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I decided to buy The Giver when I was at the thrift shop. I
think it was only 50 cents or a dollar. I really enjoyed the movie so I wanted
to read the book. The Giver is the story of a boy named Jonas who lives in a
utopian society. The society believe in sameness so everyone has the same type
of house, clothes, food as it’s the differences that causes conflict. In the
mornings, everyone takes a little pill that helps them remain calm and compliant.
Life is set out for everyone. Children are born at the
nurturing centre by official birth mothers then given to a family. The family
units consist of a mother, father, boy and girl. There are no natural families
where the mother and father have produced the children. Once the children grow
up, the parents quit the family unit to live in the houses for childless
adults. They spend the rest of the time working an assigned job until they get
too old. When they grow old they live in the House of Old until they die.
The book starts off with Jonas turning twelve and nervous
about what job he’ll be assigned in the future. Every child is monitored
closely so that the elders know the suitable occupation for a child. Jonas is
assigned a very special job. He is to be the next Receiver of Memories. The
Receiver learns about the history of the community so that they can advise the
council of elders when they face new problems with knowledge from the past.
Jonas meets the current Receiver who he calls the Giver. The
Giver shows him memories not just from the community but life before when
everyone was different. He shows Jonas the history of human civilization and
concepts such as love and war. Jonas realizes that their society has given up
so much for peace.
What I liked about this book was that it wasn’t set in a
bleak and grimy future where there are ruined buildings and charred rubble. This
book is not action packed like other books in this genre and focuses on how
stifling life can be with too many rules and conformity. It was a different
experience to read about a world where the people weren’t struggling and there
is no secret band of rebels.
When I read this book, I was reminded to appreciate the
small things in life. Jonas found the smallest things like seeing in colour and
feeling the breeze ripple through the leaves on trees to be amazing. It was
something he never noticed before he became the Receiver.
The book also explores typical things that people worry
about when they are leaving their childhood. Jonas worries about his future
occupation, keeping in touch with friends and growing feelings. In the movie,
Jonas is sixteen instead of twelve. I think it would have been better if he
were older in the novel as being sixteen is more a crossroad than twelve.
I found this book to be a bit philosophical and I enjoyed
musing about it while I read the book. As a teacher, I want to read it aloud to
a class one day to see if they will enjoy it too. I think it is a thought
provoking book and I would love to have discussions about it with a class.
You can check out Jon Bear’s review of the film here.
Interesting review Carlyn. Do you feel like the book gives a lot more information then the movie does? I felt like the story progressed too quickly in the movie. I would have liked to have seen Jonas learning more. Perhaps 12 year of age was a good time for the receiver because by the time he was 16 (as in the movie) he might have become too enmeshed with the societies beliefs. While 12 may not be as transformative an age as 16 I think in general 12 year olds are more naïve which in a way makes them more open to learning. The younger you are the more questions you tend to have, or at least you might feel more freedom to ask them. I could be wrong about that, just a consideration.
ReplyDeleteThe book gives a little more information about Jonas' world but I feel that the movie and book are about the same in length. In the movie, there's a lot more action and that's why I think they had to age Jonas' character. For instance, Jonas' friend Asher was a pilot in the movie and was key in the man hunt for Jonas. Whereas in the book, he was training to be an assistant recreational officer. Also, his friend Fiona was a nursing home assistant in the book so to make her character more relevant to Jonas and Gabriel she became an infant caregiver in the movie.
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