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Book Report
- The Giver -
Personal response to the book
A. Character you like/dislike, saying why
The character I dislike is Jonas's father because he is a cruel and
hypocritical person. I know he always acts in the way of being trained,
and he can't have emotions or memories in the community, but his
behavior and thinking are very scary. Especially, the scene where in his
sweet, sing-song voice, he sings, "it's bye-bye to you, Gabe, in the
morning." is horrible. Although his voice makes it seem like everything is
alright, "bye-bye" to Gabriel means that he would killed Gabriel. Since I
knew the truth behind the facade of father's soothing voice, I have felt
afraid of all his behaviors.
B. Points of the story that interest or puzzle you
The ending of The Giver puzzles me. Did Jonas and Gabriel live or die?
It is the most curious things in the story. The optimistic part of me wants
to believe that Jonas has managed to get Gabriel to a new town, where
emotions and memories exist. I want to believe that the lights Jonas sees
are in welcoming homes, filled with truly nurturing people who will take
care of them.
Somehow, though, it also seems probable that Jonas has died trying to
get Gabriel to safety, thus leading to Gabriel's death. If that is the case,
then the welcoming lights and music he hears would be indicative of
heaven or some kind of gentle, good afterlife.
It doesn't really matter, though. The images of light and warmth, of
music and happiness, tell us that Jonas and Gabriel are in a better place
than the one they left.
C. Point of behavior that interest or puzzle you
The points of behavior that make me puzzled are sharing of
dream-telling and feeling-discussions that take place everyday with family.
At first, I thought these rituals might appear to be simply rituals to
promote mental health and help individuals understand each other. Indeed,
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the regular sharing of dreams and feelings create an atmosphere of
openness and communication. However, my thought might be wrong
because the underlying significance of these practices was deeper and
more sinister. I think their unstated purpose is mind-control, the guarantee
that sameness will always be perpetuated. By mandating daily
dream-tellings and feelings-discussions, the community is making sure that
the interior lives of citizens remain exposed, and that steps may be quickly
taken to correct deviance from desired norms.
D. Personal experiences or thoughts similar to those in the book
When I was young, I had a similar thought to the society in the book -
I preferred to be controlled. I wanted somebody to give me exact directions
of my life, for example, which university I should go, what kind of job I
should choose, etc. I wanted to follow the directions because the possibility
of my choice involved risk. Even these days, I sometimes think that I need
someone who will make the best decision in my life instead of me, but I
know that without my own choice, there will be no true happiness.
E. The most impressive event for you
The most impressive event for me is that Jonas witnesses his father's
job of releasing one of the twin who is weaker. I got to know the real
meaning of releasing, and I was shocked by his emotionless skilled
behaviors. As I watched the father, who had taken care of Gabriel to avoid
releasing him euthanize the baby easily, I could realize how much the
community is cruel. The murder that takes place to maintain sameness of
the society. Additionally, this is where I think the conflicts of Jonas versus
the community begin distinctly.
F. The most memorable scene for you
The most memorable scene is where Jonas gives his memories to Gabriel
with some reasons. I could feel Jonas's love to Gabriel. At first, Jonas
transmits memories to solve Gabriel's sleeping problems at nights. Then
later, he gives memories to Gabriel when they escape from the community
to prevent Gabriel from the bad weather and hunger. From these scenes I
realize the real emotion 'love' which is not in the community.

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G. How you would change the story?
I would like to change the ending of this story to the definitely happy
ending. I'd rewrite that they find a nice family to live with actual feelings,
memories, and freedom to envision a brighter future in new society that
doesn't have the same constraints as the community they came from.
Additionally, it is possible that they'll go back to their community to see if
things have changed, or to help create those changes.
H. How you would act differently from the characters?
I would act differently from Rosemary who had been chosen to succeed
the Giver as the next Receiver of Memory ten years ago. Her life was
tragic because she couldn't endure or overcome her fate as a receiver.
Finally, she made the choice to die in dignity through delivering the lethal
injection to herself. Of course, I understand it must be hard to handle the
pain and the sorrow of all memories. However, If I were Rosemary, I would
try to change the society instead of choosing death. I would take the
responsibility as the next Giver and struggle to return all memories to the
people. Furthermore, I think she abandoned her life easily and left the
Giver with indelible scars. If she had courage instead of choosing death,
she should have endured the pain and shown her wisdom.
I. Themes or issues dealt with in the story
I think about the issue of the dangers of stability and predictability. As
explained by The Giver, a key aspect of their society's decision to establish
sameness was their desire to remain safe from the pains that humanity
and nature used to suffer. However, the disadvantages of this choice
become too clear, for example, the citizens do not question their way of
life or even their orders to kill the young and the old through release.
Additionally, the absence of pain in their society desensitizes them to
emotions, including positive emotions. This is a society in which the
humans cannot fulfill themselves as human beings. Their development is
stunted in many ways in the name of stability and predictability.
J. Experiences while reading
While reading, I feel pity for Jonas, a young boy chosen as a Receiver
of Memory. In the beginning of the novel, Jonas was a normal child like
Asher and Fiona. He didn't need to question how his society had worked,
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and he could keep ignorant of the reality of their life. However, as he
became the next Giver and began to receive memories, Jonas's life was
totally changed. He was no longer able to live his life as he used to. He
couldn't hang out with friends. The worst thing was that he was always
filled with anguish after he had memories of the pain and got to know
what his society has done. This is the reason why I feel sympathy for
Jonas.
K. Your ideas
Over the course of the novel, I realize the importance of human
emotions. Also, I agree with Jonas's opinion - the most important emotions
are those that cannot be explained or discussed but only felt, such as
stirrings or love. By the end of the novel, Jonas has learned to embrace
the full range of human emotion. In contrast, the other citizens of the
community, such as Fiona and Jonas's father, have not learned to allow
their emotions to reveal, so they feel no guilt at delivering lethal injections
as part of their jobs. I think emotions are what makes humans human.