The Giver Video

The Giver is a young adult novel written by Lois Lowry in 1993. Set in a world where individuality, history, and difficult emotions have been replaced by “Sameness,” the novel combines the science fiction and dystopian genres. The Giver follows the coming of age story of Jonas, a 12 year-old boy who becomes the vessel for his community’s memories.

The novel opens with its protagonist, 12 year-old Jonas, on the cusp of the Ceremony of Twelve, where he will receive the Assignment that determines his vocation for the rest of his working life. That night, Jonas shares his apprehension about the ceremony with his Mother, a practical woman who works at the Department of Justice; his Father, a Nurturer who cares for the community’s babies; and his 7 year-old sister, Lily. Together, Jonas’ parents reassure him that the Committee of Elders has been watching him closely for years and will give him an appropriate Assignment.

As Jonas prepares for the Ceremony of Twelve, we learn more about his world, which has been flattened into what the community calls “Sameness,” or a world without pain, difficulty, or choice. There are indications, however, that Jonas is different from his fellow community members. For example, he once saw an apple change from colorlessness to red, while his best friend, Asher, did not. This suggests that Jonas is the only person in his community to see color, a theory that is supported by Jonas’ singularly pale eyes.

The day of the Ceremonies arrives. Jonas sits through the Ceremony of One, a tradition in which babies are named and assigned to their families. There, Gabriel, a fussy child Jonas’ father brought home from the nursery, is given an extra year of care before the elders decide if he will be assigned to a family or “released” to Elsewhere, an undefined place beyond the bounds of the community.

At last, the Ceremony of Twelve begins, and Jonas is disappointed to find that the Chief Elder presiding over the ceremony initially skips his turn. Meanwhile, Asher is assigned the role of Assistant Director of Recreation, while Fiona, the girl Jonas fancies, becomes a Caretaker of the Old. Eventually, the Chief Elder tells Jonas that he has been selected as the community’s Receiver of Memory, a prestigious position that requires the Capacity to See Beyond. As Receiver, Jonas will be the keeper of the community’s memories from a time before Sameness, bearing the pain these recollections might cause on behalf of his fellow citizens.

To do so, Jonas will need to receive the memories from the old man currently acting as Receiver, who tells Jonas to call him The Giver, and transmits his memories to Jonas by placing his hands on the boy’s back. Jonas’ first new memory is of riding a sled down a snowy hill, something outside of Jonas’ experience under Sameness. When Jonas notices a change in Fiona's hair color, The Giver realizes that the boy has the capacity to see color, which scientists tried to eliminate under Sameness.

Jonas asks to receive more painful memories, so The Giver shares the memory of a broken leg. Later, he introduces Jonas to more serious pains, such as starvation and neglect. While receiving these memories gives Jonas the wisdom to advise the Council of Elders, who do not want to bear the memories themselves, it also relieves the burden they place on The Giver.

In reward, The Giver transmits some joyful memories to Jonas, including that of family, grandparents, and love. As Jonas receives these new memories, he realizes that his fellow citizens will never experience emotions like love, as he does through these new memories. Jonas also realizes that he will never be able to share this joy with a spouse, since he cannot speak of his work as The Receiver with anyone except The Giver.

Meanwhile, Jonas helps his family care for baby Gabriel, who struggles to sleep through the night. Drawn to Gabriel’s pale eyes, which match his own, Jonas finds that the baby is able to receive soothing memories, and the two develop a special bond that resembles the memories of happiness and family that Jonas has received. Despite Jonas’ attempts to nurture the child, it is eventually decided that Gabriel will be released to Elsewhere.

But Jonas is horrified when The Giver tells him that what the community calls being “released” is actually euthanasia, a procedure that his father carries out with some regularity as a Nurturer. The Giver also reveals that the previous Receiver-in-Training was his own daughter, Rosemary, who chose to be released after wreaking havoc on the community by surrendering her unwanted memories to them. Together, Jonas and The Giver decide that Jonas must also loose his memories on the community and flee to Elsewhere. Left behind, The Giver hopes to teach the community to come to terms with the memories once and for all.

Jonas’ plan to leave Sameness is given new urgency when his father reveals that Gabriel is set to be released the following day. Stealing his father’s bicycle and a supply of food, Jonas sets off for Elsewhere with Gabriel. Together, the boys travel across a colorful natural landscape, with Jonas continuing to soothe Gabriel by showing him memories of sunshine and friendship.

Eventually, Jonas and Gabriel reach a harsh, snowy region, where they grow cold. Suddenly, to Jonas’ amazement, he stumbles upon the same snowy hill from the first memory he received. Hearing music and seeing Christmas lights, Jonas believes he has found the warmth and love that his community lacked. The novel ends ambiguously, as we are left wondering whether Jonas is hallucinating as a symptom of hypothermia or has finally found the life he was searching for.