Literature Analysis # 2

The Giver 

1. The introduction in The Giver, by Lois Lowery, starts off with Jonas preparing himself for the Ceremony of 12. 2 weeks later at the annual ceremony, the chief announced that Jonas had been selected to be the next receiver. Jonas eventually met the current receiver, but the mysterious old man wanted to be acknowledged as "The Giver". The Giver had a special quality within him, and he transferred that quality to Jonas. By doing so, Jonas received a distinct memory of sledding in the snow. This is the moment in which Jonas realized that there were many memories that no one in the community had experienced. Jonas learned a lot from The Giver, including the beauty, nature, love, and wonders of the world. He also realized that the real world consisted of the pain of loss and suffering. Later on Jonas found out that a kid called Gabriel was scheduled to be "released", but Jonas didn't know what it meant at the time. The Giver showed Jonas a "release" ceremony, and Jonas was horrified to find out it was an execution. Jonas convinced The Giver to create a plan that would allow him and Gabriel to escape and give the whole community the memories Jonas had from The Giver, but The Giver would have to stay to help everyone understand the memories. In the end Jonas and Gabriel escaped, and at one point they reached a snowy hill. Jonas recalled it being the exact hill that he saw in his memory. As they both grew weaker, Jonas got a memory of sunlight that kept him warm and transferred it to Gabriel. As they came closer to the top they could hear the sound of music, and when they reached the top they saw lights. They had reached elsewhere.                                                                                                                                 
2. The main theme of the novel would have to be "Significance of individuality and memory". Lois Lowery probably demonstrated this theme to show the audience that it's good to be your own person and that it's okay to stand up for what you believe in or what you desire. Another reason is to show that one can be both happy and sad with memories. However, without memories, you can't learn from your mistakes.                                                                                                                                            
3. The protagonist, Jonas, is dynamic and round. He not only gains the courage to escape from the community, but he has also learned a lot from The Giver and has gained great leadership skills. Another major character is The Giver, and he is the wisest of them all. Jonas has learned everything he knows from him. The Giver is very mysterious to everyone, but he is like a father and friend to Jonas.                                                                                                                   
4. 1 significant symbol from the novel is the river. In the novel, the river is an obstacle that one must overpass to escape the utopia. It symbolizes the escape that Jonas and Gabriel made from the community.                                                                                                   
5. I chose this novel because the title stood out to me. I asked myself "Is it about giving knowledge? Wisdom? Advice in general? What made me want to keep reading it was the fact of how life was for everyone. I figured someone will escape in the end, so I wanted to know how and what they went through to escape.                                                                                                                                       
6. 1 person I can connect the novel to is my grandpa. He has always shared stories with my family and has given us advice when we needed him. He has also helped us all through tough times.                                                                                                                                               
7. 1 idea that I'd remember from this novel was to not be afraid to stand up for what you want. Normally, I'd not want to make a scene or bother anyone, but now I know that you have to put in a fight. Another idea is that power and wisdom can be completely different. "I have great honor," The Giver said. "So will you. But you will find that that is not the same as power." stated The Giver. Honor and wisdom can come from anyone at any rank. Power can come from anyone who has access to many opportunities.