The Giver/Lois Lowery

The story is about a controlled community sometime in the future. The communities of this society all have an Elder that governs them. The Elder is similar to a mayor of a city. Absolutely everything in the community is controlled. The people cannot make choices. Everyone is assigned a life job. No one knows about feelings and emotions such as love, pain, hot, cold, death or war. There are no differences in seasons such as snowy winters, or icy roads. There is no color and people have never heard music. When someone is too weak or frail, they are sent to a place where they pass through a door and are told they are going to be “released”. Elderly people and children with flaws or imperfections are also released. The people that are released believe that they are going to be released into Elsewhere, and do not know that they are actually going to be put to death and eliminated. When young pre-teens begin to mature and have feelings, such as wanting a girlfriend, they are called “Stirrings” and are given a pill to suppress the emotion. Then as young adults they are matched up with a compatible mate for life. Once a couple is married they are allowed two children; however, they do not actually have or give birth to their children. All of the children in the community are born from Birthmothers. The babies then spend the first year of their life in a Nurturing Center. Once a couple is ready to apply for a baby, they are given a baby from the Center. Jonas, the main character, has a little sister and father and mother. Jonas’s father is a Nurturer and is in charge of the new babies that come into the community. Jonas’s mother is in the Department of Justice. If someone breaks a rule, as related tour criminals, and if they have a third offense they may also be released. The story starts out with Jonas, a very nervous little eleven-year old boy that is preparing to go through the “Ceremony of Twelves”. This ceremony is where each twelve year old is given their life job or assignment. Each December there are age ceremonies starting with the age of one all the way up to the age of twelve. During the ceremonies significant things happen. During the One’s Ceremony the babies are given their names and at the age of nine the children are given their bicycles, and at twelve you are given your life assignment. After the age of twelve, age does not really matter. Jonas is given the assignment of Receiver. The Receiver will hold the memories of the community and is given the memories by the Giver. When Jonas begins to go into training and starts to receive memories he begins to experience all the things that are not allowed. Jonas begins to know about snow, love, death, sunshine, sunburn, music, fun and color! The memories were all collected and are held only by the Giver. These memories keep the community from making mistakes of the past and keep everyone is the same. Jonas begins to realize that there is more to life than being the same and he wishes everyone could experience the memories. While all this is happening, Jonas’s father brings home a young toddler that will be named Gabriel. Gabriel is a fussy baby and is not