Chapter 3 · The Giver

Copywork

Now, seeing the newchild and its expression, he was reminded that the light eyes were not only a rarity but gave the one who had them a certain look—what was it? Depth, he decided; as if one were looking into the clear water of the river, down to the bottom, where things might lurk which hadn't been discovered yet. He felt self-conscious, realizing that he, too, had that look.

But suddenly Jonas had noticed, following the path of the apple through the air with his eyes, that the piece of fruit had—well, this was the part that he couldn't adequately understand—the apple had changed. Just for an instant. It had changed in mid-air, he remembered. Then it was in his hand, and he looked at it carefully, but it was the same apple.

Each passage has a dash in the middle of a sentence. Read both aloud. What is happening in Jonas's mind at each dash?

For the educator Two passages, in story order: Jonas finding a word for the look of light eyes, and the moment the apple changes. The first passage has three sentences. The first ends in a question that Jonas asks himself, set off by a single dash: the student copies the dash and the question mark exactly. The second begins with one word, “Depth,” then a comma and a semicolon, and builds a long comparison with “as if”; it has the contraction “hadn't.” The third sets off “too” with a pair of commas. The second passage has four sentences. The first is long: it begins with “But,” sets off a phrase with commas, and then breaks off with a pair of dashes while Jonas struggles to say what he saw, before starting again with “the apple had changed.” The next is only a fragment, “Just for an instant.” The student copies it as the book has it. The last joins three parts with commas, “and” and “but.” The vocabulary words “rarity” and “adequately” come from these passages, one from each. The talk prompt asks about the dashes in both passages.

Discussion

Narration Tell back the apple story in the order it happened. Start with Jonas and Asher playing catch. Stop where Jonas says sorry to the Recreation Director.

Jonas decides pale eyes show “Depth,” like clear river water with things hidden at the bottom. Then he sees he has that look too. Is that a good thing for him to find out? Character
Mother corrects Lily, and Lily gets to give her reasons. An announcement corrected Jonas, and no one spoke of it again. Which way of correcting works better? Theme
After the apple changes, Jonas tests his eyes on the small print of his badge. Which would trouble him more: eyes that are wrong, or eyes that are fine? Character
The chapter ends by saying the evening was like all the others. It was “different only” because of the newchild. Was that true for Jonas? Inference

Make a Connection Think of a story, or a time in your own life, when someone saw something strange that no one else seemed to see. Did they tell anyone? What happened because of that choice?

Vocabulary

conviction: So Jonas laughed too, and with his laughter tried to ignore his uneasy conviction that something had happened. A strong feeling that something is true, even without proof.
chastise: He waited for his father to chastise Lily. To scold someone sharply for doing something wrong.
unsettling: it was not a rule, but was considered rude to call attention to things that were unsettling or different about individuals. Making people feel uneasy, as if something is a little off.
rarity: Now, seeing the newchild and its expression, he was reminded that the light eyes were not only a rarity but gave the one who had them a certain look—what was it? Something seldom seen, because there are very few like it.
remorse: No one had mentioned it, not even his parents, because the public announcement had been sufficient to produce the appropriate remorse. A deep feeling of being sorry for something you did.
bewildered: He was still bewildered by it. Confused and unable to figure out what happened.
solemn: It was different only in the addition to it of the newchild with his pale, solemn, knowing eyes. Serious and quiet, without any smiling.
adequately: But suddenly Jonas had noticed, following the path of the apple through the air with his eyes, that the piece of fruit had—well, this was the part that he couldn't adequately understand—the apple had changed. Well enough, or as fully as is needed.

Critical thinking

Jonas thinks Lily must learn not to talk about eyes that look different. Is the apple one more thing he has learned not to talk about?
Jonas's family shares their feelings every evening. On the night of the apple, he had no words for it, so he let it pass. If someone had asked, what could he have said?
Four times the apple changed in the air. In his hand it was “the same apple.” Was Jonas wise to keep what he saw happen to the apple to himself?