What Is The Setting of The Giver?

The Giver is a young adult science fiction novel by Lois Lowry set in a dystopian future. In the story, all pain and suffering have been eliminated by creating a “sameness” among citizens. To maintain this “perfect” society, all memories of the past, including history, emotion and color are stored in the minds of a small group of people known as the Elders. The main character, Jonas, is selected to become the next Receiver of Memory—the person who holds all the society’s memories. As Jonas begins to learn the memories, he realizes the true cost of his society’s “perfect” world and decides to rebel against it in order to preserve humanity’s memories. The Giver is a story about the importance of learning from the past, experiencing pain, and loving others in human experience. The novel takes place in a futuristic society that has eliminated all emotions, memories, and colors. Jonas becomes the Receiver of Memory and begins to learn the memories of the past, realizing their importance and cost. Jonas rebels against this society’s “perfect” world in order to preserve humanity’s memories against those who would hide them away forever. His rebellion results in his escape from this dystopian society and his eventual discovery that he must return in order to save his friends from the bleak future that awaits them.