The Giver — Chapter 20

About This Passage

Lowry executes one of the novel's most precise moral pivots in four sentences. Jonas proposes an exit from responsibility; the Giver responds with nothing but a 'questioning smile'; Jonas self-corrects instantly. The chapter turns without a lecture because Jonas already has the moral equipment — the Giver only has to hold the silence long enough for Jonas to meet himself.

Narration Prompt

Summarize Chapter 20 in four movements: Jonas's collapse and sarcastic mimicking of the wall speaker; his realization that Fiona is being trained in 'the fine art of release'; the hours of planning that stretch into the night; and the final revelation that Rosemary was the Giver's daughter.

Discussion Questions

1. The Giver tells Jonas, 'I am empowered to lie. But I have never lied to you.' Consider the specific political category of a person who has permission to deceive and who refuses that permission. What does the Giver's distinction reveal about the nature of moral integrity inside a regime that has normalized lying as an administrative tool?
2. When Jonas suggests that he and the Giver could simply 'not care about the rest of them,' the Giver responds only with a 'questioning smile,' and Jonas self-corrects. Examine why Lowry chooses to stage this moment silently rather than having the Giver deliver an argument. What is the narrative claim being made about what Jonas already knows versus what he needs to learn?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide