Discussion Topic
Reader engagement and the beginning of "The Giver."
Summary:
The beginning of "The Giver" engages readers by introducing a seemingly utopian society with strict rules and a mysterious atmosphere. It piques curiosity through the protagonist Jonas's apprehension about the upcoming Ceremony of Twelve, where life assignments are given. This intrigue sets the stage for exploring deeper themes of control, conformity, and individuality.
How does the author engage the reader in "The Giver"?
From the very first sentence, there are mysteries for the reader. Who is Jonas ? Why is he frightened? That is always a good way to gain a reader's interest! As the first chapter continues, we can see there is a community. We have to wonder what kind of community it might be. We see it's a community that doesn't allow planes to fly overhead. That is unusual, isn't it? We know this is a world in which there are airplanes, though, so the setting of the story cannot be in the distant past, and is likely to be at least in the present, or perhaps the future. As we continue to read, we see many unusual responses from the people in the community and unusual rituals, for example, that they have to drop everything and hide when a plane flies overhead, that people might be "released," that feelings must be discussed...
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with one's parents at dinner, that everyone is permitted to have two children, one male and one female. The world into which the reader is drawn has enough similarities to not be completely alien, but is unusual and mysterious enough for the reader to want to keep reading and solve the mysteries.
How does "The Giver" begin?
The first page opens by setting the scene of this strange dystopian community of which Jonas is a part by explaining the fear or nervousness that Jonas has in his heart. It reminds him of the fear he felt when, a year ago, an unidentified aircraft had flown over the community twice and the fascination which quickly turned to fear that he experienced as he tells us that this was against the rules of the community. The plane was different from the normal planes that they see and both adults and children were confused and frightened by what they saw. The response they received did nothing to calm them down:
Then all of the citizens had been ordered to go into the nearest building and stay there. Immediately, the rasping voice through the speakers had said. Leave your bicycles where they are.
Such an event shows the very closed nature of the community of which Jonas is a part and how tightly controlled it is. Jonas and the citizens are obviously conditioned to obey and to obey immediately. The opening of the story thus serves to set the context for the rest of the novel as we discover more of the rigidly organised community of which Jonas is a part.