Logan Clement asked Lois Lowry:

In The Giver, there the antagonist reveals itself as the idea of Sameness. I found it interesting that for a children's book, the antagonist was less tangible than a human villain, and that made it even more ominous. In the film however the antagonist was the oppressive government, notably the Head Elder, depicted by Meryl Streep. How do you think this affected the philosophical resonance of the story?

Lois Lowry I think that might be an oversimplification. Meryl Streep, in the film, is a complex character, not simply a representative oppressor. We get hints of a past, perhaps one with The Giver. I found myself wondering about her a great deal, and about the whole question of where they all were coming from...and why

flag