The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry was one of those books that seemingly everyone read in school, except me. I don't know how, but it just passed me by. I hadn't given it much thought until recently. I mentioned to a friend that I loved dystopian novels, and she said her favorite book from that genre was The Giver. I figured it would be a quick easy read.

I was immediately struck by how simple the prose in The Giver is. Lowry's style of writing is clear and concise without being slow paced or overtly obvious. The writing evolves with the main character Jonas. At first, Jonas is just like everyone else. He  experiences some emotions but not all of them, and none of his emotions are extreme or complex. Basic human emotions have been systematically eliminated from the population, such as pain, anger, fear, hunger, lust and even love. These feelings have been eradicated by creating a highly controlled society in which everyone must follow strict protocol. Jonas does not entirely understand the concept of death, instead he believes that people are 'released' from the community to a place outside of his little world. All of his life has been planned out stage by stage, and lacks any surprises or spontaneity.

Throughout the first portion of the book, the writing style is much like Jonas, lacking emotional intensity. Lowry states the facts as they appear to Jonas in a way that cannot be questioned, because Jonas cannot question his own identity. That is, he cannot question his identity until he is chosen to become the new Giver in the community. As the Giver, Jonas takes on the responsibility of learning memories of times past. Memories that had been forgotten by the rest of the community so that they could live without pain, anger, fear and suffering. Jonas quickly realizes that along with forgetting the negative things they have forgotten the beautiful happy things such as the ability to perceive color, excitement, and love. As Jonas learns more memories the writing style becomes more human and tangible. As readers we grow along with Jonas, as he begins to see his world with a new understanding.

I have not seen this literary technique used so well before and it gave the story more complexity and dimensions. Although I would have liked to have read this book while I was still in school, I think I can better appreciate it now that I am older. The Giver may have been written as a children's novel, but it still strikes a chord in adult readers. Especially as we get older, we value our memories more than ever before.