Posted in The Giver

I’m liking the idea of reading 3 chapters a day. That means we’ll finish our last chapter on Tuesday. Yes, it is ending all too soon! Perhaps sometime we'll read the sequel Gathering Blue. I know I have really enjoyed this so far, and Lois Lowry is an excellent author. I'll put it on the already long list of books!

Discussion Notes

I kind of already knew that the setting of the book was in the future, but I didn't fully grasp it until I read Chapter 11. What makes this book so fascinating is that it forces the reader to think outside the box. Imagine what a world would be like with "Climate Control" and "Sameness." What kind of shock did you get when you realized that no one in the community saw any color? When I read that Chapter 12, I simply set the book down and tried to wrap my head around it. What an awesome thing it would be to suddenly discover color after living without it for 12 years!

I think that the main thing I've gotten out of this book so far is the idea that if we have wonderful joys then we must also take the "risk" terrible pain. You can't take one and not the other. You can't take the joy of drinking in the sunshine without also having the risk of getting a sunburn. You can't take the joy of sledding down a snowy hill without also taking the risk of bitter cold or the possibility of an awful crash.  Our joy accompanies our pain.

Let's take color for example:

   "'Well...' Jonas had to stop and think it through. 'If everything's the same, then there aren't any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things! A blue tunic, or a red one?'
   He looked down at himself, at the colorless fabric of his clothing. 'But it's all the same, always.'"

Wouldn't it be dull if we didn't have colors on our clothing? I love waking up in the morning and deciding what to wear! It's fun to mix and match different colors to form different outfits. But what happens when we have the the ability to make our own choices? Look at all of the people who are judged because of their outward appearances--simply because of their clothes. Look at all of the wasted money spent on fleeting name brands. Having the ability to choose what we wear is a joy, but it can also be a pain. Sometimes I've wished that I didn't have to decide what to put on in the morning. Would it be better to simply take away the decision-making altogether?

   "The Giver shrugged. 'Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with differences.' He thought for a moment. 'We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others.'"

Discussion Questions

There is only one discussion question today, but it's a huge one. Which way would you rather live? Would you rather have the power to make choices for yourself, or would you rather have someone wiser make the choices for you? Would you rather have the ability to experience both pain and joy, or would you rather live without either one?

Do you agree with Jonas?

I look forward to finishing the book and having our last discussion. :)
Regards,
Sylvia