The Giver - Expansion
The world in the book The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is revealed to the reader slowly, starting with the main character, Jonas, but then building outward from his limited perception into a broader and more encompassing view.
In the opening scene, Jonas sees an aircraft fly over, and it puzzles him. He readily obeys the command from the speakers spread throughout the community to go inside. Through this incident, we learn that air travel is rare in this world and that bicycles are the primary mode of transportation for the people. We also begin to see the emphasis on precision of language, especially with the word "release." We learn that "release" is a very serious matter and not something to ever be used lightly or jokingly.
Next, Lowry introduces Asher, Jonas's best friend. Through this new character, we learn a little about how schools operate in the community, and we get a clearer idea about the precision of language in the society. Finally, we see one way emotions are kept in check - the rote apology and response Asher and the class must recite when Asher is late.
When Jonas goes home, we learn more about how emotions are kept in check. Jonas and his family sit and discuss the emotions they'd experienced that day in a very analytical manner. The whole family, that is, except Lily, Jonas's younger sister, who does not yet have the control the older members of the family have developed. Jonas's father offers the logical explanations that help her reexamine and correct her emotions. Through Jonas's family, we also learn even more about the community - how children are raised, how families are formed, how justice is administered, etc.
By starting with the main character and slowly working outward, we as the readers are drawn into the world Lowry has created.Since we see the world through the eyes of the main character, the order in which the world is revealed is just as important as the pace, but I will cover that in a future post.
In the opening scene, Jonas sees an aircraft fly over, and it puzzles him. He readily obeys the command from the speakers spread throughout the community to go inside. Through this incident, we learn that air travel is rare in this world and that bicycles are the primary mode of transportation for the people. We also begin to see the emphasis on precision of language, especially with the word "release." We learn that "release" is a very serious matter and not something to ever be used lightly or jokingly.
Next, Lowry introduces Asher, Jonas's best friend. Through this new character, we learn a little about how schools operate in the community, and we get a clearer idea about the precision of language in the society. Finally, we see one way emotions are kept in check - the rote apology and response Asher and the class must recite when Asher is late.
When Jonas goes home, we learn more about how emotions are kept in check. Jonas and his family sit and discuss the emotions they'd experienced that day in a very analytical manner. The whole family, that is, except Lily, Jonas's younger sister, who does not yet have the control the older members of the family have developed. Jonas's father offers the logical explanations that help her reexamine and correct her emotions. Through Jonas's family, we also learn even more about the community - how children are raised, how families are formed, how justice is administered, etc.
By starting with the main character and slowly working outward, we as the readers are drawn into the world Lowry has created.Since we see the world through the eyes of the main character, the order in which the world is revealed is just as important as the pace, but I will cover that in a future post.
Comments
Post a Comment