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Alternate Character Interpretation: The book Deconstructing Penguins applies some Fridge Logic and points out that people don't lie unless they know what they are doing is wrong. The argument escalates until "Jonas is no longer running away from a place where everyone believes the same things and he's different. He's running away from a place of terrible corruption that desperately needs him as the one person who might be able to make things better." In-story, this is explained as the reason The Giver stays, and Jonas does not. One must leave for the memories to return, and the Giver is not as hale and is more experienced with comforting people.
Anvilicious: In the last novel, Messenger, the protagonist blatantly states that the entire world, or at least the forest that surrounds his village, is really just a metaphor for the human condition.
First Installment Wins: A lot of people read this book at some point, usually for Middle School. However, almost nobody knows there were two sequels.
Moral Event Horizon: The reveal of the true nature of the "Release" is this for the entire society. For Jonas, his father in particular goes over the line, as he's the one doing the Release to a baby.
Jonas's father killing a baby, and saying "bye bye!" as the body goes down a metal chute.
Some of the memories Jonas receives qualify as this. Remember the first "bad" one?. "Oh look, it's the sled again! This can't go wrong-..oh...OH....aaaagh..." And remember, that was somebody's memory, meaning that horrible crash and mangling happened to someone.
Oh, and let's not forget the memory of dying soldiers. From Jonas's point of view, it lasted forhours.
Tear Jerker: What happened to Rosemary is bad enough, but when you find out that she was The Giver's daughter, and that he watched her "being released," and that HE plans on "being released" himself now that he's finished teaching Jonas, it takes on a whole new level of depressing.
This Is Your Premise on Drugs: "Scopolamine of the soul," to quote the author. The drug has multiple uses, but what she meant is that the society depicted has numbed itself to feeling.
Unfortunate Implications: The idea of an eye color being "superior", especially light eyes, may be shady if you're thinking that way, but the even more unfortunate implication is that Jonas's first "encounter" with people of a different race is them brutally killing a defenseless elephant.
Wham! Line: At some point The Giver mentions that there used to be another receiver named Rosemary. She was given sweet memories most of the time, but when she started to get the really painful memories, she asked to be released. After she died, her memories were let out, and there was chaos. Only with The Giver's help did people return to their normal lives. Later on, you also learn that The Giver has a daughter. Jonas, eager to help, asked what her name was. The reply? "Her name was Rosemary."
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