Rising Action When Jonas becomes the new Receiver, he receives memories that change the way he thinks about himself and his community forever.
Climax When Jonas realizes that when his father “releases” newchildren he actually kills them, Jonas reaches a point of no return. His frustration with his community and his desire to change it have been growing steadily, and finally Jonas cannot accept the society’s insensitivity to the value of human life. He determines to change things.
Falling Action In order to put his plan into action, Jonas flees the community on bicycle with the newchild Gabe, evading search planes and enduring hunger and pain to try to bring feelings and color to his community and bring himself to the world he has dreamed of knowing.
Themes The importance of memory; the relationship between pain and pleasure; the importance of the individual
Motifs Vision; nakedness; release
Symbols The newchild Gabriel; the sled; the river
Foreshadowing Important examples of foreshadowing in The Giver include Jonas’s apprehension about the Ceremony of Twelve, which foreshadows his future disillusionment with the community; and his feeling of closeness and freedom with the old woman while he bathes her, which foreshadows his longing for grandparents and other close, personal connections.
Explanation:
