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Overview
ABOUT THE BOOK
What comes to mind when you envision a perfect society? Does it consist solely of happiness and peace? Are there equal rights for everyone regardless of gender, age and/or ethnic background? What about the weather, wildlife and natural landscapes? Is there a limit to the number of children families can have, or even to how they go about producing them? Is there a fair judicial system in place?
Lois Lowry’s The Giver tells the story of such a utopian society in which twelve-year old Jonas is the main character. Although his society might at first seem perfect and balanced—there are, after all, no feelings, hunger, inequalities or pain—Jonas eventually realizes that his community has been missing out on all that life has to offer, calling into question the very concept of “ideal.”
The Giver, Lois Lowry’s 21st novel, was published in 1993 and earned a Newbery Medal in 1994, “[becoming] an almost instant classic.” As a novel of the utopian genre written in 23 chapters and from a third-person perspective, the story follows Jonas’ life in his perfect society as he progresses from an innocent eleven-year old to a wise twelve-year-old Receiver of Memories. It is easy to wonder exactly how Lois Lowry came up with such a concept, and the truth is that “inspirations for The Giver are so varied” that it can be challenging to give a short answer. As she states in detail in her 1994 Newbery Acceptance speech, her childhood in Japan, her college years, her father’s aging and reaction to losing one of his daughters, and her parents’ attempts to adjust to constant moves all played a part in creating the storyline. In reference to her writing of The Giver, Lowry recalled, “In the beginning to write The Giver I created – as I always do, in every book – a world that existed only in my imagination – the world of ‘only us, only now.’ I tried to make Jonas’s world seem familiar, comfortable, and safe, and I tried to seduce the reader. I seduced myself along the way. It did feel good, that world. I got rid of all the things I fear and dislike; all the violence, prejudice, poverty, and injustice, and I even threw in good manners as a way of life because I liked the idea of it.”
Although Jonas’ society is clearly different from our own, Lowry was also able to leave quite a few things up to interpretation without confusing her readers. For example, it is ambiguous whether animals actually exist in Jonas’ society, while the lack of feelings and sexual attraction within his community seem to hint at the possibility of artificial insemination. Many have also been puzzled by the novel’s ambiguous conclusion, but Lowry has remained adamant about not shedding light upon the story’s ending. She states: “I really believe that every reader creates his/her own book, bringing to the written words their own experiences, dreams, wishes, passions. For me to explain everything from my own viewpoint limits that experience for the reader.”
Regardless of the interpretations, Lowry seems to have fashioned many of her novels with certain concepts in mind. As she says: “My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections.” She has stated that The Giver “speak[s] to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.”
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK
Amidst the moving around, married life and raising four kids, Lois eventually earned her English literature degree from University of Southern Maine in Portland in 1972. She then went on to graduate school and started to write professionally, “the thing [she] had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when [she] had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.” Things changed on the marriage front however, and Lowry ended up divorcing from Donald in 1977.
After catching the eye of an editor with her adult short story—told from a child’s point of view—Lowry was advised to write a children’s book. This resulted in her first children’s book titled A Summer to Die in 1977, inspired by the events surrounding her sister’s death from cancer in 1962. It was followed by the autobiographical Autumn Street in 1980. Around this time, Lois also met her long-time companion Martin Small, who passed away in 2011 after 30 years spent together. Her novel Number the Stars was published in 1989 and earned her her first Newberry medal in 1990, while The Giver soon followed in 1993, earn
What comes to mind when you envision a perfect society? Does it consist solely of happiness and peace? Are there equal rights for everyone regardless of gender, age and/or ethnic background? What about the weather, wildlife and natural landscapes? Is there a limit to the number of children families can have, or even to how they go about producing them? Is there a fair judicial system in place?
Lois Lowry’s The Giver tells the story of such a utopian society in which twelve-year old Jonas is the main character. Although his society might at first seem perfect and balanced—there are, after all, no feelings, hunger, inequalities or pain—Jonas eventually realizes that his community has been missing out on all that life has to offer, calling into question the very concept of “ideal.”
The Giver, Lois Lowry’s 21st novel, was published in 1993 and earned a Newbery Medal in 1994, “[becoming] an almost instant classic.” As a novel of the utopian genre written in 23 chapters and from a third-person perspective, the story follows Jonas’ life in his perfect society as he progresses from an innocent eleven-year old to a wise twelve-year-old Receiver of Memories. It is easy to wonder exactly how Lois Lowry came up with such a concept, and the truth is that “inspirations for The Giver are so varied” that it can be challenging to give a short answer. As she states in detail in her 1994 Newbery Acceptance speech, her childhood in Japan, her college years, her father’s aging and reaction to losing one of his daughters, and her parents’ attempts to adjust to constant moves all played a part in creating the storyline. In reference to her writing of The Giver, Lowry recalled, “In the beginning to write The Giver I created – as I always do, in every book – a world that existed only in my imagination – the world of ‘only us, only now.’ I tried to make Jonas’s world seem familiar, comfortable, and safe, and I tried to seduce the reader. I seduced myself along the way. It did feel good, that world. I got rid of all the things I fear and dislike; all the violence, prejudice, poverty, and injustice, and I even threw in good manners as a way of life because I liked the idea of it.”
Although Jonas’ society is clearly different from our own, Lowry was also able to leave quite a few things up to interpretation without confusing her readers. For example, it is ambiguous whether animals actually exist in Jonas’ society, while the lack of feelings and sexual attraction within his community seem to hint at the possibility of artificial insemination. Many have also been puzzled by the novel’s ambiguous conclusion, but Lowry has remained adamant about not shedding light upon the story’s ending. She states: “I really believe that every reader creates his/her own book, bringing to the written words their own experiences, dreams, wishes, passions. For me to explain everything from my own viewpoint limits that experience for the reader.”
Regardless of the interpretations, Lowry seems to have fashioned many of her novels with certain concepts in mind. As she says: “My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections.” She has stated that The Giver “speak[s] to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.”
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK
Amidst the moving around, married life and raising four kids, Lois eventually earned her English literature degree from University of Southern Maine in Portland in 1972. She then went on to graduate school and started to write professionally, “the thing [she] had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when [she] had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.” Things changed on the marriage front however, and Lowry ended up divorcing from Donald in 1977.
After catching the eye of an editor with her adult short story—told from a child’s point of view—Lowry was advised to write a children’s book. This resulted in her first children’s book titled A Summer to Die in 1977, inspired by the events surrounding her sister’s death from cancer in 1962. It was followed by the autobiographical Autumn Street in 1980. Around this time, Lois also met her long-time companion Martin Small, who passed away in 2011 after 30 years spent together. Her novel Number the Stars was published in 1989 and earned her her first Newberry medal in 1990, while The Giver soon followed in 1993, earn
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940015027624 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Hyperink |
| Publication date: | 07/26/2012 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 154 KB |
About the Author
A current San Francisco Bay Area resident, Natacha Pavlov has been an avid reader and writer since her early years spent growing up in Brussels, Belgium. She earned her B.A. in Comparative World Literature from San Francisco State University and constantly flirts with the notion of earning her Master's/PhD someday. She has French-English non-profit translation experience and looks forward to increasing her writing through various platforms in the near future. Although the list keeps growing, she has interest in reading and writing about classics, mythology (of any/all traditions), horror/gothic fiction, 18th and 19th century French novels, Middle Eastern history and politics (particularly Palestine-Israel) and early Christianity. Fueled by her culturally diverse heritage, her educational and personal interests have led her to engage in extensive travel and to live in places such as Paris, France and Jerusalem, Israel. Amidst all, pens, papers and books have always proven loyal companions. And she won't lie… chocolate has always helped too! She strives to keep exploring the world through books as well as further travel experiences that will ensure continued growth. You can read about some of her experiences in Jerusalem at www.aneasterinjerusalem.blogspot.com.
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