On this page, I'll post some questions and information that will help you understand The Giver. Here is a .pdf of a PowerPoint that I made to introduce The Giver.I have also created a chapter-by-chapter vocabulary list to help you understand the book. Please contact me if you would like a copy of this.
Questions for each chapter
These questions are designed for discussion, but you may find them useful for thinking about the novel as you read.
Chapter 1
1. Think about each of the characters whom we meet in the first chapter of The Giver: Jonas, Asher, Lily, Mother and Father. How would you describe each one?
2. What are some clues that Jonas's community is different? How would you describe this community?
3. Look up the meaning of the word "release". What do you think "release" means, in the context of the novel?
4. Why do you think that Jonas and Lily don't know what animals are? (p. 6)
5. Many words (especially words for workers in the community) in Chapter 1 start with capital letters: Street Cleaners, Landscape Workers, Food Delivery, Pilot, Instructor, etc. Why do you think this is?
6. What do Lily and Jonas mean when they talk about Sixes, Sevens, Elevens, etc.? Why do they use this kind of language?
7. What do you think The Ceremony of Twelve might be?
Chapter 2
8. Why are babies taken from their Birthmothers and given to the Nurturers to care for and only given to the family units in December?
9. How are babies’ names chosen? Why are babies not named until December? How are babies named in your culture?
10. Why do you think there are so many rules in Jonas’s community?
11. What is the role of the Elders in the community?
12. Why do the Elders choose the assignment for each twelve? Why do you think the community chose 12 as the right age to begin training for Assignments?
13. Mother says, “After Twelve, age isn’t important.” (p. 17). Why do you think age is not important in the community? How important is age in your culture? How important have you found age to be in Canada?
14. Discuss the “comfort object.” Why does the community take away the comfort object when a child becomes an Eight?
Chapter 3
15. Lily says that “the newchild has funny eyes like yours, Jonas!” (p. 20). Why was Jonas surprised by the newchild’s eyes? What5 inference can you make from this coincidence?
16. When Lily says that she would like to be assigned to be a Birthmother, Mother replies, “There’s very little honor in that assignment” (p. 21). Why do you think that giving birth is not valued in the community?
17. After they give birth three times, the Birthmothers are Labourers until they are old. What does this tell us about their value to the community? What does this tell us about how the community understands the idea of family?
18. In Chapter 3, we learn more about the surveillance in the community. Why do you think someone is watching everyone’s activities?
19. When Jonas and Asher were playing with the apple, Jonas noticed that “the apple had changed. Just for an instant.” (p. 24). How did the apple change? Why didn’t the change happen again? What does this tell us about Jonas?
20. Read again the last paragraph of this chapter. This is an example of foreshadowing. What can you expect to happen in the novel, because of this “newchild with his pale, solemn, knowing eyes.” (p. 25).
Chapter 4
21. The community values “precision of language.” But is the volunteer work really “volunteer”, as we understand the meaning of the word? What does this tell us about the use of language in the community?
22. Think about the male Eleven who did not complete his volunteer hours. What does this tell us about the expectations of the community?
23. What do you think about the way the Elevens help bathe the people living in the House of the Old?
24. At the end of the chapter, Larissa tells Jonas about that morning’s release of Roberto. She says that he has a look of “pure happiness” as he went into the releasing room. Does this tell us anything more about release in the community? Do you know more now about release than you did in Chapter 1?
Chapter 5
25. Why do you think everyone in the family unit must tell their dreams each morning?
26. What is the significance of Jonas’s dream?
27. In his dream, Jonas talks about “the wanting”. Using the language of the community, Mother describes this as “the Stirrings”. What do you think is happening to Jonas? How would you describe the Stirrings?
28. Why do you think the Stirrings must be reported? Why does everyone take a pill every day for the Stirrings? For what period of time do the people in the community take their pills?
29. What would happen to the community of there was no treatment for the Stirrings?
30. How do people in your culture deal with the changes that come with the period in life described in the novel as the Stirrings?
Chapter 6
30. Why isn’t Gabriel being given to a family unit at the Ceremony?
31. At this Ceremony, a family unit is being given a replacement child for their child, Caleb, who had drowned. What does this tell us about the way that the Community views children and families?
32. Describe the Murmur-of-Replacement Ceremony in your own words. Why do you think the Community has this ceremony?
33. Another newchild is given the name, “Roberto”, the same name as Roberto the Old, who has just been released. The author writes, “But there was no Murmur-of-Replacement Ceremony for the new little Roberto. Release was not the same as Loss.” (p. 44). What do you think is the difference between Replacement and Loss?
34. Why does the Community have something special for each age group at the Ceremony? How is this different from the way birthdays are celebrated in your culture?
35. As Jonas and Asher discuss their upcoming Assignments, Jonas thinks, “How could someone not fit in? The community was so meticulously ordered, the choices so carefully made.” (p. 48). What does this mean?
36. In this chapter, we learn about Matching of Spouses. Describe how people in the Community find a spouse. What is your opinion of this method?
Chapter 7
37. Why is the Ceremony of Twelve so important?
38. The Elder talks about Asher confusing the words “snack” and “smack”. What does this story tell us about Asher? about the Community? about the importance of language to the community?
39. As each assignment is announced, the Elder says, “Thank-you for your childhood.” (p. 56). What does she mean? Do you think that children become adults at age 12?
40. At the end of the Ceremony of Twelve, when Jonas has still not heard his name called, he thinks, “What have I done wrong?” (p. 58). Why does Jonas think he must have done something wrong?
41. Why do you think Jonas’s name was not called?
Chapter 8
42. Why was the audience “ill at ease”? (p. 59). What does this tell us about the community and their expectations?
43. The Chief Elder says that Jonas has not been assigned; instead, he has been selected (p. 60). What is the difference between being assigned and being selected?
44. The Chief Elder lists five qualities that the Receiver must have. The first four are intelligence, integrity, courage and wisdom. Describe each of these qualities in your own words.
45. Even Jonas doesn’t quite understand the fifth quality, “the capacity to see beyond”. But when Jonas is on the stage in the auditorium, he sees that the people in the audience change, just as the apple had changed in Chapter 3. What do you think “the capacity to see beyond” means?
46. At the end of this chapter, the Chief Elder clarifies Jonas’s role when she calls him the “Receiver of Memory” (p. 64). What do you think this means?
Chapter 9
47. Why does Jonas feel alone and apart after the ceremony of twelve?
48. Why do his friends feel the same way?
49. What do you infer happened to the previous receiver, the female whose name is never to be used again, even for a new child?
50. Read again the list of rules for Jonas as the Receiver of Memory (p. 68). What is his reaction to these rules? Why do you think Jonas has these particular rules?
51. Jonas remembers a time when he has been chastised for saying that he was starving. Jonas thinks rule #8, “You may lie” is terrifying. Why is he terrified of lying? What would our society be like if no one ever told a lie?
Chapter 10
52. What are some things that Jonas notices are different about the Annex and the Receiver’s rooms?
53. What do Jonas and the Receiver have in common?
54. The Receiver tells Jonas that he may ask any questions that would help him. Lowry writes, “In his mind, Jonas had questions. A thousand. A million questions.” What do you think some of the questions Jonas might have had?
55. If you could ask the receiver a question, what would you ask?
56. When the Receiver is trying to explain to Jonas what he means by “the memories of the whole world”, he says
“There’s all that goes beyond – all that is elsewhere – and all that goes back, and back, and back. I received all of those, when I was selected. And here in this room, all alone, I re-experience them again and again. It is how wisdom comes. And how we shape our future.”
Discuss the meaning of this passage.
57. Why doesn't Jonas know what snow is? What does this tell us about the community?
58. Why is Jonas shocked that the Receiver can turn the speaker off?
Chapter 11
59. How does the receiver transmit the memory of snow to Jonas? How does Jonas feel while he is receiving the memory? How does he feel afterwards?
60. The Receiver tells Jonas that he had to “tug [the memory of snow] forward from many generations back.” Where do we keep our memories from past generations? Try to think of as many places as you can.
61. When Jonas asks why there is no longer any snow, The Receiver answers
“Climate control. Snow made growing food difficult, limited the agricultural periods. And unpredictable weather made transportation almost impossible at times. It wasn’t a practical thing, so it became obsolete when we went to Sameness.” (pp. 83-84)
What does the Giver mean when he says “when we went to Sameness”?
62. Jonas asks for one more memory, a memory of pain. The Receiver gives him sunburn, and Jonas says,
“It hurt a lot, but I’m glad you gave it to me. It was interesting. And now I understand what it meant, that there would be pain.”
The man didn’t respond. He sat silently for a second. Finally he said, “Get up, now. It’s time for you to go home.” (p. 86)
Why doesn’t The Receiver answer Jonas?
63. Why does the man rename himself The Giver at the end of the chapter?
Chapter 12
64. Jonas has a dream which he does not share with his family (because he is prohibited from doing so). What do you think this dream means?
65. When Jonas and Fiona park their bikes, Jonas notices that Fiona undergoes a “fleeting indescribable change”. Could you infer what this change might be?
66. Jonas asks The Giver why people in the community can no longer see colour. Read again part of The Giver’s answer:
Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with differences. We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others. (p. 95).
What do you think of the choice that the people have made? Can you infer why they might have made that choice?
67. Why does The Giver give Jonas a memory of a rainbow at the end of this chapter?
Chapter 13
68. Why does Jonas think it’s not fair that nothing has colour?
69. How important is the freedom to choose for the community? for Jonas? for you?
70. Jonas and The Giver discuss what would happen if people had the freedom to choose: they might make mistakes and chose wrongly. They agree that it’s much safer to protect people from making wrong choices. Yet, Jonas feels frustration with the community and irritation with his friends. Why is this?
71. Jonas tries to help Asher see a red flower, but is unsuccessful. Why isn’t Jonas able to help Asher see the colour red?
72. Later, The Giver transmits a disturbing memory to Jonas. Describe this memory.
73. Jonas again tried to transmit a memory to his father and Lily, but again he is unsuccessful. What does this tell us about Jonas? about the community?
74. Describe what happens when children no longer need to live with their mother and father. What happens to the family unit.
75. The Giver tells Jonas that the memories he holds are his life. What does he mean by this?
76. What is the difference between being alone and being lonely? Which do you think The Giver was, before Jonas became the new receiver? How would you describe Jonas now, at this point in his training?
77. What happened to the community when the previous attempt at finding a new Receiver failed?
78. Why does The Giver say that the people in the community “know nothing” (p.105)?
Chapter 14
79. Jonas asks for memories of pain, and The Giver gives them to him. What is the result? How does Jonas feel? How does experiencing pain affect Jonas’s attitude toward the community?
80. The Giver tells Jonas about the times that the community has come to him for advice and counsel. What does The Giver tell them when they suggest allowing Birth Mothers to have four children instead of three? When they want to shoot down the plane in Chapter 1?
81. How does the meaning of the expression “back and back and back” change for Jonas? Why does it change?
82. What does Jonas think about the upcoming birth of the twin males?
83. Because Gabe is still fretful at night, Mother and Father agree to let him sleep in Jonas’s room. How does Jonas calm Gabe? Why can Jonas do this with Gabe, but not with Asher, Father, or Lily?
84. Why does Jonas again decide not to tell The Giver about this?
85. Why is Jonas frightened by his own power?
Chapter 15
86. What is the memory that The Giver transmits to Jonas in this chapter?
87. Is it important that Jonas have this memory? Do you think the rest of the community should have this memory, too? Why or why not?
88. Why does The Giver ask Jonas to forgive him at the end of this chapter?
Chapter 16
89. Describe the memory that The Giver gives to Jonas in this chapter. Why is this memory important?
90. Describe Jonas’s feelings after he received this memory.
91. Jonas describes the family in the memory first as not very practical, and secondly, as dangerous. What does he mean? Do you agree or disagree with him?
92. How do Jonas’s Mother and Father react when he asks them if they love him?
93. How would you describe Jonas’s attitude or feelings towards his parents? Towards Gabe?
94. Why does Jonas stop taking his pill every day?
Chapter 17
95. Now that Jonas no longer takes his pill each morning, he seems to see more colours and feel more emotion. Why is this?
96. Why Is Jonas so upset with Asher? What is Asher’s reaction? Why?
97. Why does Jonas feel as though he has lost something? What has he lost?
98. What does Jonas think about release? What does Lily think? What does father think?
Chapter 18
99. The Giver uses these adjectives to describe the previous Receiver : remarkable; young; very self-possessed; serene; intelligent; eager to learn; excited; a little scared; enthusiastic; delighted. Do you think all these adjectives apply to Jonas? What other adjectives would you use to describe Jonas?
100. The Giver tells Jonas about how hard it was for him to transfer painful memories to Rosemary, and that, in the end, she asked for release rather than continuing to receive painful memories. Do you think the community has made a wise choice, in allowing all of its collective memories to be held by only one person? Why or why not?
101. A scapegoat is someone who is forced to take the blame for others, or to suffer in the place of others. Do you think the Receiver is a scapegoat for the Community?
102. What happened when the community lost Rosemary?
103. At the end of this chapter, the Giver talks to Jonas about what he would do if Jonas floated off down the river. Why do you think he talks about this?
Chapter 19
104. At the beginning of this chapter, what does Jonas think about the release of the second twin?
105. Jonas is very surprised that the release of the twin was recorded. Why is he so surprised?
106. Why does the Giver think that Jonas should watch the recording of the release?
107. How do Jonas’s feelings change as he watches the tape of the release?
108. Why do you think it takes Jonas so long to realize what Father is doing to the second twin?
109. What does Father do with the body of the second twin? What does this tell us about the community’s attitude towards death?
110. Why does the Giver tell Jonas about Rosemary’s release?
111. What does the Giver think about release? What is the evidence in the text to support your idea?
Chapter 20
112. How would you describe Jonas at the beginning of this chapter?
113. When the Giver says that Fiona “is already being trained in the fine art of release”, what does he mean? (p. 153)
114. What does Jonas mean literally when he says “I can’t go back”? What does he mean metaphorically?
115. What happened to the community when Rosemary was released?
116. Jonas’s gift is “seeing beyond”. The Giver’s gift is “hearing beyond.” What does this tell us about the rols of music in the community?
117. Describe the Giver’s plan. How does Jonas feel about the plan?
118. Why are Jonas and the Giver able to predict exactly what will happen when Jonas goes missing?
119. At the end of this chapter, the Giver tells a secret to Jonas. How does this secret help us to understand the Giver?
Chapter 21
120. Why does Jonas suddenly flee from the community? Do you think he made the right decision?
121. Describe how Jonas cares for Gabe during their escape.
122. What would happen to Jonas if he were caught?
123. Why did the planes stop coming?
124. What do you happened in the community after Jonas and Gabe left?
Chapter 22
125. Why are Jonas’s memories fading?
126. As they continue their journey, Jonas and Gabe don’t have enough to eat. Jonas remembers that, had they stayed in the community, they would never be hungry. Do you think Jonas made the right decision to leave the safety of the community?
127. Here is what Jonas thinks about his decision:
Now he was [starving]. It was as simple as that. Once he had yearned for choice. Then, when he had a choice, he had made the wrong one: the choice to leave. And now he was starving.
But if he had stayed . . . .
His thoughts continued. If he had stayed, he would have lived a life hungry for feelings, for color, for love.
And Gabriel? For Gabriel, there would have been no life at all. So there had not really been a choice. (pp. 172 – 173)
What do you think? Did Jonas have a choice?
Chapter 23
128. Describe what happens in the last chapter. How did Jonas know that the sled would be waiting for him at the top of the hill?
129. Go back and reread the beginning of Chapter 12, as Jonas remembers his dream. This is an example of foreshadowing. Does Jonas’s dream help you to know what might be happening at the end of the book?
130. What does “elsewhere” mean in this chapter?
131. What do you think happened to Jonas and Gabe at the end of the book?