Banned Books: The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Jonas is reaching a very important moment in his life. Soon he will be a Twelve and will receive his Assignment. Some girls may be assigned the role of a Birthmother, giving birth to children for three years before living the rest of her life as a Laborer. Some Twelves may be assigned to the House of Old caring for those too old to care for themselves until they are released into Elsewhere. Others may be given assignments to become Doctors or Instructors. No one knows for sure what they will be assigned and there are many different possibilities. The Elders monitor and observe children for years in order to make the best assignments possible. Jonas wasn’t given an assignment. He was selected to be the next Receiver of Memory, the most honored position in his community. A position that requires intelligence, integrity, courage and the acquisition of wisdom. Wisdom would be bestowed upon Jonas by the current Receiver who he refers to as the Giver. The knowledge of the memories reveals the truth behind the sameness he has encountered and accepted his entire life.

Lowry created an amazingly simple, yet detailed novel of a young boy encountering the truth. Jonas is just like everyone else which is exactly what the elders want. They have created a world of sameness where every person has a role and a place. No one steps a toe out of line, fearful of disgracing their family unit, or of being released. A ceremony takes place every year for children until the age of twelve, at which point they are assigned and begin training for their position in life so they can contribute. Selections to become a Receiver of Memory are very rare. No one really understands what the position entails except for the current Receiver. He holds the memory and provides wisdom to the Elders when necessary for them to make decisions. People no longer have choices. Those have been taken away long before Jonas was ever born but no one knows that, because all they know is the sameness they have encountered their entire life. The revelations made with each discovery changes Jonas and the way he views the world.

I read The Giver a few years back for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it. I actually loved it more the second time around. Since I was familiar with the plot, I was able to fully immerse myself in the beautiful imagery even more and fully relish in the world that Lowry created. I had no idea that this novel had ever been banned or challenged. In 1995 it was banned in Kansas after a parent objected to themes of murder, suicide and its interpretation of motherhood and adolescence. Most of the objections in the late 20^th century were due to references to euthanasia, infanticide and violence. The list of objections, challenges, and banned instances are numerous. I found this novel tasteful and moving. The story unfolds beautifully and each issue that most people referenced when objecting to this novel was handled extremely tastefully. Most importantly each moment, each revelation, each discovery was meant to draw a reaction out of you. It was meant to make you think of this world of sameness and how this could possibly ever happen. Novels like this, written for younger audiences, are meant to challenge their minds. Children need to learn to question the world around them and this novel should make more people think about the questions they are asking.

“Banned Book Awareness: The Giver by Lois Lowry” R. Wolf Baldassarro http://bannedbooks.world.edu/2011/03/27/banned-books-awareness-giver-lois-lowry/