Among all the books that I have read, the one that has left me with the longest lasting impression is Lois Lowry’s The Giver. The novel is the quintessential novel of a reflection upon society’s constraints and the ugly truth of differences. In this blog, I am going to give a brief summary of the novel. 

In the novel, a community composed a futuristic world void of differences as an attempt to hone a ‘flawless’ society. However, as secrets were divulged to a young twelve year old boy, Jonas, things drastically changed.

Lois in his novel, portrayed a world that eliminated the fundamentals of colour, weather, hunger, fear, hatred, war and pain. To avoid issues, the people were expected to live a 'pleasant' life planned by the elders. They hinged on the elders and their rules. If they were to rebel against the elders or the rules, created by the elders, they would be exiled to 'Elsewhere'.

The Receiver was the only character to seize the greatest honour to learn the secret of the past. The Giver who was the previous Receiver would confide the new Receiver the hidden truth. As memories were transported into the Receiver’s brain, the Giver would as if on cue lose all the 'significant' memories. As the only person in society to have the memories of pain, colour etc., the Receiver was obligated to pass on the wisdom to the common people. For example, if the elders contemplated to alter a law, they would  seek for advice from the Receiver. The Receiver would then make the 'right' decision for them.

Jonas, the protagonist of the novel, was assigned as the new Receiver of Memory at twelve years of age. Jonas like any other Receiver was confided the obscured truth of the past of how the people left the world of colours, weather etc. to live in a pleasant, painless world. He was also divulged the concealed truth of elsewhere. Elsewhere where old people, twins and rebels were exiled to. People were given the false impression that it was a wonderful place full of miraculous things. However, the reality was that it was a room where people were murdered through poisonous, toxic injections.

The horrendous reality that Jonas was forced to face shattered Jonas's heart. Jonas was compelled and obligated by the Giver to witness his nurturing father, killing a baby twin for the sake of following the rules of the society. It was believed that in a "flawless" society, the right to obtain similarities should be illicit. Jonas as the Receiver, witnessing the video of his father, weighing the twins and killing the younger of the two, could no longer face his so-called father.  

During the later chapters, Jonas’s father brought home a wailing, pestering baby. As pestering babies were not allowed in a 'flawless' society, they were doomed to be killed.  One of the elders beckoned Jonas’s father to nurture the baby to give the baby a final chance of survival. Unfortunately, nights after nights, regardless of the efforts Jonas’s father attempted to calm the baby, the baby wouldn’t oblige to be silent. So, as obstinate as the law, Jonas’s father was beckoned to kill the baby. Jonas, who had spent many nights with the baby, had forged a strong bond with the baby, Gabriel. Therefore, he couldn’t tolerate it and vowed to save the baby.

Jonas fulfilled his vow as he escaped the “flawless” society with the baby, Gabriel. He ventured through vast hostile lands to the real elsewhere, the world of love, hatred, pain and colours. As he left, the forbidden memories of colours, rain and pain were scattered across the “flawless” society into the brains of people. This ignited an uproar riot as unfamiliar feelings of love, pain and hate as well as the bizarre weather of snow and rain devastated the people.

The Giver, by Lois Lowry is definitely one of the best books I have ever read as the story effectively portrayed a world that I can not describe. I first read this book when I was eleven years old so I easily felt related to the protagonist’s feelings and perspectives. I found the story really engaging and tragic but emotionally educational. It taught me many life lessons and the value of our normal everyday fundamentals. The moral of the story is that no pain is painful. Without differences, changes and choices, our lives would be indescribably treacherous.

THIS IS A PHOTO OF THE  ORIGINAL  BOOK I READ WHEN I WAS IN YEAR 6.