The Giver by Lois Lowry | Chapter 23

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Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe provides an in-depth summary and analysis of Chapter 23 of Lois Lowry's novel The Giver.

In Lois Lowry’s The Giver, young Jonas lives in an apparently perfect society, free of poverty and strife.

However, it soon becomes apparent that something sinister lurks beneath this flawless facade. Conformity is rigorously enforced and certain undesirable people are mysteriously taken elsewhere.

Jonas is selected as the Receiver of Memory, a person who must hold the collective pain and suffering of his community. This role ostensibly frees everyone else from the burdens of memory and allows him to advise a governing council.

He is trained by his elderly predecessor and soon learns of the horrors of war, death, and eugenics. He must decide whether to perpetuate this system or follow his own developing conscience.

Author Lois Lowry’s The Giver was first published in 1993. The author of some 40 books for children and young adults, Lowry often challenges her readers with adult concepts and disturbing themes. Lois Lowry's young adult novel The Giver set the standard for the dystopian conceits that define much of the genre today.

The Giver contains many important themes, including conformity versus individuality, as conformity simplifies life but destroys what is special and innovative; the importance of memory, as without memories passed down by the community, life in Jonas's society has little meaning; and security versus freedom, as those who trade freedom for security might deserve neither. Important symbols include the sled ride, colors, and fire and candlelight.

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