas’s is one of the rarest ones there is, he becomes the receiver. The Giver passes down the communities memories to Jonas for him to remember once The Giver is released. He is one of the main characters because he is almost always present. Jonas is very dynamic because he definitely goes through changes throughout the story. All of these characteristics make him also a protagonist.

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This is what we think Jonas in The Giver would look like.

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CHARACTERS: LILY Lily is Jonas's sister in The Giver. She is 7 going

on 8 years old in the middle of the book. She's in the story a decent amount but I still think she is a minor character. Lily is a static character because she has always kept the same attitude and tone throughout the book. When girls turn 8 they get their comfort object taken away, jackets with pockets and small buttons, and they begin volunteering. The main thing we have learned about Lily is how bad she wants to be 9 to get a bicycle. She is a protagonist because even though she isn’t a major character she is defiantly not an antagonist.

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This is how we picture Jonas’s sister Lily.

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CHARACTERS: ASHER Asher is Jonas’s best friend in the whole story.

Asher got himself in lots of trouble when he was younger because he had trouble speaking clearly. He was always mixing up words in his sentences. Once he meant to ask for a snack at school but instead he said smack and that’s exactly what he got, smacked. Asher got assigned the Assistant Director of Recreation. He is more of a minor character because even though he is Jonas’s best friend he isn’t always in the story. Asher is a static character and a protagonist because he isn’t negative and he didn’t really change during the story except for improving his speech.

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This is how we picture Jonas’s best friend Asher.

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CHARACTERS: GABRIEL Gabriel is the newborn child that Jonas’s family,

especially his father since he is a nurturer, takes care of. He is a pretty easy, pleased baby during the day until it hits night time. The only way Gabriel gets a sound sleep at night is when Jonas passes down the memories of the community, Sameness, that The Giver told him. Jonas gives Gabe several memories like sailing on a lake and picnics in the sun. He is a main character but also a static character since he doesn’t go through many self changes besides getting a better sleep at night. Gabriel is a protagonist because he’s a positive main character.

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This is what we think Gabriel looks like as a newborn.

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CHARACTERS: MOTHER Jonas's mother is a very nice a caring mom in

The Giver. The book does not say what the mother’s assignment because she is already an adult. Mother is a minor character since she isn't always in the story. She is a static character because Mother doesn't go through big changes that make the story different. Jonas’s mother has a job at the Department of Justice which is some-what like a police officer in our cities because she teaches people right from wrong. Lastly, Mother is more of a protagonist than antagonist because she's very nice and cares for Jonas which gives her heroic, main qualities.

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This is what the typical “perfect mom” looks like so we think this is how Jonas’s mother looks.

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CHARACTERS: FATHER Jonas's father has been in The Giver a decent

amount of the story. I would consider him more of a minor character though because he hasn’t really been the person who the book is based off of. Jonas’s father is a nurturer for newborn babies. He becomes very attached to a newborn named Gabriel and takes care of him most of the time. Father has to release babies if they aren’t healthy or if there is a set of twins. Jonas watches the video of his father releasing a newborn and finds out it means killing. This makes him a protagonist because he isn’t a negative character. Also, he is a static character that means he hasn't changed the plot or himself very much.

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We picture Jonas’s father always helping out with Gabriel and holding him so this is what we think he would

look like.

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CHARACTERS: THE GIVER The Giver is another main character in The

Giver. He is a very old man with a beard and a smart mind. The Giver has one of the most rare assignments because he knows all of Sameness’s memories and gives them to Jonas, the receiver. The Giver had a daughter named Rosemary that he had to train to be the next receiver. Rosemary couldn’t handle pain and asked to be released. This made him feel like he failed. All the memories The Giver gave to Rosemary were gone when she asked to be released. The Giver is a very dynamic character because his thoughts and actions change throughout the story. Also, The Giver is a protagonist because he’s a main character with heroic traits and qualities.

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We thought this is what The Giver looks like because he looks similar to the cover of the book.

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CHARACTER:FIONA Fiona was one of Jonas’s friends in The Giver.

She had bright, fierce red hair and was assigned to be the House of Old Caretaker because she was very patient and caring. Jonas had his first stirring, which is a sexual dream about Fiona. She is a minor character since she isn’t in the story very much. Also, she is a static character who did not change during the story. Lastly, she is a protagonist because she is very positive and kind to everyone.

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This is how we picture Fiona to look in The Giver.

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PLOT

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PLOT: RISING ACTION When Jonas had the honor of becoming the

new receiver as his assignment. This means he gets to receive The Giver and the communities memories.

Jonas was upset that not everyone could see the gorgeous colors like he could now and he wished everyone else could too.

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PLOT: CLIMAX Jonas sees his father “release” a newborn

child. He then realizes that being released means being killed. Jonas reached a point where he was so upset with his community. This makes him determined to change it.

Jonas takes his fathers bike in the middle of the night and flees out of the community with Gabe in the back seat.

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Top hat

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PLOT: FALLING ACTION In order to change the ways of his

community, Jonas escaped his community on his bike with Gabriel. Jonas had to go through many obstacles along the way. He tried to make everyone in his community have feelings and see colors like he has been dreaming of.

While on the journey to find Elsewhere Jonas gives Gabe the last of his memories.

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CONFLICT Man vs. self: When Jonas is playing catch with

Asher, while tossing the apple he is seeing the color red but doesn’t know it. Battle between what Jonas sees, and what he thinks.

Man vs. nature: When Jonas and Gabe are sledding down the hill its bitterly cold, both Jonas and Gabe almost freeze to death. Battle between the snow/cold and Jonas/Gabriel.

Man vs. society: Jonas is so frustrated with his community that he leaves, so there is conflict in his community because of Jonas. Battle between Sameness and Jonas.

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THEME Why memory is so important The Giver gave Jonas memories because

without them nobody would know how life used to be before Sameness.

Without memory there is not actual pain or happiness.

Why you need pain and happiness For Jonas to enjoy the pleasures of sunlight and

sledding he needed to know the hurt/pain of people dying, wars, and physical pains, like being shot.

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RESOLUTION We can infer that the story ended with Jonas

and Gabriel finding Elsewhere. They sled down the hill that was Jonas’s first memory he received. In the bitter cold when they were at the bottom of the hill, Jonas thought he saw lights and heard music as The Giver described as his favorite. However Jonas wasn’t sure if he actually heard the music, or if it was just an echo.

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B NUS: MOOD

The mood of the story changes as the story progresses. In the beginning of the story, people of Sameness are living in this utopia world where the mood is content. Towards the middle of the book, the mood changes to gloomy because Jonas realizes Sameness isn’t perfect anymore. Jonas realizes children, elderly, and people with 3 strikes are being killed or as they call it “released”. He also discovers not another person can see the beautiful colors the world has to offer. In the end, the mood becomes blissful because we can infer that Jonas and Gabe found elsewhere. In the book The Giver , the mood of the story changed from content, to gloomy, then to blissful. 20