The author says that this world does not have color. They don’t understand music. They don’t know anything about death. They are told they are free to go to another place. They believe they will live in the same community for their entire lives. Everyone seems to be happy. They spend a lot time trying to make others feel better and sharing their feelings with each other. The children often play war-like games. They pretend to be gun-wielding children and shoot at each others. They think it’s a bad thing because they don’t know what war means.
Jonas is the main protagonist of this book. The book’s main character is Jonas, who begins at 11 years old and ends at 13. He finds out that he has been “chosen” instead of being given a job. He will be training to become the new Receiver. The Receiver can be described as a historian. He is much more than a historian. The memories of wind and sunshine, war, sun, savoring and music are all held by the Receiver. This is done so that people don’t feel the emotional pain that comes with strong emotions. Jonas is called The Receiver by the old receiver. This unique method transfers memories to Jonas, much like how people read minds. Jonas is then able to learn about wars colors, musics snows and sunshine as well as pain and joy. He gets confused and can’t comprehend. He eventually decides he can’t live in these places. The Giver assists him to run away. Running away will allow him to help his people since the memories will vanish and the people will see the difference. This is how the people will discover that there is more.
The Giver is both a novel and a book with many relevant messages. The Giver teaches us to pursue our dreams and believe in ourselves. It also teaches us that being forced to choose is destructive. You see this throughout the novel. Jonas, the protagonist, is young and clueless when he starts the story. He soon changes his mind and begins to receive and experience different memories, both the good and the bad. Jonas believed that the community had no choice and could not experience joy, colour, love or joy. Jonas took the risk of his life to share the truth with the people he loves. Jonas didn’t give up, he continued to follow his faith and pursue his dreams, even if it meant risking his life. This message is pertinent to the reader because it can be applied to many people. Most people want to achieve their goals and dreams in life. The Giver’s message is that there is no other way to make a community better than choosing. Jonas’ community has all the options, from where to stay to where to go. This leads people to lose all humanity and become robots. Real life can be difficult for people due to the fact that governments and political systems are different. People can lose their human nature and become robots by following the instructions of the government.
I loved that the ideas in this book were linked to real life situations. The book’s main theme is that some person tried to create an ideal life. However, life became a life of little color and limited choices. The book’s end is a bit ambiguous. It isn’t clear whether he survives and enters a different world, or if his memory is true. The author describes a scene where Jonas is able to see a Christmas image with color and singing at the end of his book. He also comes across a sled that he uses to slide downhill.
