asher assignment the giver movie

• Newsletters

Site search

• Israel-Hamas war
• Home Planet
• 2024 election
• Supreme Court
• TikTok’s fate
• All explainers
• Future Perfect

Filed under:

7 ways The Giver movie is different than the book

Share this story.

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Twitter
• Share this on Reddit
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: 7 ways The Giver movie is different than the book

Screen adaptations of books never stick to the source material completely, and the big screen version of The Giver is no exception. W hile the story is very similar to the one Lois Lowry wrote in her award-winning novel, the differences between the two versions are noticeable. Here are 7 of them.

1) The film over-delivers on explanation

It's a bit unfair to start with this one because film, by virtue of its medium, cannot be as subtle as literature (for the most part). But one of the things I appreciate about Lowry's writing is that the mystery of Jonas's world is very slow to unfold. In the film, almost an entire third of Lowry's book happens on-screen within the first few scenes. Characters are developed very quickly, and, as a result, the film loses some of the uneasy ambiguity of the book. Granted, because films are limited by time, they have to be more fast-moving than books, which can take a few pages or even chapters to hint at one minor plot point.

2) On screen, Jonas is a (hunky) young man

In the book, much is made about characters' ages. In fact, in the world of The Giver , the calendar seems to center on a Ceremony which marks the aging of children from one year to the next. When the book opens, Jonas is about to become a Twelve, which means he will be given his community Assignment. Jonas' young age makes him the prefect protagonist for a story in which he discovers the depth of human emotion as he simultaneously expands his vocabulary. By making the movie Jonas slightly older — 16 years old — the film loses some of the innocent quality of the Lowry's hero. Still, it's worth noting that Brenton Thwaites does bring a youthful naivety and charm to the role, and so Lowry's vision remains largely intact.

3) Meryl Streep's character was a much smaller part of the book

Streep is absolute gold and her character was a great addition to the movie. But you should know that the character she's based on, the Chief Elder, isn't nearly as important a character in Lowry's novel.

4) Jonas doesn't kiss Fiona in the book

Unsurprisingly, the Jonas/Fiona relationship was given the Hollywood Young Adult Movie treatment. In the book, there are hints that Jonas does have strong but unexplained feelings toward Fiona (Odeya Rush) — the book calls the feelings "Stirrings." The fact that Jonas is able to "see beyond" the gray color of Fiona's hair to its original red also suggests that the two of them share a special bond. But in the book, he doesn't really act on his Stirrings toward Fiona, probably because, well, he's only a Twelve.

5) Fiona isn't assigned to be a Nurturer in the book

This one might not seem like it changes anything about the overall story, and I mostly agree. There is, however, one small part of me that wishes Hollywood would have kept its hands off Fiona's Assignment. In the book, the job Fiona ends up getting assigned to is something much less sexy than the job of taking care of babies. In Lowry's original story, Fiona is assigned to be a Caretaker of the Old.

That means the young Twelve is tasked with caring for the elderly of her society, with bathing them and helping make them as comfortable as possible just before they are euthanized, or "released." Obviously, it would have been difficult to show Fiona and Jonas bathing naked old people, and so it makes sense that this part was written out. At the same time, Lowry's novel stands as a warning to a society that seems to have a certain disregard for its elders, an element the film loses.

6) Asher isn't a pilot, and Jonas doesn't punch him

Again, this was a strategic change made to help with the momentum of the film adaptation. In the book, Asher (Cameron Monaghan) is assigned to be the Assistant Director of Recreation. On screen, he's made a Pilot, which helps add an additional layer of drama to the end of the film when Jonas flees from the authorities, and Asher is sent to search for him.

7) The film's ending is less ambiguous than the book's

Both versions of the story end with Jonas and Gabe sledding down a snowy mountain toward a home that the Giver had showed him in a previous memory. The way that the book ends makes it uncertain as to whether or not the two children actually make it to the abode. In the film, the last shot deliberately features Jonas, babe in tow, walking up to the snow-covered home. The variation between the two endings is slight, but it's worth noting that Lowry's final paragraphs probably had less appeal to producers than the one that ended up on the big screen.

Will you support Vox today?

We believe that everyone deserves to understand the world that they live in. That kind of knowledge helps create better citizens, neighbors, friends, parents, and stewards of this planet. Producing deeply researched, explanatory journalism takes resources. You can support this mission by making a financial gift to Vox today. Will you join us?

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via

Next Up In The Latest

Sign up for the newsletter today, explained.

Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day.

Thanks for signing up!

Check your inbox for a welcome email.

Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.

Why we keep seeing egg prices spike

After decades of inaction, states are finally stepping up on housing

Harvey Weinstein’s overturned conviction, explained by a lawyer

The AI grift that can literally poison you

Everything’s a cult now

We could be heading into the hottest summer of our lives

• View history

Asher is a character in The Giver . He is known to be silly but good-natured and playful, never intending to hurt anybody. He is Jonas ' best friend, having a great sense of humor. 

• 1 Personality
• 2.1.1 The Giver
• 2.2 The Giver (2014)
• 3 Job Assignment
• 5.1 Film Screenshots

Personality

Asher is very energetic, clumsy, careless, and imprecise with words, but cheerful and good-humored, but this results in him being hard to work with. He is a bit excitable sometimes which results in him speaking too fast and imprecisely, like when he was a three, and mixed up snack with the word "smack", receiving many blows of the " discipline wand " on his hand and legs. This resulted in a silent Asher for a while, but after a while he learned and began to talk with greater precision. Asher is usually late for school, and uses multiple excuses to explain this. On the other hand he is described by most as fun to be around.

The Giver Quartet

The giver (2014).

In The Giver (2014) , Asher is portrayed by Cameron Monaghan , and the character's age is changed from 12 to 18. Asher's assignment is Drone Pilot instead of recreation director, which was never mentioned in the book. Asher helps Jonas with his escape, though in the book Jonas did everything on his own.

Job Assignment

Asher was assigned the job of Assistant Recreational Director in the book, and assigned Pilot in the movie. He was the fourth one to receive his job assignment as his birth number is #4, meaning that he was the fourth child born in his year out of 50 children.

Asher has a father, a mother and a baby sister called Phillipa , who Asher's family gained when Asher became an Eleven. Phillipa is a One in the book, although not much is said about her.

Film Screenshots

The Giver | Ten Major Differences between the Book and the Movie

This Friday, approved the long-awaited cinematic adaptation of The Giver arrives in theaters. For fans of the book, page one of the biggest questions surrounding the movie is how closely the film follows the novel. Although I was pleased by the movie (check out my full review here ), viagra there were several major differences between the book and the film.

I recently went back to the book and discovered that there were at least ten major differences between the book and the movie. Check out my list of those differences below. ( SPOILERS AHEAD ).

10.) Change to Jonas’s Age

The Book : “‘After twelve, age isn’t important…what’s important is the preparation for adult life and the training you’ll receive in your Assignment.’

The Movie : In the book, Jonas receives his life assignment at the age of twelve (as explained by his father in the quote above). In the movie, he (played by Brenton Thwaites) is much older– clearly in his teenage years– when he is chosen as the Receiver.

2.) Family Unit: One Boy and One Girl

The Book : “Two children– one male, one female– to each family unit. It was written very clearly in the rules.”

The Movie : Jonas is blessed with a younger sister named Lilly (Emma Tremblay). From the outside, this seems like a perfectly normal family but the book delves deeper into population control and the sameness that is built into the family structure.

3.) Differences in the Chief Elder

The Book : “The initial speech at the Ceremony of Twelve was made by the Chief Elder, the leader of the Community who was elected every ten years.”

The Movie : The Chief Elder (Meryl Streep) doesn’t attend the ceremony where jobs are chosen for the youngsters– she appears by hologram instead– in the movie and is presented as more of a villain than she is in the book.

4.) Abuse of Asher

The Book : “The punishment used for small children was a regulated system of smacks with the discipline wand: a thin, flexible weapon that stung painfully when it was wielded… the discipline wand in the hand of the Childcare worker whistled as it came down across Asher’s hands.”

The Movie : In the book, Jonas remembers the physical punishment Asher endured as a child when he confused the words “snack” and “smack.” In the film, there’s only a brief reference to Asher’s imprecise language and his punishment as a child isn’t mentioned at all.

5.) Roles of Asher and Fiona

The Book : “‘Asher,’ she lifted her voice to make the official announcement. ‘We have given you the Assignment of Assistant Director of Recreation’… Fiona was given the important Assignment of the Caretaker of the Old.”

The Movie : In the movie, the assignments of Asher (Cameron Monaghan) and Fiona (Odeya Rush) , Jonas’ two best friends, are completely different. Asher is chosen as a pilot while Fiona becomes a Nurturer for the babies.

6.) Transfer of Memories

The Book : “‘I am going to transmit the memory of snow,’ the old man said, and placed his hands on Jonas’s bare back.”

The Movie : In the book, The Giver transfers memories to Jonas by placing his hands on Jonas’ bare back while Jonas is lying on a table. In the movie, the memories are transferred when The Giver grabs Jonas’ wrists and gives him the flashbacks.

7.) Jonas tries to give Asher memories

The Book : “He put his hands on Asher’s shoulders, and concentrated on the red of the petals, trying to hold it as long as he could, and trying at the same time to transmit the awareness of red to his friend.”

The Movie : In the book, Jonas tries to transfer memories to his best friend Asher while in the movie, he attempts to transfer his memories to Fiona. From what I can recall, he never tries to transfer his memories to Asher in the movie.

8.) When Receiver dies, memories go out

The Book : “The Giver smiled grimly. ‘When the new Receiver failed, the memories that she had received were released. They didn’t come back to me. They went…’

The Movie : In the book, the Giver explains that when Rosemary, the previous Receiver, was released, the memories she received went out to everyone in the community. That is never noted in the movie.

9.) Romance with Fiona

The Book : “I wanted her to take off her clothes and get into the tub,’ he explained quickly. ‘I wanted to bathe her…'”

The Movie : In the book, the romance between Fiona is underplayed with Jonas beginning to have dreams about her– where he wants to bathe her (see the quote above)– but there’s no romantic relationship between the characters. In the movie, the romance is played up with a budding romance between the young couple.

10.) No action scene and less clarity at the end

The Book : “He [Gabriel] had stolen his father’s bicycle…And he had taken Gabriel too.”

The Movie : In the book, Jonas– despite his fears– has few problems saving baby Gabriel from the Nurturing Center. In the film, there’s a big action scene where Jonas uses Fiona to distract the police so he can escape the Community with Gabriel. Also, in the book, there’s less clarity about the end of the story when Jonas escapes the Community. The cinematic ending is far more clear-cut.

If you want to learn more about the movie, check out the trailer below.

Related Content

Recent Posts

• “Creed 2” Trailer Released
• Chrissy Metz tells her story in “This is Me”
• Review: “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” is an intoxicating mystery
• The 10 Best Movies of 2017
• “A Wrinkle in Time” Trailer Released
• 10 Best Things
• 10 Characters
• 10 Differences
• 5 Characters
• 5 Directors
• 5 Reasons We Love
• Appreciation
• Award Shows
• Best of the Year
• Blu-Ray/DVD Reviews
• Book Reviews
• Box Office Report
• Characters: Then and Now
• Emmy Awards
• Episode Recap
• Golden Globes
• HuffPost Live
• Jimmy Kimmel
• Jurassic World
• Monday Spotlight
• Movie Preview
• Movies to Look Forward to
• Must-Read Lists
• Must-Read Reviews
• New Trailer
• Television Review
• The Colbert Report
• The Credits
• The Late Late Show with James Corden
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
• The Movies of
• The Year in Movies
• Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
• Trailer Talk
• Worst of the Year
• View All Film Reviews
• View All TV Reviews
• View All Interviews
• View All Videos
• View All Blog Posts

Free E-Mail Newsletter from John Hanlon

Sign up to receive the latest reviews, newest trailers and the entertainment news of the week.

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors.

Now streaming on:

20 years ago, Lois Lowry's dystopian YA novel "The Giver" won the Newberry Medal. Creepy and prophetic, told in a kind of flat-affect voice, it has been a staple in middle-school literature curriculum ever since, introducing young students to sophisticated ethical and moral concepts that will help them recognize its precedents when they come to read the works of George Orwell or Aldous Huxley. Jeff Bridges has been attached as a producer to the film project for almost 20 years, and finally, "The Giver" is here, with Bridges in the title role. Directed by Phillip Noyce, with an adaptation of the book by Michael Mitnick , "The Giver" gives us the overall structure of Lowry's original work, adds a couple of understandable details like a sweet little romance and then derails into an action movie in its final sequence, complete with attacks from the air and a hi-tech command center. Children have been thrilled by the book for 20 years, and a chase scene still proved irresistible. Despite a truly pained performance from Jeff Bridges and a beautifully imagined, three-dimensional futuristic world, "The Giver," in wanting to connect itself to more recent YA franchises, sacrifices subtlety, inference and power.

"The Giver" takes place in a community at some point in the indeterminate future where "Sameness" is prized above all else. Multiple factors have gone into creating a monochromatic world (literally, colors have been erased) where individuality is crushed, a citizen's every move is monitored from the moment of birth, natural families have been replaced by artificial "family units" and choice has vanished. A soothing voice makes passive-aggressive scolding announcements over loudspeakers. The Giver's cavernous dwelling, perched on the edge of a cliff, is a gloomy and masterful set, overlooking the clouds gathered below, making The Giver appear like Citizen Kane, holed up in his mansion surrounded by accumulated possessions and raw pain.

"Precision of language" is enforced, and so people are constantly apologizing and saying "I accept your apology" to each other, but in a rote way that drains the language of meaning. "The Giver" is a cautionary tale about what happens when language is controlled and limited—ground well covered for all time in "1984"—where citizens have no language available to them outside of "newsspeak." Memories are gone, too, in "The Giver". One person in the Community is chosen to be "The Receiver" of a collective memory, memories of now-extinct experiences like love and war and sex and pain. Through the course of the film, the young Jonas ( Brenton Thwaites ), chosen to be the next Receiver, is introduced to complexity and emotion and his entire concept of the world as he knows it shatters. He must now make a choice: to stay or to flee. It's a powerful set-up, made even more stark by Noyce's choice to film the majority of the film in black-and-white. When Jonas starts to see colors again, there are unavoidable " Pleasantville " connections.

Jonas is raised in a family unit, with Katie Holmes and Alexander Skarsgård acting as parental units. He has two best friends, Fiona ( Odeya Rush ) and Asher ( Cameron Monaghan ), and they are about to "graduate from childhood," and take on their assigned jobs in the community. There is a gigantic ceremony, led by the Chief Elder (Meryl Streep, who shows up as a holograph the size of a building), and each child is called to the stage to receive their assignments. The entire community gathers in a massive stadium, everyone dressed in identical white, so it looks like a gigantic celestial choir or a formal-dress LGAT workshop. Everyone speaks in unison. Everyone claps the same way. Everyone looks forward. No one moves. The effect is eerie.

Jonas is surprised when he is not assigned a job at all. He is, instead, "selected" to be the next Receiver, because he apparently has the ability to "see beyond." He has no idea what that means. Jeff Bridges, who becomes The Giver once a new Receiver is chosen, sits in the front row of the stadium, grim and remote. The thousands of people present start to chant in a repetitive whisper, "Jonas … Jonas … Jonas …"

The training sessions, when they come, are part Mr. Miyagi, part vision quest, and part "Quantum Leap." The Giver bombards Jonas with memories from all of humanity, memories that thrust Jonas into the thick of the action: he feels snow falling for the first time, he is shown the full spectrum of colors, he is given shaky-cam experiences of war, he also dances around a Maypole with a saucy wench while wearing a pirate shirt. There are multiple quick-shot montage sequences of smiling babies, praying Muslims, crashing waves, paper lanterns, crying elderly people. The music swells, pushing the emotions on us, but the montages have the opposite effect intended. Instead of revelatory glimpses of the rich tapestry of human experience, they seem like Hallmark-collages uploaded on YouTube. Noyce has also made the questionable choice to co-opt real-world events, and so suddenly we see Tieneman Square in the montage, or the Arab Spring, or Nelson Mandela. It's cheap, hoping to ride the coattails of others, as opposed to finding a visual form and style that will actually express the strength of the human spirit.

Jonas begins to look around him with new eyes. He wants to kiss Fiona. He wants to have the choice to feel things that may be unpleasant. He is not allowed to share his training with others.

The young actors in the film are pretty nondescript, the lead included, although Thwaites seems to come alive in mischievous ways when he starts to take care of a fussy newborn who can't stop crying at night. Holmes and Skarsgård are both strange and unplaceable, playing human beings whose emotions are entirely truncated. "Precision of language, please," says Mother at the dinner table when one of her children starts to speak. Bridges galumphs across the screen, a madman out of Melville, tormented, lonely, in and out of reality. His memories sometimes flatten him. There is one moment where he tells Jonas what the word is for the "feeling between people," and his eyes burn with pain and loss as he says, "Love. It's called love." It's the only powerful moment in the film. His emotion is so palpable it reaches off the screen and grips your throat.

The use of heavy explanatory voiceover to open and close the film is disappointing, especially since a couple of lines have been added to the famous last paragraph of the book. Not surprisingly, the lines added remove it from the moody ambiguous statement of hope that it is in the book, and turn it into a complete platitude. We've heard it a hundred times before. It emanates Sameness with every word.

Sheila O'Malley

Sheila O'Malley received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island and a Master's in Acting from the Actors Studio MFA Program. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

Now playing

The Long Game

Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World

Brian tallerico.

Sasquatch Sunset

Monica castillo.

Sleeping Dogs

In the Land of Saints and Sinners

Mary & George

Cristina escobar, film credits.

The Giver (2014)

Rated PG-13 for a mature thematic image and some sci-fi action/violence

Jeff Bridges as The Giver

Meryl Streep as Chief Elder

Brenton Thwaites as Jonas

Alexander Skarsgård as Jonas's father

Katie Holmes as Jonas' mother

Odeya Rush as Fiona

Cameron Monaghan as Asher

Taylor Swift as Rosemary

• Phillip Noyce
• Michael Mitnick
• Robert B. Weide

Cinematography

Latest blog posts.

Max’s Award-Winning Hacks Returns with Its Best Season to Date

Death Feels Very Close: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi on Evil Does Not Exist

Speed Kills: On the 25th Anniversary of Go

Joanna Arnow Made Her BDSM Comedy for You

• Newsletters
• Account Activating this button will toggle the display of additional content Account Sign out

How Faithful Is The Giver  to the Lois Lowry Novel?

The movie adaptation of The Giver , Lois Lowry’s Newbery Medal–winning YA novel, was years in the making .* While Lowry has been blunt about the need for some changes—she told Hypable , “a movie has to have visual stuff, so there’s been action added that is not in the book”—audiences have been vocal from the start about their desire for faithfulness. When the first trailer came out in color (the world of The Giver is devoid of colors) fans were outraged . And as Laura Anderson writes in her review of the movie in Slate , the movie warps the source material so that it more closely conforms to all the teen-marketed dystopias that have come since.

So, sorry, middle school students: You won’t be able to write a paper based on the movie, with its drones and its love triangles. But you should read the book anyway, since it’s wonderful no matter your age . And if you’re curious about the differences between the two, we’ve broken them down below.

The Premise The movie takes place in the confines of “the community,” something that started after “the ruin,” when all memories were erased and everyone became equal. Things like “precision of language” and “sameness” are valued. Families are units of a mother and a father and a child or two—children are applied for and birthed by birthing mothers.

While the book has no discussion of “the ruin,” the basic premise is the same. But the look and feel of the movie is more futuristic than the sense one gets from the book. For example, in the book characters take pills to stop “stirrings,” what readers understand to be sexual desire, while in the movie all characters get a daily injection. There are no retina scans to open doors in the book; instead, there is a secretary-like person.

Other small differences: Animals don’t exist in this world in either the book or the movie, but stuffed animals are called by their traditional names in the book, while in the movie Jonas’ father misidentifies a stuffed elephant as a hippo. There is also a weird clap they do in the movie where they bang their left hands on their left thighs and keep their right hands in a fist on their right thighs. In the book they clap like regular people.

Jonas Like the novel, the movie begins right before Jonas’ Ceremony of Twelve—except in the movie it’s the Ceremony of Sixteen, an age that makes the love triangle, which is not present in the book, more believable than it might have been otherwise. Jonas is selected as the Receiver of Memories in both book and movie and in both he is lauded for his virtues. In the book he has “funny eyes” which are lighter than most people’s, a sign of his capacity to be a receiver of memory. In the movie, Jonas and the other receivers are identifiable by birthmarks on their right wrists.

In both the movie and the book Jonas’ father is a Nurturer and his mother works at the Department of Justice. His father is compassionate in both the movie and the book, but in the movie his mother seems like the enemy. This is not the case in the book.

Jonas also forms a special bond with Gabriel, a baby his father brings to their dwelling for extra care before his naming ceremony. While the timeline of how long he stays with Jonas’ family differs in the book and movie, Gabriel’s role in influencing Jonas’ decisions, especially after being slotted for “release,” appears in both. And, as Lowry told the New York Times Magazine , the actor who plays the baby deserves a baby Oscar. 

Fiona and Asher In the movie, Fiona and Asher are Jonas’ best friends. While he knows Fiona in the book, they are only casual acquaintances and volunteer together with the old members of the community. (In the movie they volunteer at the nurturing center, where the babies live before their naming ceremony.) Fiona’s red hair is one of the first things Jonas sees “beyond,” that is, in color, and he does feel “stirrings” for her, but he never acts on them in the book as he does in the movie. The movie’s makeshift sled ride, kissing scene, and everything involving her near the end of the film are new.

Asher, meanwhile, is a goofy, clumsy, and good-hearted sidekick who is selected as Assistant Director of Recreation in the book. In the movie, on the other hand, he is a serious, unsmiling busybody who is selected as a drone pilot and later begins to suspect Jonas of breaking the community’s rules. Their relationship is drastically changed in the movie for the purpose of creating conflict.

The Giver The Giver was the Receiver of Memories before Jonas, and he trains Jonas. He is much friendlier in the book and a lot less jaded and drunk-seeming. He doesn’t butt heads with the Chief Elder in the book like he does in the movie. He transfers memories in the book by placing his hand on Jonas’ back, while in the movie he hovers his hands over Jonas’ wrists while they sit face-to-face. The book makes it clear that the Giver loses access to each memory when he transfers it to Jonas, but in the movie it seems that the Giver still remembers things he shares with Jonas.

Many of the memories we see Jonas receive are changed slightly from the book’s versions: Instead of experiencing pain from a sunburn, for instance, Jonas gets a bee sting; a very old memory of war—from a time when horses are used in battle—becomes a memory from Vietnam. In the movie, the Giver accidentally transfers a violent memory to Jonas after Jonas finds him writhing on the floor in pain; this doesn’t happen in the book. In the book, the Giver is occasionally in too much pain to transfer memories, and when that happens Jonas gets the day off.

The Giver’s daughter, Rosemary, is a failed Receiver of Memories in both the movie and the book—but she is only briefly mentioned in the latter. The scene where Rosemary plays the piano is not in the book—Jonas refuses to accept a memory of music from the Giver, because he wants the Giver to be able to keep it—and was presumably added so that Taylor Swift could have more screen time . (Similarly, the role of the Chief Elder, a minor one in the book, was expanded for Meryl Streep.)

Releasing Ceremony In both the book and the movie this ceremony is a bit vague until Jonas watches his father perform it on an identical twin who weighs less then his counterpart. Thanks to the memories he’s received, Jonas realizes that his father is killing the child, but his father doesn’t understand this. This scene is quite faithful to the book. But other aspects of “release” are different: In the movie, the entire community celebrates the release of the elderly at the assignment ceremony, while in the book the elderly are individually released in front of their peers.

Ending In both book and movie, Jonas leaves the community with Gabriel. But in nearly every other respect the endings diverge. In the movie, Jonas leaves to save Gabriel from being released, while in the book he takes his time and plans his escape carefully, only expediting the plan when he finds out about Gabriel’s release. He does not punch Asher in the face or incriminate Fiona in the book. The Chief Elder doesn’t ask Asher to “lose” Jonas if he finds him with his drone (there are no drones in the book). In the book, after Jonas leaves the community—by biking away in the middle of the night, not stealing a motorcycle—we only hear things from his perspective, and we don’t know for sure what happens back in the community. The book also has a famously ambiguous ending—it’s not clear if Jonas and Gabriel survive—but, as Lowry told New York Magazine ,  “ I had a little trouble with the ending: In the book, it’s ambiguous, but the movie ­people—and when I say ‘movie people,’ I mean primarily Harvey Weinstein, the head-honcho guy with the power and the money—felt that the ending should not be so ambiguous.”

Correction, Aug. 18, 2014: This post originally misspelled Newbery Medal. 

Previously All the Things I Didn’t Get When I Read The Giver  as a Kid How Faithful Is The Great Gatsby ?

Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions

The Giver Ending, Explained

Imagine a world without colors or emotions, or history for that matter. How would life thrive in such a place? 2014 sci-fi dystopian drama ‘The Giver’ is an epic tale told in snippets. Directed by Phillip Noyce and based on the eponymous 1993 young adult novel by Lois Lowry, the story revolves around the titular Giver and his Receiver in a far-flung futuristic universe.

The mentor-apprentice tale is also the coming-of-age of Jonas. He holds all four abilities to become the Receiver of Memory. Through his eyes, we look at the history of the bygone — the snow, the sled, and the bees — and the world slowly comes to color. Let us revisit the final moments of Jonas’ story. SPOILERS AHEAD.

The Giver Plot Synopsis

Jonas lives in a futuristic world where they cannot have last names. They are rid of pain and suffering, but they are also not allowed to have emotions. When children graduate, the Chief Elder ( Meryl Streep ) thanks the children for their childhoods and initiates them to society according to their abilities. They live in dispersed communities, while Elsewhere remains a buffer zone of the past. Jonas knew from his childhood that he was different.

On graduation day, the Chief Elder virtually meets the community and decides the fate of the graduates. Asher becomes a drone pilot, and Fiona, a nurturer. Jonas, however, holds all the four abilities: intelligence, integrity, courage, and the ability to see beyond. He meets the Giver of Memories ( Jeff Bridges ) — the one who possesses the cumulative memories of the entire humankind — and starts his training. He would come to know that there is more — much more — than the civilization can imagine.

The Giver Ending: What Is The Boundary of Memory? Can Jonas Cross It?

Early in the lessons, Jonas comes to the Giver’s house on the Edge to find him deep in his studies. He utters that there will be a Giver more gifted than all that came before him, and he would be known by the name of Jonas. The Giver also warns Jonas not to be beguiled. He accidentally or willingly drops a map from the book, and Jonas picks it up. The rough map demarcates the world of the communities. Jonas identifies the Triangle of Rocks, which his friend Asher saw in one of his drone adventures.

The map is bound by a line called the Boundary of Memory. The Boundary of Memory keeps the collective memory of humankind out of the community’s reach, in the reign of the Elders. However, Jonas deduces that if he can cross the Boundary of Memory, they can get the memory back for entire communities. The memories can moreover be passed on, as we have seen before. The injections that the Elders prescribe further represses one from having dreams, emotions, and memories.

After the Giver’s suggestions that the injections keep the populace ignorant, Jonas stops taking the medicines altogether. He starts having emotions for Fiona that he cannot describe. The Giver dubs it “love.” But they live in a world where there is no love — “the precision of language” prevails. But Jonas starts showing aberrant behaviors, which raises suspicion amongst his parents and the Chief Elder.

Meanwhile, the family keeps Gabriel, a child who has the same birthmark on his wrist as Jonas. Jonas knows that Gabriel, too, would be a Giver of Memory. Jonas passes on all the happy memories from the Giver to Gabriel. But when Jonas sees his father “releasing” Gabriel (a term assigned to killing), he becomes hellbent on charting the lands of Elsewhere beyond the Boundary of Memory.

Gabriel must be killed for not meeting the development criterion, and Jonas cannot let that happen. Jonas tells Fiona to leave with him, but Fiona conforms in the end. Jonas steals a kiss from Fiona and punches Asher before fleeing the scene with Gabriel. He hops on a bike and the police chase after him. But Jonas manages to take the leap from the Edge, and the police have to bring the pursuit to a close. Jonas crosses a desert, while the Chief Elder tells Asher to capture and eliminate Jonas.

Asher follows the party with his drone, but Jonas’ pleading makes Asher let him go. They float down the river and interestingly reach a range of mountains. We almost see the re-enactment of ‘ Into The Wild ,’ but Jonas wakes up on the snow to find a sled — just like in his first session with the Giver. He rides the sled to reach a home, which is more than just a dwelling. In the end, the Giver leads Jonas into Elsewhere. We see the world coming back to technicolor in the finale, and the collective memories come back to the Chief Elder. Therefore, we can safely assume that he has gone beyond the Boundary of Memory.

Is Fiona Dead or Alive? Do Jonas And Fiona End Up Together?

The Chief Elder and Jonas’ mother see the video of Jonas kissing Fiona. Jonas has expressed his love for Fiona, but the desire is forbidden to maintain sameness in this dystopian world. Therefore, they conjure that Fiona must be released. After Jonas’ instruction, Fiona stops taking the medications altogether, which may cause her to have emotions. Jonas’ mother gives Fiona the morning injection while Jonas’ father prepares to release her.

However, right before Jonas’ father can push the injection, Jonas crosses the boundary. The memories come back to everyone, and Fiona is saved. But Jonas is in Elsewhere, and we do not know whether the lovers meet again. In the end, Jonas says that he knows about their future meet, which can be possible. In a dream, Jonas dances with Fiona at a wedding. If the civilization goes back to a primitive time after the reveal, maybe Jonas and Fiona will meet sometime in the future. As Fiona is still alive, there is also a possibility of her following Jonas into Elsewhere.

Who Is Rosemary?

Before Jonas, they chose a girl as the Receiver of Memory. On the first day of Jonas’ training, the Giver and Jonas have a hearty conversation. But when Jonas pryingly asks about the previous Receiver, the Giver stays mum. He reveals the story later through projections. In one of the projections, we see a woman teaching piano to the Giver. This woman, we come to know, is Rosemary (Taylor Swift plays a sweet cameo role).

Snippets show that Rosemary was a gifted student who would love to argue with the Giver. However, one day, the Giver gave her the memories of war. She never returned and was later released. But we do not know of her origins until the final moments. When Fiona is executed, the memory of Rosemary comes back to the Giver. He calls Rosemary her daughter, and we come to understand her importance in the story. The loss of Rosemary gives the Giver’s character another layer of tragedy.

Read More: Where Was The Giver Filmed?

SPONSORED LINKS

• Movie Explainers
• TV Explainers
• About The Cinemaholic

The Giver (2014)

Full cast & crew.

Directed by 

Writing credits  , cast (in credits order) verified as complete  , produced by , music by , cinematography by , editing by , casting by , production design by , art direction by , set decoration by , costume design by , makeup department , production management , second unit director or assistant director , art department , sound department , special effects by , visual effects by , stunts , camera and electrical department , casting department , costume and wardrobe department , editorial department , location management , music department , script and continuity department , transportation department , additional crew , thanks .

Release Dates | Official Sites | Company Credits | Filming & Production | Technical Specs

Contribute to This Page

• Full Cast and Crew
• Release Dates
• Official Sites
• Company Credits
• Filming & Production
• Technical Specs
• Plot Summary
• Plot Keywords
• Parents Guide

Did You Know?

• Crazy Credits
• Alternate Versions
• Connections
• Soundtracks

Photo & Video

• Photo Gallery
• Trailers and Videos
• User Reviews
• User Ratings
• External Reviews
• Metacritic Reviews

Related Items

• External Sites

Related lists from IMDb users

Recently Viewed

Film & Television

Book-to-Film Adaptations: A Different Lens on “The Giver”

A different lens on “ the giver ”.

In the months leading up to The Giver ’s release, social media was abuzz with devoted book lovers’ fears that the movie would not stay true to Lois Lowry’s cherished work. Even after the movie was released, people discussed whether or not they liked it in relation to how close it was to the book. Certainly, readers create a mental picture—a mini-movie, if you will—of the plot, characters, and scenery described by the writer. When a director comes along and changes that, we sometimes feel like we’re experiencing a different story entirely.

We’d definitely call ourselves book lovers here at Walden Media (in fact, we’re so into books we publish them!); so, when a book is turned into a movie, we understand how hard it is to let go of the way we might have envisioned the story when it was just words on paper. However, adaptation is truly an art form, and we should commend filmmakers (such as Phillip Noyce, director of The Giver ) on their ability to turn beloved words into real-life images that move and speak and tug our heartstrings. Adapting a book for the screen is hard work—one that involves precise visual storytelling. So let’s take a look at The Giver ’s journey from book to screen.

Visual Storytelling

firstshowing.net

In 1996, Jeff Bridges began the process of turning The Giver into a movie. He wrote script after script, all of which were rejected. Perhaps this is because, as Lois Lowry put it, the book is “‘ I ntrospective, quiet, and short on action’ [which] translates to ‘tough to film. ’” ( Huffington Post ). The book is largely about a boy’s internal struggle, making it very difficult to translate this unseen conflict to film’s visual medium.

“How can it be that difficult?” you may ask. Well, let’s try an adaptation exercise to see how we might translate book to moving image. The plot: A boy has to decide whether he will go to basketball camp for the summer or stay and work at his uncle’s bike shop. The adaptation dilemma: On page, you can read every descriptive detail about the boy’s thoughts. However, if there is no narration in the film and, therefore, you can’t hear the boy’s thoughts, how do we show the deliberating? Visual storytelling possibilities: The boy could pour out his close-to-empty piggy bank on his bed, showing us that he may want to earn a little more money over the summer. Or maybe he could lie on his bed, spin a basketball on his forefinger, and stare at his walls lined with posters of basketball stars. Or perhaps he could leave a voicemail for his grandfather explaining the situation and asking for advice.

From this example, you can see a variety of ways to communicate visually this story element of thinking . We understand that the boy is making a difficult decision whether he’s on the phone, counting his money, or playing with his basketball. Granted, each example has a different connotation, but they all attempt to fulfill the same purpose. And oftentimes we find that, in the end, it’s more important that the idea of thinking is portrayed more than how we get there.

So, let’s take a second look at The Giver . What were some of the changes made? And were those changes “true” to the book?

The Giver ’s Adaptation

“[The director, Phillip Noyce] was so meticulous. He kept the book in front of him during the whole process. That was my biggest relief, that they were dedicated to preserving the intent of the book.” – Lois Lowry   ( CS Monitor )

      1. Change in occupation

One difference between the book and the film are Fiona’s and Asher’s changes in occupation. In the beginning of the book, Jonas and Fiona volunteered at the House of the Old together. At the graduation ceremony, Fiona was assigned to continue her work in the House of the Old, due to how well she flourished there. In the movie, however, Fiona’s assignment is to work at the Nurturing Center instead. How does this change still stay true to the book?

Firstly, Fiona’s shift in occupation does not take away from the fact that she is a kind, nurturing person. She can show her tenderness and concern for others in either location – the House of the Old or in the Nurturing Center. Secondly, both institutions are most heavily involved in the “releasing” (euthanasia) of their patients. The guilt of unknowingly killing the helpless is on her shoulders with either occupation.

Fiona’s change in occupation also becomes a useful tool in bringing her closer to the subplot involving Gabriel. Therein, the story elements become even tighter , which is a helpful structure when you have a limited amount of screen time to convey the whole plot! Instead of releasing faceless characters in the House of the Old, Fiona is now in a position of potentially doing harm to a character we know and care about—Gabriel the baby.

The same concept of using and reusing elements in a film may explain the shift in Asher’s occupation as well. His job in the book (“Assistant Director of Recreation”) and his job in the film (“Drone Pilot”) are positions of leadership and authority. Both jobs incite the rapid maturation Asher undergoes in the book and in the film. In the film, however, the position of pilot more immediately involves Asher in a plot turn later on: the elders’ mission to find Jonas after he escapes with Gabriel. Instead of unknown pilots attempting to thwart Jonas’ mission, it is one of Jonas’ dearest friends. It develops Asher’s character, helps to reduce the amount of characters, and tightens the plot overall.

      2. Change in Age

The movie adaptation changes Jonas’ age from 12 to 16. Phillip Noyce noted that this alteration intended to increase the main character’s relatability. In an interview, Noyce explained that,

“ The decision was made in order to maybe extend the audience’s connection to the character’s experience, because we know 16, 17 or 18 is – in our society – the normal time of rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. ” ( The Wrap )

“ I thought, oh yeah, it works. Right away you see that he’s the same as the 12 year-old, he’s young, he vulnerable ” ( CS Monitor )

As we mentioned before in our thinking example, it’s more important to convey the idea of innocence, vulnerability, and coming of age in a way that lends itself to the medium of film, rather than force a script to follow the source material to a T.

      3. The Chief Elder

Those of you who have not read the book might be surprised to learn that the character of the Chief Elder (played by Meryl Streep) does not exist in such an expanded form in the original text. This script development was quite welcomed by Lois Lowry, who remarked,

“ The movie made much more complex the character of the Chief Elder… And then once they cast Meryl Streep – who never would have taken the role the way I wrote it in the book – the quality of her acting, just the turn of her eyes or the way her mouth curves, it was astounding to watch her. Now I wish I could go back and write the book the way she performed it. ” ( CS Monitor )

Wrapping Up What We’ve Learned

fatmovieguy.com

The Giver , as a book, has touched, shaped, and delighted the lives of many children and adults, and the film is in no way a replacement of this incredible book. Rather, it is a manifestation of it—the themes, characters, and elements that we all found so compelling. It’s an attempt to enhance the incredible story that Lowry created for us. Lois Lowry explained it best when she said,

“ A book is such an individual and private thing. The reader brings his or her own history and beliefs and concerns, and reads in solitude, creating each scene from his own imagination as he does. A movie, by its nature, puts it all out there, makes it visual. It’s what I love about film, actually: the composition of each scene, the lighting, the color… or lack of color. But film must incorporate details that a reader might have pictured in another way. A costume designer decided what little Gabriel — and all the other infants in the Nurturing Center — wear. Maybe you had dressed them differently in your mind. A set designer created the plans for the dwellings in which Jonas and Fiona and all the other members of the community live. If you imagined a different kind of dwelling, as I did, then you have to adjust your thinking. The landscape through which Jonas travels with the kidnapped baby is not the landscape I saw inside my head; the cinematographer gives us something vaster, more magnificent, and infinitely more hostile to a desperate boy trying to save an infant and the whole world.

The important thing is that a film doesn’t obliterate a book. The movie is here now. But the book hasn’t gone away. It has simply grown up, grown larger, and begun to glisten in a new way. ” ( Huffington Post )