The Giver - Book Review

There is a lot of controversy on why the book “The Giver” was named “The Giver”. Many different views are expressed in the piece which gives many different reasons for the name.

The book was entitled The Giver because this person is the one who transmits memories to the Receiver-in-training so that the memories can be passed on to the generations. The Giver, formerly knows as The Receiver, gives the memories to Jonas, who, in the future, will become the receiver. That us the true meaning of the title but quite a few different views say that there are deeper more extensive reasons on the entitlement of the book.

Jonas and his family lived in the future in a community called “Sameness”, where there is no pain, color, choices nor memories. Everything that happens in that place is organized and controlled, and everything that happened in the past is forgotten. Everyone is assigned a role in the community, and the people assigned don’t have a choice but to follow them.

Jonas’ father is a nutritionist, a person responsible for the emotional and physical needs of every new child during its earliest life. When Gabe, a baby in the hospital got sick, they adopted him, and let him stay with their family unit for a year. But if Gabe did not get well within a year, they would release the baby. There in Jonas’ home, they took care of him and treated him as part of the family.

When Jonas turns 12, he was chosen to be the new receiver of memory. He is to be trained by the Giver, who alone holds the memories of the world, and the only one who knows about life’s true happiness and pains.

When he receives the memories, he realizes that people changed through time. They made a new ways of life, and now, they cannot see colors and snow, and they cannot feel anything, even love. They “release” every old person that is useless to the community, and the same is done to newborn babies who are lighter than their twin, if they have one. The community tells the people that the men released are taken Elsewhere, where they are used and needed.

At home, Gabe has become restless at night. When Gabe slept at Jonas’ room, Jonas accidentally transmitted a memory to him, and he became very calm and quiet. From that night forward, when he discovered Gabe’s ability to receive memories, Jonas gives him his thoughts to calm him down.

Somewhere along the way in training with the Receiver, however, he also discovers that the community changed the old way of life. They became stricter, limited and have appointed people who will make the choices for man. He also discovers that when they release, they kill the people. The higher people of the area lie to the inhabitants of the place by telling them that when they release the man, they take him to Elsewhere. The leaders do not tell the people that they eliminate the person.

According to the Giver, if the Receiver in training leaves the community, dies or is lost, all the memories he holds will be left to the community to feel, cherish and be burdened with them. The problem is, when they set the memories free, it can become a disaster. It can create chaos and destruction, and the people can become scared and confused. When that happens, the people will need