A lovely allegory of Christ. Jonas, a twelve, is selected to be the next Receiver of Memories for the Community. The more he learns, the more he realizes that the people need the memories for themselves. In a Camazotz-type existence the people know nothing and therefore feel nothing. Jonas sacrifices himself to save the people from nothingness. Can someone please explain the ending to me? Something more substantial
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Giver by Lois Lowry
A lovely allegory of Christ. Jonas, a twelve, is selected to be the next Receiver of Memories for the Community. The more he learns, the more he realizes that the people need the memories for themselves. In a Camazotz-type existence the people know nothing and therefore feel nothing. Jonas sacrifices himself to save the people from nothingness. Can someone please explain the ending to me? Something more substantial
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5 comments:
Did you know this is the first in series? If I am remembering correctly the 4th book is out or will be coming out soon. I wonder if they would help clear up the ending?
That would be nice. I read on another book blog today that Gathering Blue is a companion book to this one so I think it would be a really interesting read. Maybe more about the year of memories? Have you read The Giver?
If you read what the author said as she accepted her Newberry award, she left the ending open for the reader's interpretation. There are two choices, Jonas and Gabriel are either saved by the memory of a town and are lead to it, or they experience the euphoria that happens when hypothermia sets in and they die. However, there is a young male with blue eyes mentioned at the end of Gathering Blue which Lois Lowry says could be Jonas or Gabriel or neither, as you wish.
Hope this helps
--Jesse
It does help. :) Thanks for commenting!
I thought it was very fitting that since so much of the book focuses on the importance of choices and how memories affect and color our emotions and choices that the author would leave it up to the reader to choose what happens to Jonas, Gabriel, and even the Giver and all the people they left behind.
But yeah, most people I talk to are kind of confused by the ending.
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