You May Lie

Hello, again!

I am still continuing my goal of reading 20 books so far this year, and I'm well on my way. I finished this book a while ago, but forgot to add it to my review, so here we are. Today's review is on The Giver by Louis Lowry.

I grew up reading this book, and I've always enjoyed it. I think it is well-written, but it is also written in simple enough language that young readers can also enjoy it, and that makes it easy to finish the book in just a few days. For those who are unfamiliar with the book, here is a quick synopsis:

This book follows the story of a young boy named Jonas, who lives in a utopian society that is governed by a group called The Elders. There are strict rules and regulations, but all in the name of keeping everyone happy, healthy, and safe. When children turn twelve, they are assigned their jobs in the community. Jonas is given the job of Receiver of Memories. The Receiver works with the current Receiver, who is now called The Giver.

The Giver is the one and only person in the community that contains memories of what the world was like before the utopian society was created. You see, the Elders removed memories of certain things (including pain, war, famine, etc.) in an effort to avoid conflict or hardship. The Elders have also created controlled weather to avoid bad crops, and have removed color to avoid differences between others. But, The Elders need someone to keep the memories in case they find themselves in a situation and need some guidance. The Receiver of Memory can use his/her knowledge of how things worked before to help The Elders avoid a repeat of past resolutions that ended up poorly.

As Jonas receives memories, he learns about color; sunshine and snow; feelings of love, anger, heartache, and joy; and more. He also learns that the society in which he lives is not as perfect as everyone is led to believe. In the end, The Giver and Jonas work together to create a plan where they can share the memories with everyone in the society...but will they be able to accomplish their plan before getting caught?

An Appreciation of the Little Things

One thing I love about The Giver is reading about how Jonas discovers simple things for the first time. Things like color, the feeling of wind on your face, and experiencing love. He finds such joy and marvel in these that we, who have them in our daily life, take for granted. Jonas wonders how he could've lived a life without these things. I just love Jonas' reaction to these things, and it's a reminder to me to not take these 'normal' things for granted, because they really are beautiful and magnificent.

The Release Ceremony

In Jonas' society, there are many ceremonies that take place, all of which are projected as positive things that help their society stay unified and controlled. All memories are recorded for The Elders, but none of their community members can see them, so just about everyone doesn't know what actually happens in the Ceremony of Loss for the elderly or the Ceremony of Release for some newborns.

As the new Receiver of Memories, Jonas has the authority to watch any recorded ceremony. In one instance, he watches a Ceremony of Release, as performed by his father, with a set of identical twins. Whichever is smaller and not growing as much is released. Jonas thinks it makes sense, as they can't have two identical people walking around town. But when he learns what a Ceremony of Release actually is, he can't believe it. If you haven't read the book, I must warn you: this is a spoiler!! So, if you don't want to know, don't read the rest of this section.

The Ceremony of Release is, in no mixed words, the killing of whatever newborn or elderly member is involved. So, this means that the smaller of the two twins is killed with an injection, and the bigger one is granted life.

This part of the book always gets to me. Not only in this 'ceremony' completely inhumane (for a lack of better word), but it strikes home. You see, I am a twin. I'm not sure which one of us was smaller when we were born and and in the first few months, but what if we lived in a society like Jonas'? I cannot imagine the thought of one of us not being here simply because we weren't growing quite as fast as we 'should'. I just think about that twin that lived in The Giver. I am confident that they would go about their life feeling that a part of them was missing, that something was different about them...and there would be! But, they would be told that it's just normal developing emotions and to take something for it something. They would never know the truth of what happened to their other half. I doesn't mean for this to be a downer, but this part just always gets to me and evokes a powerful reaction in my heart.

What Happens At The End of the Book? 

Note: if you haven't ready this book, this is also a spoiler!!
Okay, to be honest, I always thought of the end of the book as follows: Jonas and Gabe make it through the snow to a cabin, where they are rescued and enjoy a life of song, love, color, and more. Perhaps this is my inner innocent child thinking that everything ends happily, and I've always just accepted that ending.

However, I was talking about this book with some of my coworkers a few months ago, and discovered that there is a second possible interpretation of the end of the book, and it blew my mind. So, Jonas and Gabe have escaped their society, but as they continue their journey, winter comes, and Jonas quickly finds himself trudging through cold snow, trying to keep himself and Gabe alive. He uses memories of warm and sunny beaches to keep the infant from freezing, and to give himself hope of finding a way out.

At one point, they reach the top of a hill. There's a sled at the top. Jonas gets on with Gabe, and they slide down the hill, the icy air biting at their exposed skin. At the bottom of the hill, there's a cabin with lights on, and Jonas can hear singing.

That's how the book ends. Now, if you're like me, you take this as Jonas and Gabe reaching their destination, finally finding a place in the real world where they can be free. But, if you take my coworkers perspective, this is just a memory. You see, The Giver gives Jonas a memory exactly like that to teach him about snow, cold, and more. With this same scenario repeating at the end of the book, it's possible that Jonas is recalling this memory and maybe sharing it with Gabe as a sort of comfort for both of them as they die in the frozen wilderness.

I had never considered this alternate interpretation before, and it blew my mind: what if Jonas and Gabe hadn't made it after all? It's pretty unclear as to whether or not the ending is a memory, so I believe it's up to the reader's interpretation. But I had seriously never thought this alternate ending until recently. But, it makes sense as a possibility.

What ending do you choose?