Award: Newbery 1994, Challenged Book List 1990-2000.
Exposition: Jonas lives in a community where everything is planned for all the inhabitants, including what they will do, eat, and wear. Jonas and his friends get ready to go to the annual ceremony where they will be given their assignments since they are twelve years old.
Conflict: As Jonas receives more memories he becomes aware of what happens within his community. When the baby Gabriel doesn’t develop as he should Jonas has to make a decision.
Rising Action: Jonas and his friends, now given their assignments, meet only occasionally. Jonas learns more about what being a receiver of memories means, and the hypocrisy behind the community rules.
Climax: When Jonas overhears his father say that Gabriel will have to be released, Jonas has to decide what to do in order to protect Gabriel.
Falling Action: Jonas takes Gabriel and leaves town. After leaving the community limits, the harsh weather conditions and lack of food and water prove to be too much for him to handle.
Resolution: Jonas having gone through the blizzard with Gabriel sees a house and lights at the bottom of the hill. The reader is left to draw their own conclusion—did Jonas actually see a real house to which they both will be saved, or is it just an illusion due to his frozen state?
Literary qualities: Theme and values are strongly developed and explored within this book. The community doesn’t allow emotions or touching to occur, yet Jonas is allowed both as a receiver. Symbolism is also seen throughout the book starting with the giving of articles at each age to assignments and then with the memories that Jonas is shown. Many things throughout the text are not told directly but indirectly letting the reader do some formulation on their own. This book can easily be read by a middle school reader, but even college age students could benefit by the symbolism and comparisons drawn between the utopian society seen in this book and our own society.
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