"The Giver"
Poster by Brenden Kosters
Intro
The movie, made 20 years later from the book, however, had a similar plot to the book. But, the movie added more action scenes, better development for background characters, and to appeal the teenage audience.
"Very soon he would not be an eleven, but a twelve" (Lowry, pg.51) The quote tells us that Jonas's age is 11, going on 12. In the 2013 movie however, Jonas's age was changed to 16, along with his friends. The reason was most likely due to how older actors can portray emotion better than younger ones in movies. Another reason was to cash in to the teenage demographic, films like "Twilight" and "The Hunger Games" proven to be financially succesful because of the appeal to adolescents.
Symbol
The sled is my symbol for the novel. Sledding down a hill of snow is usually fun and exciting, yet it can be dangerous. But in the end, you were glad you took the risk. Which is why Jonas escaped the community around the end of the novel, to experience what it's like to have freedom and human rights. He knew it could be deadly in the unknown, yet it would've been worth it for him.
After Jonas escapes, he uses a sled to slide down a hill. This part is where my symbol is featured in the book, and is the most important plot point. As Jonas experiences, the joy and fear of what might happen in sledding, which translates into taking risks in life.
Theme
I predict the theme for this novel, is to force change in your daily life. Jonas's community is so dull and lifeless, and the citizens are afraid of variety. Is it me, or does that sound like us in the real world sometimes?
Most people don't like change, some won't even accept it. But we need change in order to make us a stronger person, and learn how to deal with. Without variety, how would we know what is good or what is bad. Who knows?, taking the risk might be worth it. That's what so great about being a human, we can learn from our mistakes, and be smarter the next time we make a choice.
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a good way to make the reader/audience think about what's outside the movie, and make up our own theories. Therefore, make the movie/book relevant for many generations.