Justice originates among those who are approximately equally powerful, as Thucydides (in the terrible conversation between the Athenian and Melian ambassadors) comprehended correctly: where there is no clearly recognizable predominance and a fight would mean inconclusive mutual damage, there the idea originates that one might come to an understanding and negotiate one’s claims: the initial character of justice is the character of a trade. Each satisfies the other inasmuch as each receives what he esteems more than the other does. One gives another what he wants, so that it becomes his, and in return one receives what one wants. Thus justice is repayment and exchange on the assumption of an approximately equal power position; revenge originally belongs in the domain of justice, being an exchange. Gratitude, too.
Oh, come on. You knew I’d get around to it. I couldn’t get through Banned Books Week without an adolescent fiction book.
Lois Lowry is a damn smart woman and writer. She wrote a book intended for adolescents that transcends well into the adult domain. There are many adolescent books that I recommend to my adult friends because they are powerful. The Giver has been likened to Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, but I honestly believe it’s better. For this book she won the Newberry Medal in 1994. Everyone who initially read it was hit with such a strong impact that it was rightfully awarded the Newberry almost instantly. When you’re compared to Huxley and Orwell’s 1984, you know there must be something there.
In my classroom when I was teaching 8th grade, I always started this novel with a definition of “utopia” for my students and asked them to help me make a list of things that they would want for a perfect world. More often than not, classes would get into this and be knee-deep before realizing that there was no such thing. Rarely, I would have at least one in every class who would comment something along these lines: “Gee. This sounds like something Hitler wanted. That’s not so good.”
Kids are smart. I give them a lot of credit for seeing flaws in logic like “utopian societies” and proving them falsehoods so that they can correctly identify them as “dystopian”.
Jonas, the main character, has a special gift in this Perfect World created by the Elders. While they champion “Sameness” in their society, few of them realize that it’s not so perfect after all. There is no such thing as music or sled rides or even the realm of color, even though Jonas catches a glimpse of it sometimes before he masters the art of seeing it all the time. However nice it is to never have to experience pain in his world, he realizes that they also miss something else: the experience of love.
Jonas’ talents make it possible for the Elders to identify him as someone who fits the criteria to be selected for his job as Receiver of Memory, and he meets an older man who has held the memories for the community since he himself was young. He passes them to Jonas through the use of his hands and with each one he gives, he is relieved of the burden.
Since the book was a reflection of the times we lived in during the 90s, Lowry gives rise to issues such as cultural diversity and the politically correct society we created to balance it. Another important thing that happened at the time of her publication was that we dealing with euthanasia because of this man. She deals with it in her book when the old become an encumbrance to the rest of the society or when twins were born. Since they couldn’t have two people walking around looking alike, they have to decide which should live and which should die. Obviously, issues of abortion were still running rather hot and she wasn’t afraid to tackle either issue.
Children in Jonas’ futuristic world are given their life jobs at age 12, live in families where only two children are allowed, and where the parents are never the biological ones. Birthmothers have that job and are kept pregnant to perpetuate the population. They don’t deal with “death”, but rather, call it “release”, so when Jonas finds out what really happens, he is devastated enough to begin thinking on his own about seriously fleeing. By this time, Jonas has realized the harm in keeping memories and original thoughts from the people, but he has also become attached to Gabriel, a young baby who is being nurtured by his father.
Spoiler Warning: Normally, I don’t do this, but the way the ambiguous ending plays out, I have to. Don’t hate.
When Jonas makes his choice to leave, it’s apparent that the Giver of Memories almost blesses his decision. He spends most of the later chapters planning his escape and I remember wanting him to leave and hoping for the best. Even though there is ambiguity I assigned the final chapter as homework so students could decide for themselves what happens.
As soon as I finished the book the first time I sent it through the mail to my mother. When we talked on the phone to discuss it she mentioned how sad the ending was and how it was so tragic.
“Tragic? WHAT? It’s a happy ending, Mom! What are you talking about?”
My conclusions led me to believe that he does, indeed, escape to the Real World away from the confines of this created place he’s grown up in and finally gets to know all the history of the world in a free province. My mother, on the other hand, believed that Jonas dies and never makes it there. Instantly, I re-read the last chapter to see it from her point of view. I’ll be damned. I could see it from her perspective, too.
Since it’s a banned/challenged book that hasn’t been entirely removed from our grasp, you can do the same thing. Read it. Determine for yourself. I have every confidence that people can think for themselves. There’s no chance I’d ever micromanage someone else’s brain so much that I would want to make all their choices for them. That’s exactly what our humanness affords us. We are flawed, but never any less than human for those flaws.
Incredibly, as a banned book, this one has a quote that perhaps those who challenge books have uttered in their quest to keep us from thinking for ourselves:
“We really have to protect people from wrong choices.”
Thanks, but no thanks. I can do that for myself and teach my children discernment on my own.
September 27, 2006 @ 10:07 pm | Filed under Books I Love | Permalink |
Owlhaven Said,
September 27, 2006 @ 11:46 pm
Here I am at your blog, at 1 am again! (I GOTTA start going to bed earlier!) Just had to chime in that I thought this was an amazing book too– very thought-provoking. I personally was glad my girls didn’t read it til their mid teens– I’m conservative like that– but there’s no doubt in my mind it is worth reading and — just as important– discussing.
Mary, mom to many
jenni Said,
September 28, 2006 @ 5:41 am
The Giver is one of my all-time favorites. I read it in middle school, and clearly my love of this sort of story has continued well into adulthood. I’m a big fan of books like Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale, 1984, etc. Good choice!
Tanilan Said,
September 28, 2006 @ 6:23 am
Okay! I have been trying to read The Giver for a year now. Everytime I go to check it out, one of my students has it. But as soon as I get a chance I’m going to read it.
I read Brave New World and 1984 in Senior English; and came out a little paranoid about the world around me. And I can see a lot of the stuff Huxley and Orwell were talking about in our world today. It’s scary.
Heather B. Said,
September 28, 2006 @ 7:13 am
Ok, everytime someone mentions the Giver I die. DIE. If I could explain the ways in which I love that book, I would, but alas, I cannot.
I bought it awhile back while in college and someone actually teased me (!!!) for buying a “children’s” book. And now that person is no longer with us. True story.
Jenna Said,
September 28, 2006 @ 8:45 am
Kelly,
thank you so much for your spotlight on banned books this week. I have really enjoyed reading about every one of them. The Giver is one of my favorites, that I actually did not read until adulthood, when i took at children’s lit class in college. How i missed this book in my youth i do not know.
The Giver sits on my bookcase at home. I think tonight i will pick it up and read it again, at your coaxing. Then i will go pick up “Gathering Blue” and read that one again too. I think i need to buy that one as well.
Peace!
Inquiring Said,
September 28, 2006 @ 11:07 am
The Giver is a brilliant book. I read it as part of a children’s literature course I took a couple years ago. Loved it! I was so angry that I hadn’t been asked to read it in middle or high school. It must have been on the “banned” list for our district…
Great articles this week Kelly! My reading list is getting longer and longer.
Kimberly Said,
September 28, 2006 @ 11:11 am
omg my son loved this book and didn’t let up on me until I read it. It really was an awesome book! Hey do you feel like Oprah yet with the book club. Maybe you should start an online book club. You speak, we listen!
Amber Said,
September 28, 2006 @ 2:26 pm
I haven’t checked in for a while but imagine my delight to discover yet another reference to “The Giver.”
Betsy Said,
September 28, 2006 @ 5:00 pm
You do know The Giver has companion books, don’t you? Well, if you do, Mocha, maybe some of your readers don’t. The Gathering Blue and The Messenger are both by Lowry and are along those same lines.
My students actually got into a very brief discussion about banned books today. They wanted to know why books were banned. What could be in a book that would offend someone so much that they didn’t want anyone to read it? Sadly, I didn’t have an answer for them. I just encouraged them to make those decisions for themselves. I know they had to read The Giver in 6th grade (a little too young for some of the themes- not inappropriate, just unlikely to fully appreciate)- I should mention that to them tomorrow. I think they will be shocked- and slightly thrilled that they have read a banned book.
Jeannie Said,
September 29, 2006 @ 4:03 am
I read your entry about “the Giver” and then I read all the comments. I’m an avid reader and have NEVER heard of this book! Now I’m intrigued so I’ll be heading out to the library (after a quick call to see if they have it) to check this out for myself. And to see that Betsy mentioned it has companion books…..mental note to self…ask for companion books too! Hope you have an awesome day!
Ami Said,
September 29, 2006 @ 10:05 am
Ok, I’m convinced. I’m going to pick this one up the next time I’m at the library or book store. They didn’t require it when I was going through school, but they did when my sister was. Thanks again for your great banned-books posts. As a book lover, I really appreciate your thoughtful reflections on such great literature!
Betsy Said,
September 30, 2006 @ 8:11 am
Oh! And along the same lines of The Giver (maybe even a rip-off to some extent…) is a trilogy of books by Scott Westerfeld. The trilogy starts with Uglies, goes to Pretties, and ends with Specials. Fantastic books that bring up a lot of interesting issues.
Freder1ck Said,
November 19, 2006 @ 12:31 pm
I’ve read and re-read the last chapter of The Giver and I’ve come to the conclusion that Lowry pulls a trick in the last two sentences so that the ending would not be too sweet.
The last chapter hammers home the certainty, knowledge, and hope that Jonas has (in contrast to his earlier apprehension). The ambiguity at the end doesn’t have to do with what happens to him, what he sees and hears and knows. No, it has to do with whether the “community” he has left has discovered music or not. There are two possibilities: one is that he can somehow hear the music from his old community after having traveled a long distance to the hill and the sled; OR, the music in the distance is but an echo of what he hears where he is.
Fred