The Giver

A Literary Critique

Marjorie Balajadia
BSEd 2A
West Visayas State University
College of Education

Literary Criticism for Teachers (ELE 208)

Dr. Hazel P. Villa

April 27, 2020

Date Submitted: April 29, 2020

 Application of Scientific Criticism on the novel The Giver using the concept of Michael
Ryan

The Giver was written by Lois Lowry and was published in the year 1993. It is an
American young adult dystopian novel and is set in a society that at first appears to
be utopian but is revealed to be dystopian as the story progresses (Wikipedia, The Giver). The
novel talks about how people in the community lived. It talks about their norms and the rules that
were already been established in their community in which people there follow and obliged. In
their community, everything is controlled, their population, the privileges, the people’s future
work and the selection of whom to let go.  
 
Living in Jonas’ community seems at first normal with a little bit of oddness. At the
beginning of the story little kids were playing and adults were amazed by a newly land helicopter
which as Jonas told carry some goods for their community. It was the only plane that visits their
community and the rest were prohibited. It seems normal that at first people were amazed as in
some community which is far from civilizations, seeing a plane amazed them but after Jonas told
that it carries goods for their community arouses the readers' feelings that their community was
far from other community and far from normal living.
 
In the novel, the people’s way of living was disrupted, it was not normal. In there,
everyone was been paid attention and their daily lives have a pattern on how it will go such as
after they woke up they will share what they have dreamed of, this is for the parents to monitor
what is going on on their child. 
 
They were all living inside a small community and as a result, most of the people knew
each family and were already familiar with them. If one commits a mistake, almost the entire
community will know it. This was also caused by their community having a speaker, a literal
one, and a human being. If there were people who committed a mistake, the speaker will
announce it and it will be heard on the entire community. But they will not confront the person
since there will be no name dropping in the speaker, even the parents cannot confront if it was
their child as it will appear to be an insult to the child.
 
They have also a ruling body which is the ‘committee of elders’, they are the ones to
decide on what to give to their people and what age to be able to acquire privilege such as biking
they had all the control to their people. The ‘committee of elders’ is like their government as they
were the ones who decide for their people. The people will comply with the rules that the
‘committee of elders’ provided them. It is headed by the ‘chief elder’ who represent their
government in every ceremony that was held and ‘the giver’ who is the prime adviser of the
‘committee of the elders’ if they encountered difficulties in decision making. Especially with the
things that the community had not been encountered yet since ‘the giver’ has the memories and
wisdom of other world events, from happy memories such as experiencing snow which did not
exist in their community and the memory of hunger and warfare which also did not occur to their
community since their population was controlled.
 

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 The giving of the privilege to the children and the people was very manipulative as there
was certain age that was set on when the children will acquire and be given such material things
to which Jonas’ mother once mentioned that, Lily’s bike will be recycled and will be given to the
future nine-year-olds. This means that the community was recycling the things that were given to
the children of a certain age.
 
For example, at the age of eight, the girls will be given a ribbon and at the age of nine, they will
be given a bike which when be seen from a normal life today as most human beings were living,
was impossible since human beings get to decide when will they buy their things. They will act
accordingly and will not wait for a certain age to buy a ribbon or a bicycle. Indeed everything is
controlled to be given, from the smallest things such as ribbons for the girls and haircut for the
boys. The ‘committee of elders’ goes thoroughly to the details of each material thing and its'
purpose and significance for the child in having it. 
 
These people lived in their community where everything was controlled and monitored.
The people in the community are being controlled and isolated literally that it greatly affects the
way they think and their concept towards living. As ‘the giver’ once said, they are not interested
in new knowledge; they are already contented on the norms that have already been established.
They were already contented by how their lives revolved inside their community and they have
already accepted that they will live in the community the same as how they lived when they were
a child. They were already used to ‘sameness’. The entire community is deprived of the world.
Their lives are customary and static. 
 
Even the mere ‘stirrings’ that happened to each one of them was given a pill for it to be
controlled. Again everything was controlled. The ‘stirring’ as what the community would call it
is very much alike to a stirring of how a human being feels when it hits puberty and depriving
people in the community to be a human is sad. Even the parents were not allowed to produce
their child, instead, the community has ‘birthmothers’ whose task is to produce babies. They
were taken care of until they have given birth to their third child and after that, they will become
laborers. In this society, mothers were not given much importance that after they birthed three
times they will work until they will be released. 
 
There are also ‘collection crew’ who collect the dishes every after the meal to be cleaned.
The family will not clean it themselves. The community’s perspectives of those who have a
decent job and works for a higher position in the community were very high. Even the mere
dishwashing was given to the ‘collection crew’. How the community treats those who have
higher positions was the same as how they treat the workers, just the opposite. It was considered
disgraceful if one suspects a child to be a laborer or a birthmother.

Moreover, from their birth, just as the norm, children were being monitored and cared for
by the ‘nurturers’. They were monitored until their right age if they are capable of functioning in
the community and if a child cannot reach the standard, they will be ‘released’.
 
The term ‘release’ however has the similarity to what people in the community believed since to
release someone is indeed to let them go.

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 The situation in Jonas’ community can be best explained by the evolution theory where
human culture is seen as playing an important role in maintaining the existence of the human
species. About 30,000 years ago, humans began to form larger settled communities that became
the first civilizations. Those communities required more advanced cognitive abilities, abilities
that did not previously exist in the species (Ryan, n.d.). This can be seen as on how the
community was controlling their people. 
 
People were also infused by their community’s ideologies and protocol hidden under
their coined term “rules’, which taints their minds and made them believe that their way of living
is normal and similar to what other people outside their community were doing. They thought
that being controlled by their community was normal, the controlling, however, preserve their
community from not being overpopulated, to maintain keeping an eye to everyone living in their
community and to maintain their norms and order that was already established by the previous
generations that have lived in their community. It can also be seen as maintaining peace and
order for their community to be the same as how it was when it was first established. 

Once they did wrong there were always and consequences punishments for them and the worse
‘committee of elders’ will decide to release them. Everyone in the community was being
controlled and monitored and that was how human nature was deprived of them in their
community. 
 
 They were told what to believe and so they all grew up what they thought was right.
Such as the ‘release’ the community thought that it was a normal method to let go of the weak
and the old, they did not have any idea that the ‘releasing’ they knew means killing the person. It
was not introduced to them. For the people that did not have any idea or ‘memory’ as the novel
would describe it, they could not be blamed since the common view of the people for ‘releasing’
was to just rest ‘elsewhere’. Some of the ‘old’ even celebrated their last day before they will be
‘released’. The worst is not just the old were released but the innocent kids who, in the
committee's opinion lack skills to live its life. It was as if their mind were poisoned to believe
what the ‘committee of the elders’ told them. 
 
      On the other hand, although it seems unlikely for the community to maintain their
population, it was explained by ‘the giver’ that once the ‘committee of elders’ asked for his
opinion and based on his ‘memory’ and he said that it was not a good idea to add more on the
prescribed family members as it will cause hunger and warfare. It is somehow the best
explanation of why the ruling-system preserved their lifestyle.
 
Also, in the mere decision making, most people in the community were in favor of the
ruling system to decide for them because they were afraid to commit errors in their decisions. It
is because they were not used to be a human being. They were not used to function on their own
when it comes to deciding. They were used to ‘sameness’. From here it can be said that indeed,
they were dependent on their ruling system. 
 
Furthermore, the mere controlling itself has already shattered the supposed to be human
nature that was being deprived of them to experience as a human being. In the novel, they were
not given the freedom to decide what to do with their future. Their future jobs were even decided

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by the ‘committee of elders’. Their actions and their daily lives were scripted and customary.
They were all living in a routine that every day the same goes as of what happened yesterday. 
 
      Hence, this novel talked about how people lived their lives in a community that was
governed by their ruling system. They were obliged to follow without them knowing it since the
community normalized it even before the generations of Jonas was born. They did not have any
memory and idea of whether it is normal, like what the other communities were implementing in
their community. They thought that there were only rules to be followed and disregard their
mind. It was because the norm was already established in their community by the previous
generations that were passed on to the younger ones and by then it will be a cycle. People in the
community did not have any feelings to feel and the guts to decide on their own. They were
living a rule-based and a customary life which mostly made them different from a real human
being. 

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References:

Ryan, M. (n.d.). An Introduction to Criticism. Scientific Criticism p. 124-137. A John Wiley &
Sons, Ltd., Publications

Wikipedia. The Giver. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giver

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 Grading Rubric for Literary Analysis
A B C D E
1) Literary Author engages in a Author provides Author uses simple Author displays Author neglects
Analysis SOPHISTICATED probing literary but inconsistent little connection to evaluate or
30 and ORIGINAL analysis and criticism. analysis and between textual analyse literary
points evaluation and Makes connections criticism. Provides support and themes or
(thematic analysis of the between textual basic evaluation thesis, and does techniques.
analysis themes and support and thesis, and analysis of not support the Author revisits
of techniques. Author though some may be literary themes and WHY. Simple or summarizes
literature) makes connections more stilted. The techniques. Some identification of rather than
between textual WHY is discussed, ideas are unoriginal the elements is giving depth the
support and overall but in a more or only in the done. There is a interpretation of
thesis/ and theme. pedestrian manner, surface of the text’s repetition of the text. Author
Furthermore, moves leading to more content resulting in already-stated does not use
beyond WHAT obvious conclusions a weaker argument facts making the adequate textual
happens and or showing less depth overall analysis unoriginal reference.
analyses the WHY. of thought overall. in thought.

27-30 24-26 21-23 18-20 15-17

Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given :
3) Develop Body paragraphs Body paragraphs are Textual support is Textual support is Body
ment offer focused, richly mostly fair, adequate, although present, but paragraphs
and developed, reasonable and not very thorough. sparse. Student contain illogical
Support sophisticated, logical. Body Student seems to omits a source. reasoning. Body
20 original, and paragraphs offer try to incorporate Support may be paragraphs
points convincing analysis focused, convincing text, although some irrelevant to the contain
(adequat of relevant and somewhat is not connected to main idea at summaries or
e evidence. Support original analysis of the overall main times. generalizations
support is applicable to relevant evidence. idea. Body that lack
and author’s main ideas Secondary source paragraphs offer relevant
textual and is used to guide support may not be some level of supporting
analysis the essay. as well-integrated, evidence and evidence and
from Secondary source perhaps. analysis which at analysis.
primary support aids in the times may be too Author fails to
source analysis and general. use textual
novel, provides additional support from
balance insight that, proves 13-14 novel and
d with depth of thought 17-18 15-16 secondary
commen 19-20 sources.
tary) 10-11
Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given :
5) Style Sentences are fluid Sentences are clear Paper focus waivers Sentences are Sentences are
20 and graceful and and direct. Sentences or fluency is solid but either overly
points are joined logically are joined logically to interrupted at times. sometimes simplistic or
to show show relationships Paragraphs are choppy. confusingly
(organiz relationships between ideas. organized but not in Sentences could worded.
ation, between ideas. Sentences the most logical be joined more Sentences are
clarity Sentences demonstrate way. Transitions logically to show not joined
effectively syntactical maturity may be mundane relationships logically to show

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 and demonstrate through varied and paragraphs between ideas. relationships
fluency syntactical maturity sentence structure. may contain more There is minimal between ideas.
of ideas, through varied Paragraphs contain implicit than explicit sentence variety. There is a lack
focus on sentence structure. connections to connections to the Lacks some of sentence
main Paragraphs are thesis/claim, though thesis/claim. Intro transitions. variety.Textual
idea) framed with perhaps not as and conclusion may support chops
connections to explicitly at times. contain more “fluff” 13-14 up prose. Intro
claim/thesis and are than substance. or conclusion
organized by idea. 17-18 may be
15-16 irrelevant or
19-20 omitted
altogether.
10-11
Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given :
7) Formatti Has properly used Has properly used Some APA Paper contains a APA format has
ng APA format in title APA format in title formatting has been noticeable not been used
15 page, body of paper page, body of paper used but is missing number of APA properly.
points and page and page numbering. elements. Sources errors and does Sources are not
(APA numbering. Sources Sources are cited are properly cited not consistently properly cited
including are properly cited using APA format using APA format follow formatting according to
Works using APA format with very few lapses with occasional rules. APA format.
Cited) correctly. in usage. lapses in usage.
13-14 11-12 9-10
15 7-8
Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given :

9) Conventi Essay uses 3rd Essay contains Essay contains Essay is filled with It seems as
ons person, active occasional flaws in obvious errors in errors in grammar though the
15 voice, present grammar and grammar and and conventions essay was not
points tense, with strong conventions, perhaps conventions and frequently proofread at all.
(Gramm verbs and a variety with more repetitive throughout, must be re-read to Various errors in
ar, of sentence sentence structures although they do follow the ideas. usage,
spelling, structures. Essay or more common not distract from the Language and grammar, and
subject/v has few, if any, language. meaning. Language structure begin to conventions
erb grammatical or usage is sentence distract from the distract greatly
agreeme proofreading errors. structure is basic meaning. from the ideas
nt, 13-14 but still conveys the and mar the
punctuat 15 point. 9-10 essay to the
ion, 11-12 point of
usage) incoherence.

7-8
Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given :

Nothing Follows and Good Luck.