The Giver
discussion
Do Gabe and Jonas die at the end
I've always imagined that they do.When I had to read it for the first time, we were given a school project to write another chapter to the book. I've always pictured story to end like this:
Jonas and Gabe followed the music they heard and found a golden gate. They opened it and found everyone from the community waiting inside. The Giver and Jonas's friends and family welcomed him. They brought him to the auditorium. A band played music as he walked to the center of the stage. People thanked him for awakening them. He smiled and looked into the Giver's eyes. Jonas closed his eyes for a moment, then, when he opened them, he was in a grey room. The Giver was crying. Jonas looked down and saw a needle in his arm, then, nothing.
The one I originally wrote was more detailed and a lot better. But, this is what I like to think happened at the end.
It doesn't matter whether or not they die, because that's not the point. The book raises much deeper questions to contemplate...
Jonas and Gabe live read Gathering blue, messenger ,and Son( Son talks about Gabes actual mother)
Mark: exactly what I thought. The concept of them dying seems too abrupt and unreal.
I thought this was a terrible book
The book wants YOU to decide, dead or alive. What are you motives and why??
I had an English teacher who, for a while, thought they had simply traveled in a circle and returned to the city once they had their memories back. Personally I think they made out to elsewhere.
Haven't we Discussed this enough! Read "Son" and you'll discover the answer for yourself!
i think that they went on a circle cuz it says that when Jonas leaves the community with Gabriel they survive and that else where is their community and they got the memories from back and back and back and back to them so they are now happy and the community is happy and they wont kill people and kids if they apply for elsewhere because it wasn't necessary the end.
Ok so the live , But my question is what happen in the other book. I want to know only because I don't like the giver
Just read the other three books in the series (hint: the 4th one has the most info on this topic) to find out
You guys, read the rest of the series. The answer is in there.
There's a series?! From what I read, they make it to a new place, so I guess they survive, but because people are saying there are more books, I'm going to have to read them.
There's a series. The next books are Gathering Blue, The Messenger, and Son in that order. When I first read The Giver (before I finished the series) I had thought that Jonas and Gabriel had reached the "elsewhere" that was mentioned before. The music and singing could've been a hallucination, but it could also be reality waking the duo up.
After the second time I read it (I had to read it for English) I had seen another ending. It was where Jonas was like Jonah and Gabriel was Jesus. It did happen on Christmas day after all...
They don't die it says everything in the last book Son
1: He certainly did NOT die.You have to look at the message of the whole book. And there's two. One of them is nothing isn't always what it seems and two is if you really want something its not going to be easy at all. If Jonas died that would make that second message would be negative and puts a bad influence on the fact that even if you try something with everything you've got you can die and fail? NO. He lived. He could have mad it to Elsewhere. In the beginning of the journey it snow and at the and then he gives Gabrial a bath and that must mean its not winter any more. Then in the end its snowing again. so he was out there a little over a year at least. he doesn't know where he's going so he could have made his way back to the community and the giver died cuz we was weak when Jonas left and then memories returned to the community, because remember that the Giver never ever gave him the memory of music so he hears it at the end? its because where ever he's at they have music so it has to be Elsewhere or the community has changed to something better. One thing is certain I say is he is not dead!
Reuben wrote: "The book wants YOU to decide, dead or alive. What are you motives and why??"I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE. THIS COMMENT WAS MADE FOR SOMEONE ELSE. I'M JUST REPOSTING IT HERE SO YOU GUYS CAN READ IT. JUST IGNORE THAT PARTS THAT SAY 'YOU'RE SO AGAINST THE BOOK' (STUFF LIKE THAT). IT REALLY IS A GREAT BOOK, AND I KNOW THIS REVIEW IS LONG BUT PLEASE JUST TAKE THE TIME TO READ THE COMMENT. THE BOOK'S ENDING WILL BECOME SO MUCH CLEARER TO YOU.
ENJOY (:
Why are you so against this book?
Lois Lowry is a genius. She leaves the book open to interpretation so you can use your head and come up with your own ending.
I disagree completely with you. You should not look at how the ending doesn't answer every single question, you should look out how it allows you to decide it!
There is a poem for someone like you. I forget the title, it is something like "Teaching Poetry."
It talks about how people just try to force the meanings out of it [the poem], and how they're too thin-skinned to use their head and understand the full meaning of it.
It is not a "stinkin' book." It is, simply stated, a work of genius. It describes a unthinkable time, where love and choice is a crime. It tells how a young, brave boy and a strong, experienced man come up with a plan to save an entire community, risking everything so that others can live a full life. Did you even take a minute to think about exactly what Lowry is doing? There is a kid I know, similar to you, who is extremely pessimistic about the ending. He is one, you might say, who looks at the glass half empty. I can't be sure, but by the way you hate this book so much, you make yourself out to be a pessimistic, uneducated person who has no taste for fine literature. I don't mean to insult you. It goes the same for Ava and Bez. Just try to get past the fact that it doesn't answer every single question you may have. Try to appreciate the genius of it, and try to actually take a moment and imagine the time she portrays. You seem to be like my friend whom I mentioned earlier. He disliked the book from the first page, and I think he was so wrapped up in that opinion he made from the first page that he was too absorbed in his dislike for the book he couldn't appreciate the true, hidden genius of Lowry.
I truly do not mean this as an insult. I just want you to try to appreciate the book, which would make its ending make sense to you, Bez, and Ava.
A COMPLETELY ALTERNATIVE NOTE WHICH MAY ALSO CHANGE YOUR OPINION OF THE BOOK:
This book also has many forms of symbolism shown throughout it.
I had a list of about 15, and I will try to list them all here.
1.) The names: Jonas and Gabriel
-Gabriel was the angel in the Bible that came to Mary and Joseph and told them they were going to have Jesus
-Jonah (not Jonas, but similar to it) was a figure who was swallowed by a huge fish as a punishment by God
2.) The Giver
-Notice how the Giver has no name
-Notice how he knows everything, has so much experience, and is also so mysterious
-Can you not compare the Giver to God?
3.) The Noticeable Importance of 12
- Jesus's 12 disciples
- Jesus was born in December (12th month)
- The ceremony of 12 is the biggest, most important ceremony (makes 12 and evermore important number, which can further relate it to the biblical importance of 12)
4.) The Giver's favorite memory
- It is Christmas
- It describes Christmas as a huge ceremony of love
- Mainly stands out because of its obvious biblical reference right in the middle of the book
5.) The apple (Hardest one to realize)
- It represents all-knowing in the Bible
- In the Garden of Eden, the apple is a key part of why God punished Adam and Eve (just a small biblical reference. The apple is a subtle reference that will maybe, just slightly, bring the reader's attention to the bible).
THAT IS ALL THAT I HAVE TO SAY.
I really, truly hope that I helped you understand the meaning of the Giver. If you still don't get it, re-read it. Sometimes things make more sense a second time.
THERE IS NO WAY FOR ME TO PROVE TO YOU THAT YOU ARE WRONG ABOUT THE GIVER. YOU MAY KEEP YOUR OPINION THAT IS A HORRIBLE BOOK, BUT BY DOING SO YOU HAVE MISSED OUT ON THE MEANING OF ONE OF THE GREATEST PIECES OF LITERATURE (I DARESAY) EVER.
I tell you all this not to say you are wrong and to insult you. I just want you to try to look at the book in a different way.
-mp
Prarthana wrote: "YUP!"Why are you so against this book?
Lois Lowry is a genius. She leaves the book open to interpretation so you can use your head and come up with your own ending.
I disagree completely with you. You should not look at how the ending doesn't answer every single question, you should look out how it allows you to decide it!
There is a poem for someone like you. I forget the title, it is something like "Teaching Poetry."
It talks about how people just try to force the meanings out of it [the poem], and how they're too thin-skinned to use their head and understand the full meaning of it.
It is not a "stinkin' book." It is, simply stated, a work of genius. It describes a unthinkable time, where love and choice is a crime. It tells how a young, brave boy and a strong, experienced man come up with a plan to save an entire community, risking everything so that others can live a full life. Did you even take a minute to think about exactly what Lowry is doing? There is a kid I know, similar to you, who is extremely pessimistic about the ending. He is one, you might say, who looks at the glass half empty. I can't be sure, but by the way you hate this book so much, you make yourself out to be a pessimistic, uneducated person who has no taste for fine literature. I don't mean to insult you. It goes the same for Ava and Bez. Just try to get past the fact that it doesn't answer every single question you may have. Try to appreciate the genius of it, and try to actually take a moment and imagine the time she portrays. You seem to be like my friend whom I mentioned earlier. He disliked the book from the first page, and I think he was so wrapped up in that opinion he made from the first page that he was too absorbed in his dislike for the book he couldn't appreciate the true, hidden genius of Lowry.
I truly do not mean this as an insult. I just want you to try to appreciate the book, which would make its ending make sense to you, Bez, and Ava.
A COMPLETELY ALTERNATIVE NOTE WHICH MAY ALSO CHANGE YOUR OPINION OF THE BOOK:
This book also has many forms of symbolism shown throughout it.
I had a list of about 15, and I will try to list them all here.
1.) The names: Jonas and Gabriel
-Gabriel was the angel in the Bible that came to Mary and Joseph and told them they were going to have Jesus
-Jonah (not Jonas, but similar to it) was a figure who was swallowed by a huge fish as a punishment by God
2.) The Giver
-Notice how the Giver has no name
-Notice how he knows everything, has so much experience, and is also so mysterious
-Can you not compare the Giver to God?
3.) The Noticeable Importance of 12
- Jesus's 12 disciples
- Jesus was born in December (12th month)
- The ceremony of 12 is the biggest, most important ceremony (makes 12 and evermore important number, which can further relate it to the biblical importance of 12)
4.) The Giver's favorite memory
- It is Christmas
- It describes Christmas as a huge ceremony of love
- Mainly stands out because of its obvious biblical reference right in the middle of the book
5.) The apple (Hardest one to realize)
- It represents all-knowing in the Bible
- In the Garden of Eden, the apple is a key part of why God punished Adam and Eve (just a small biblical reference. The apple is a subtle reference that will maybe, just slightly, bring the reader's attention to the bible).
THAT IS ALL THAT I HAVE TO SAY.
I really, truly hope that I helped you understand the meaning of the Giver. If you still don't get it, re-read it. Sometimes things make more sense a second time.
THERE IS NO WAY FOR ME TO PROVE TO YOU THAT YOU ARE WRONG ABOUT THE GIVER. YOU MAY KEEP YOUR OPINION THAT IS A HORRIBLE BOOK, BUT BY DOING SO YOU HAVE MISSED OUT ON THE MEANING OF ONE OF THE GREATEST PIECES OF LITERATURE (I DARESAY) EVER.
I tell you all this not to say you are wrong and to insult you. I just want you to try to look at the book in a different way.
-mp
Kelli wrote: "Interesting debate going on... I think that the later books in the series need to be judged separately from The Giver. I believe that Lowry's intention (at first) was to write this as a stand alone..."Reuben wrote: "The book wants YOU to decide, dead or alive. What are you motives and why??"
YOU ARE RIGHT. I FULLY AGREE.
I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE. THIS COMMENT WAS MADE FOR SOMEONE ELSE. I'M JUST REPOSTING IT HERE SO YOU GUYS CAN READ IT. JUST IGNORE THAT PARTS THAT SAY 'YOU'RE SO AGAINST THE BOOK' (STUFF LIKE THAT). IT REALLY IS A GREAT BOOK, AND I KNOW THIS REVIEW IS LONG BUT PLEASE JUST TAKE THE TIME TO READ THE COMMENT. THE BOOK'S ENDING WILL BECOME SO MUCH CLEARER TO YOU.
ENJOY (:
Why are you so against this book?
Lois Lowry is a genius. She leaves the book open to interpretation so you can use your head and come up with your own ending.
I disagree completely with you. You should not look at how the ending doesn't answer every single question, you should look out how it allows you to decide it!
There is a poem for someone like you. I forget the title, it is something like "Teaching Poetry."
It talks about how people just try to force the meanings out of it [the poem], and how they're too thin-skinned to use their head and understand the full meaning of it.
It is not a "stinkin' book." It is, simply stated, a work of genius. It describes a unthinkable time, where love and choice is a crime. It tells how a young, brave boy and a strong, experienced man come up with a plan to save an entire community, risking everything so that others can live a full life. Did you even take a minute to think about exactly what Lowry is doing? There is a kid I know, similar to you, who is extremely pessimistic about the ending. He is one, you might say, who looks at the glass half empty. I can't be sure, but by the way you hate this book so much, you make yourself out to be a pessimistic, uneducated person who has no taste for fine literature. I don't mean to insult you. It goes the same for Ava and Bez. Just try to get past the fact that it doesn't answer every single question you may have. Try to appreciate the genius of it, and try to actually take a moment and imagine the time she portrays. You seem to be like my friend whom I mentioned earlier. He disliked the book from the first page, and I think he was so wrapped up in that opinion he made from the first page that he was too absorbed in his dislike for the book he couldn't appreciate the true, hidden genius of Lowry.
I truly do not mean this as an insult. I just want you to try to appreciate the book, which would make its ending make sense to you, Bez, and Ava.
A COMPLETELY ALTERNATIVE NOTE WHICH MAY ALSO CHANGE YOUR OPINION OF THE BOOK:
This book also has many forms of symbolism shown throughout it.
I had a list of about 15, and I will try to list them all here.
1.) The names: Jonas and Gabriel
-Gabriel was the angel in the Bible that came to Mary and Joseph and told them they were going to have Jesus
-Jonah (not Jonas, but similar to it) was a figure who was swallowed by a huge fish as a punishment by God
2.) The Giver
-Notice how the Giver has no name
-Notice how he knows everything, has so much experience, and is also so mysterious
-Can you not compare the Giver to God?
3.) The Noticeable Importance of 12
- Jesus's 12 disciples
- Jesus was born in December (12th month)
- The ceremony of 12 is the biggest, most important ceremony (makes 12 and evermore important number, which can further relate it to the biblical importance of 12)
4.) The Giver's favorite memory
- It is Christmas
- It describes Christmas as a huge ceremony of love
- Mainly stands out because of its obvious biblical reference right in the middle of the book
5.) The apple (Hardest one to realize)
- It represents all-knowing in the Bible
- In the Garden of Eden, the apple is a key part of why God punished Adam and Eve (just a small biblical reference. The apple is a subtle reference that will maybe, just slightly, bring the reader's attention to the bible).
THAT IS ALL THAT I HAVE TO SAY.
I really, truly hope that I helped you understand the meaning of the Giver. If you still don't get it, re-read it. Sometimes things make more sense a second time.
THERE IS NO WAY FOR ME TO PROVE TO YOU THAT YOU ARE WRONG ABOUT THE GIVER. YOU MAY KEEP YOUR OPINION THAT IS A HORRIBLE BOOK, BUT BY DOING SO YOU HAVE MISSED OUT ON THE MEANING OF ONE OF THE GREATEST PIECES OF LITERATURE (I DARESAY) EVER.
I tell you all this not to say you are wrong and to insult you. I just want you to try to look at the book in a different way.
-mp
Prarthana wrote: "They survive!!! And I hated this book!!!!"Why are you so against this book?
Lois Lowry is a genius. She leaves the book open to interpretation so you can use your head and come up with your own ending.
I disagree completely with you. You should not look at how the ending doesn't answer every single question, you should look out how it allows you to decide it!
There is a poem for someone like you. I forget the title, it is something like "Teaching Poetry."
It talks about how people just try to force the meanings out of it [the poem], and how they're too thin-skinned to use their head and understand the full meaning of it.
It is not a "stinkin' book." It is, simply stated, a work of genius. It describes a unthinkable time, where love and choice is a crime. It tells how a young, brave boy and a strong, experienced man come up with a plan to save an entire community, risking everything so that others can live a full life. Did you even take a minute to think about exactly what Lowry is doing? There is a kid I know, similar to you, who is extremely pessimistic about the ending. He is one, you might say, who looks at the glass half empty. I can't be sure, but by the way you hate this book so much, you make yourself out to be a pessimistic, uneducated person who has no taste for fine literature. I don't mean to insult you. It goes the same for Ava and Bez. Just try to get past the fact that it doesn't answer every single question you may have. Try to appreciate the genius of it, and try to actually take a moment and imagine the time she portrays. You seem to be like my friend whom I mentioned earlier. He disliked the book from the first page, and I think he was so wrapped up in that opinion he made from the first page that he was too absorbed in his dislike for the book he couldn't appreciate the true, hidden genius of Lowry.
I truly do not mean this as an insult. I just want you to try to appreciate the book, which would make its ending make sense to you, Bez, and Ava.
A COMPLETELY ALTERNATIVE NOTE WHICH MAY ALSO CHANGE YOUR OPINION OF THE BOOK:
This book also has many forms of symbolism shown throughout it.
I had a list of about 15, and I will try to list them all here.
1.) The names: Jonas and Gabriel
-Gabriel was the angel in the Bible that came to Mary and Joseph and told them they were going to have Jesus
-Jonah (not Jonas, but similar to it) was a figure who was swallowed by a huge fish as a punishment by God
2.) The Giver
-Notice how the Giver has no name
-Notice how he knows everything, has so much experience, and is also so mysterious
-Can you not compare the Giver to God?
3.) The Noticeable Importance of 12
- Jesus's 12 disciples
- Jesus was born in December (12th month)
- The ceremony of 12 is the biggest, most important ceremony (makes 12 and evermore important number, which can further relate it to the biblical importance of 12)
4.) The Giver's favorite memory
- It is Christmas
- It describes Christmas as a huge ceremony of love
- Mainly stands out because of its obvious biblical reference right in the middle of the book
5.) The apple (Hardest one to realize)
- It represents all-knowing in the Bible
- In the Garden of Eden, the apple is a key part of why God punished Adam and Eve (just a small biblical reference. The apple is a subtle reference that will maybe, just slightly, bring the reader's attention to the bible).
THAT IS ALL THAT I HAVE TO SAY.
I really, truly hope that I helped you understand the meaning of the Giver. If you still don't get it, re-read it. Sometimes things make more sense a second time.
THERE IS NO WAY FOR ME TO PROVE TO YOU THAT YOU ARE WRONG ABOUT THE GIVER. YOU MAY KEEP YOUR OPINION THAT IS A HORRIBLE BOOK, BUT BY DOING SO YOU HAVE MISSED OUT ON THE MEANING OF ONE OF THE GREATEST PIECES OF LITERATURE (I DARESAY) EVER.
I tell you all this not to say you are wrong and to insult you. I just want you to try to look at the book in a different way.
-mp
Katie wrote: "Yes they do die because when Jonas says he hears music, he doesn't know what music is. He told the Giver to keep his one memory of music. Jonas saying that just proves that they are dead."thats the exact opposite of what it proves!
how could Jonas know what music is if he's never heard it before?
YES! THE GIVER NEVER GAVE HIM MUSIC. SO WHEN HE HEARS IT FOR THE FIRST TIME, IT IS A NEW MEMORY. SOMETHING NEW IS HAPPENING. PEOPLE ARE MAKING MUSIC!
Also, think of it this way--
If someone was delusional in the cold, what are the odds of making up a memory as complicated as music? Just think. Music is an unbelievably hard concept to grasp if it just happened to you suddenly. Like color. Jonas was stunned when he realized it for the first time. So when he hears music, how in hell could he have just made it up?
Sorry, but your logic is a little off (:
-mp
And Then They Buried Me*Mummble* wrote: "I loved the book. To me it was definitly a classic. I mean just imagine a world with no color and no love, and yet it makes you be thankful for what you have even if it's very little. And yet you a..."You're right. Something interesting also about the book is its symbolism.
I'm surprised no one pointed the symbolism out. Am I really the only one who noticed it all?
Oh well. Here it is (below).
1.) The names: Jonas and Gabriel
-Gabriel was the angel in the Bible that came to Mary and Joseph and told them they were going to have Jesus
-Jonah (not Jonas, but similar to it) was a figure who was swallowed by a huge fish as a punishment by God
2.) The Giver
-Notice how the Giver has no name
-Notice how he knows everything, has so much experience, and is also so mysterious
-Can you not compare the Giver to God?
3.) The Noticeable Importance of 12
- Jesus's 12 disciples
- Jesus was born in December (12th month)
- The ceremony of 12 is the biggest, most important ceremony (makes 12 and evermore important number, which can further relate it to the biblical importance of 12)
4.) The Giver's favorite memory
- It is Christmas
- It describes Christmas as a huge ceremony of love
- Mainly stands out because of its obvious biblical reference right in the middle of the book
5.) The apple (Hardest one to realize)
- It represents all-knowing in the Bible
- In the Garden of Eden, the apple is a key part of why God punished Adam and Eve (just a small biblical reference. The apple is a subtle reference that will maybe, just slightly, bring the reader's attention to the bible).
the rest of the series apparently tells u
deleted user wrote: "it;s really slow in the begin but i think it gets better towards the end."i stopped half way through son is the rest good?
So without reading the sequels, because I do feel as though the author intended for the stories to be more separate, I believe Jonas did live because he heard the music. He had never been given this memory, and with everything getting weaker, memories and mind, I doubt he would have been able to interpret something new had he not been close enough to the new sound, and far enough from his own community and its "sameness". By being away from the sameness I think he was able to hear the music of the "Elsewhere" as he arrived. What do you guys think?
No, they reach the snowy hill and I guess the real world? All I remember is that they find a place and look through a window to see a family gathered around a tree with presents under it so I presume they're celebrating Christmas therefore they're in the real world.
There are four books. The Giver, Gathering Blue, The Messenger, and Son. Gabe's real mom comes back in son, and Jonas has a major role there. In Son, you find out exactly what happened to both of them.
That would be telling. ;-)
Ahh I forgot about the ending, I haven't read the book in years! There is a movie coming out for it, gotta read it againactually going to buy it from my own site hahah http://findbestsellers.org
Even if The Giver would have been a stand alone book, Jonas and Gabe would reach Elsewhere and would have been taken in by the family whose home they reached. Lois Lowery wouldn't have had them die at the end of the book considering the struggle and hardship they went through to get there.
I agree with you @Susan. Lois Lowry would not kill them off at the end of the book. I believe they made it to some sort of safety place. // http://findbestsellers.org
NO I do not think they died, I believe they got away from the place they were running from and found a better place for them
theres a second book !! and yes they live i haven't read it but it sounds awesome :)
I think there is a second book?
No. OMG I CAN'T WAIT TO READ #2! OH, WHAT'S IT CALLED, BTW?
In what order is the series in?
What if by dying they reach Elsewhere? That's how I interpreted it. I have not read the other two books mentioned in this thread and wonder if that would change my view. But based solely on "The Giver," I decided they must have died. They were starving and freezing and the sled could have been a memory... Jonas heard music for the first time and saw people who loved one another in the houses. I think he was dying but death wasn't the end.
I totally cried in The Giver! I was convinced they survived. I actually like it when the authors end a book with a mystery like that, it gives you freedom to express what you think happened. I also have Gathering Blue sitting in my bedroom waiting for me to get to it. I can't see though how anyone could hate The Giver.... Has anyone readSon ? I have not.
Has anyone read Son? It's the last book in the series. The best in my opinion.
I've only read the first book of the series(are the others worth reading btw?) and if I ignore what's on wikipedia, I do think they died
I really liked the first book. I read it when I was younger and wasn't sure how it ended then when I got older i read it again and thought they died. Then I read the next three books. Everything becomes clear in the last one. If you read the the first three it's kind of confusing but the last one ties everything in. It's one of my favorite series because of that.
Are Messenger and Gathering Blue part of the Giver series? Are Jonas and Gabe still in these books?
Yeah. I found this confusing. Just read the first book. Glad they lived. Personally, I'm thankful for the spoiler. :)
Yes they are. They are in Messenger.
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PLEASE give me the name cuz I LOVED the book.. thank you :)