The Giver By Lois Lowry: Theme Analysis

In Lois Lowry’s book, The Giver, memories are mentioned quite often throughout the book to help determine the theme of the novel. At first, Jonas was just like any other citizen in the community. When he gets his Assignment, everything changes, and Jonas begins seeing things differently. As a part of his Assignment, Jonas receives memories that help him see what is missing from his community. Eventually, Jonas realizes that it is better to have his community the way it used to be, so he tries to change it. In The Giver, the author uses the setting, plot, and conflict to develop the theme that learning from others’ mistakes from the past helps people improve in the future.
In the novel, one way the theme is represented is by the setting. When Jonas is first starting to grasp the concept of memories, he

does not understand that there was more than just their community. Jonas is shocked, so he questions, “‘I don't understand. Do you mean not just us? Not just the community? Do you mean Elsewhere, too?’... ‘I thought there was only us. I thought there was only now.’” (98). The author proves the setting contributes to the theme by expressing how Jonas reacts when The Giver explains to him that there is more.
A second way the theme is revealed in the novel is by the plot. In the book, Rosemary chooses to be released leading The Giver to have failed with her, but Jonas is unaware, so he is curious about why he has certain rules and why Rosemary’s name is unsopken. Jonas asks, “‘Can you tell me her name? My parents said that it wasn’t to be spoken again in the community. But couldn’t you say it just to me?’ … ‘What happened to her?’” (176-177). Jonas’s knowledge of what is happening throughout time and the community affects him when he makes decisions because he does not know of all the actions others have made that were wrong.
Lastly, conflict contributes to the main theme of the book.

Without conflict Jonas would not have any chances to learn from mistakes. He sees actions and feelings that could potentially cause problems which is why they were removed from the community. Jonas states, “‘The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.’” (193). Jonas realizes that keeping these memories a secret between just him and The Giver is causing problems in the community. Jonas understands that without the rest of the community knowing about the memories, they are missing many positive experiences in life.
In conclusion, the setting, plot, and conflict of The Giver support the overall theme that learning from others’ mistakes from the past helps people improve in the future. Altogether, the setting, plot, and conflict show how Jonas learns the value of the experiences from the memories. Jonas also learns about the negative effects of all the emotions they do not feel such as losing a loved one. Even though he knows that the feelings can be painful at times, he understands that feeling them is more important than not having them at

all.