1. The Giver

2. Themes: In novels, author communicate “big ideas” about certain topics
Themes: In novels, author communicate “big ideas” about certain topics. What is Lowry trying to tell us about:
Memories & the Past
Language
Isolation
Rules, Order & Tradition
Suffering
Old Age
Choices
Emotions

3. 7 Basic Plots in Fiction (short stories and novels)
Overcoming the monster: The hero must destroy the “monster” to restore balance to the world.
Rags to Riches: A good guy who is down on his luck achieves a happy ending when his/her natural talents are revealed
The Quest: The hero travels in search of a treasure and must defeat evil and overcome powerful odds.
Voyage and Return: Otherwise normal protagonists find themselves in an alien world & must make their way back
Christopher Booker

4. Comedy: (As in Shakespeare) Some kind of confusion must be resolved before the hero and heroine can get back together
Tragedy: (As in Shakespeare) A story about a noble character who falls from grace: everybody dies or is ruined
Rebirth: A threat seems nearly victorious, but events lead to redemption, rebirth, and happiness.

5. Character Analysis Protagonist/Antagonist Development:
Character Analysis Protagonist/Antagonist Development: flat (one-sided character, one quality) round (both the good & the bad, many qualities) Change: static (does not change) dynamic (changes – internal)
Jonas (round/dynamic)
Asher (flat/static)
Jonas’ mother
The Giver
Jonas’ father
Gabriel
Lily

6. Setting: Time and Place The Giver: in the future/our world
Utopia
No suffering (emotional/physical)
No fighting/war
Perfect families
Restricted emotions
contentment
Dystopia
Does not feel joy
No genuine relationships
No love/sexual attraction
No choices
Isolation
Tyranny (oppressive gov’t)
(ruled by oligarchy = rule by a group)

7. Genre: categories of text
The Giver
Utopian
Other genres
Science fiction
Essay
Nonfiction
Biography
Oral literature
Fantasy
Realistic fiction
Historical fiction

8. Style: they way it is written
The Giver:
straightforward narrative (story)
Other terms to describe style:
Flowery
Simple language; shorter sentences; not childish
Conversational
Euphemistic
Formal
Poetic
Vague (not clear)
Wordy

9. The Title: always ask how the title links to a theme
In The Giver, the title reflects the central theme: Humans are mean to share experiences
A “giver” and “receiver” tells us that memories are meant to be shared in order for people to love & grow & thrive.

10. Point of View: Who is the narrator. Can he/she read minds
Point of View: Who is the narrator? Can he/she read minds? Can we trust him/her?
1st person (pronouns: I, my, we, our, us)
Limited? Then the reader only knows the thoughts of one of the characters
Personal, intense, subjective, emotional Or
2nd person (pronouns: you, your)
Omniscient? Then the reader knows the thoughts of all characters
Reader is the center of attention (e.g. instructions)
3rd person (pronouns: they, him, her, it)
Reminder: the narrator /persona is NOT the same as the author
Objective when used for research or reports
Subjective when used for an “as told to” story

11. Symbols/Allegory/Imagery: What stands for something else
Symbols/Allegory/Imagery: What stands for something else? Look for two meanings
Symbols: a thing that represents something deeper and more meaningful
Allegory: a story where the characters and events are symbols for ideas about human life
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Imagery: language that causes the reader to imagine pictures in their minds (comparisons, appeals to the senses)
Examples of symbols in The Giver:
The color red = fire, intensity, love
Gabriel = a better future
The sled = memories, escape

12. Plot Parts: inciting incident, rising action & complication, climax, falling action conclusion
The Giver inciting incident: “Ceremony of Twelve”
Rising Action: Jonas in named as the Received & finds out how difficult it is, and he becomes alienated from his society
Climax: Jonas watches his father kill the baby
Falling action: Escape to Elsewhere
Conclusion: Uncertain

13. Types of Conflict
Man vs man/society
Man vs nature
Man vs self

14. Analyze the Ending Jonas abandons security and a life of ease
Jonas clearly is seeking freedom and choice (even a choice to live)
Two choices: do Gabe and Jonas live or die?
Both outcomes turn the society upside down
Live: trailblazers
Die: memories are released for the community to deal with

15. Perspective
How did the idea of “release” as it had been discussed earlier in the book differ from the visual imagery of the newchild’s actual release?
Why does it affect us this way?
What is more important: how they released or why they released?
Ideas Lowry wants us to note: secrecy, euphemisms, order/systematic procedures