The Giver Symbols

Bikes

Bicycles are the means of transportation, but they also are significant reminders of the growing up process in children. One of the levels we gauge our own growth process is how soon we can crawl, walk, and then ride bikes. It is the same in Jonas's community where "at Nine [the bicycle] would be the powerful emblem of moving gradually out into the community, away from the protective family unit" (p. 41). It represents independence and the ability to move forward—as we also see in the ending of the book when Jonas uses his father's bicycle to rescue Gabriel by fleeing to Elsewhere.

Ribbons

Everybody likes ribbons, but in this story ribbons are another symbolic reminder of the way in which individuality is tied up and sameness promoted. All females under nine must have their hair in ribbons and tied neatly. Lily does not like the ribbons that keep her hair back; they always seem to come untied by the end of the day, and she even gets in trouble for having them that way. Having your hair down is a visual reminder of the individuality and strength of the human spirit, a spirit that is tied back and put away in this colorless community.

Gabriel

Gabriel is a symbol of life, hope, and change for the future (new beginnings). He represents Jonas accessing emotions (particularly love) that is denied by the community's rules. He also represents purity because he is an infant, never experiences the rules, and receives love through Jonas' memories. Examples: 1. Gabriel becomes Jonas' Receiver during his stay at the house (chapter 14) and the escape. 2. Gabriel becomes the reason that Jonas escapes ahead of the Giver's time frame. Gabriel is necessary to give Jonas a reason to achieve emotional maturity/ security and a reason to break ties with the community.

Names

Jonas' name symbolizes the biblical character, Jonah, who is swallowed by a whale after going the opposite direction that God tells him to go because he is afraid. Names are an important part of the book because all names have come from different people, places, or things that have attached stories. A lot of times, the author's choice of a character's name can hold symbolic meaning. For example, the name "Jonas" comes from a character in the Old Testament in the Bible where he is swallowed by a leviathan (a whale) because he keeps running away from the truth. He is spit out after three days and three nights and goes on to tell the truth. Jonas's sister's name is "Lily," which is an especially beautiful and sensitive flower, very similar to the character in the story. "Rosemary" is a fragrant herb that is associated with memory, as Shakespeare famously wrote, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance" (Hamlet iv. 5). The herb also has a lot of compounds that make

Mirrors

Mirrors symbolize differences, and that is why they are not used in the community. "Mirrors were rare in the community..." Mirrors represent a number of different things. When it comes to this story, mirrors are not used because they are a means to look at ourselves and our behavior; a means to see if what we see is good and actions right—they give us a way to make accurate judgments against the image we see. In this community everyone is the same, and the sameness tends to blur the idea of right and wrong that a mirror put up to the community would reveal.

The Color Red

The color red symbolizes Jonas as separate from community because he can see color. It also symbolizes strong emotions like love and hate and desire (because he likes Fiona). Color is necessary to illustrate Jonas' separation from the community. Examples: 1. Apple toss with Asher in chapter 3 shows Jonas' ability to see color as a separation between he and his friends. 2. The audience's faces at the ceremony in chapter 8. 3. Fiona's hair, the sled, and the books in chapter 12. 4. Jonas realizes in chapter 13 that the lack of color represents the lack of choice in his community. When Jonas sees the color red for the first time, this is the first time he realizes he is different. As Receiver of Memory, he will begin to learn about emotions. This makes him unique, because no one else in the community feels things—except The Giver.

Memories

The memories are a symbol of hope. Through the memories, Jonas learns real human emotions. This gives him hope for a better life, for himself and his people. The memories give Jonas the courage to leave. Examples: 1. "All I gave you was 1 ride, on 1 sled, in 1 snow, on 1 hill... (chapter 11)" 2. Memory of sunshine and sunburn in chapter 11. 3. Memory of men killing an elephant in chapter 13. 4. Memory of breaking a bone (pain) in chapter 14. 5. Memory of sailing on a blue-green lake in chapter 14.

Animals

The most important symbol animals represent in this story is the idea of feelings. They also represent the "danger" that Jonas' controlled society has removed. There are two very sad and distressing memories that Jonas receives from the Giver; both involve war and death. The first uses the elephant to evoke feelings of pain in Jonas, and the next is the horse, "its bridle torn and dangling, trotted frantically through the mounds of men, tossing its head, whinnying in panic. It stumbled, finally, then fell, and did not rise" (p. 118). When animals suffer, people can feel their pain and suffering. Animals also are indicators of joy and release, as we see in the final part of the book when Jonas gets to Elsewhere and sees, most importantly, the birds, which represent the freedom of the human spirit.

Pale Eyes

The pale eyes symbolize a person's ability to think and see more clearly and deeply. Symbolize separation from the community. Examples: 1. Lily points out that Jonas and Gabriel both have "funny" eyes which angers Jonas in chapter 3 because he wants to be part of the community. 2. Jonas, The Giver, and Gabriel all stand out in the community because of their pale eyes. This difference shows the impossibility of the community's efforts to control nature completely, no matter how hard it tries. 3. The fact that only the characters with pale eyes are able to see color (the rest of the community sees only in black and white) and to receive memories and feel true, deep emotion suggests that it is only those who are different who are able to notice the differences in others.

The Pills

The pills represent suppression of desires which takes away the freedom to choose a mate. As a result, there are no biological families living together in the community. Examples: 1. Everyone must take the pills once they experience the stirrings, as Jonas did in chapter 5 when he started dreaming about Fiona.

The River

The river symbolizes a block between the community and free thoughts and actions. It also symbolizes change, death, and is a symbol of escape. The river forms a border of the community before continuing on to Elsewhere. As a border, the river comes to symbolize escape—crossing the river means leaving the community. Because it takes the life of the four-year-old Caleb, the river also symbolizes the danger inherent in that escape.

The Sled

The sled is a symbol of freedom and of the journey to come. Moving downhill on the sled symbolizes the transfer of memories from the Giver to Jonas. The sled also symbolizes rescue when Jonas needs to escape the community's reality. The sled is used to illustrate receiving memory and Jonas' escape. Examples: 1. The sled is the first memory given to Jonas, and it is a pleasant one. Jonas enjoys the sled ride in chapter 11, and asks why there is no longer snow in the community. 2. Another sled ride in chapter 14 teaches Jonas about pain. He then learns about the relationship between joy and pain; without one, the other cannot exist. 3. Eventually, Jonas escapes to elsewhere on a sled.