The Giver
Chapter 4 — Teaching Companion
Lois Lowry · Trailblazers 4th–6th
Coaching, not a script — and not an answer key: every question here has more than one defensible answer.
This chapter's big question
Should Larissa's happy story of Roberto's last day reassure Jonas, or make him wonder more?
The tension Larissa can describe Roberto's celebration in loving detail, from the telling of his life to the toast to his look of "Pure happiness," yet when Jonas asks where Roberto went she only shrugs: "I don't know. I don't think anybody does, except the committee."
Today's focus
What Jonas learns, and fails to learn, about release from Larissa during an afternoon of volunteer work at the House of the Old.
Two core ideas
- A ritual can tell people how to feel about an event without telling them what the event is.
- The chapter's most tender care and its first open question sit side by side, so the reader meets both at once.
The shape at a glance
The chapter is one afternoon of volunteer work, told from inside Jonas, an Eleven. He rides slowly through the community looking for Asher's bicycle, and thinks about how the choice of where to do volunteer hours has always felt like a luxury, since the rest of his day is so carefully regulated. He remembers the Eights starting out nervously, and Benjamin, an Eleven so skilled at the Rehabilitation Center that his Assignment seems certain, though no one mentions his success because of the rule against bragging. Jonas finds Asher's bicycle, leaning as usual, at the House of the Old, beside Fiona's. The attendant stamps his sign-up sheet, and Jonas recalls a whispered story of an Eleven who missed his hours and got his Assignment privately, with no celebration. She tells him a release was celebrated this morning and sends him to the bathing room. On the way he passes quiet, comfortable rooms and thinks that, having chosen many places, he has no guess about his own Assignment. In the warm bathing room he bathes Larissa, which reminds him of Father bathing Gabriel; the rule against looking at nakedness does not apply to newchildren or the Old, and Jonas likes the trust on her face. Larissa tells him about Roberto's release that morning: the telling of his life (some tellings, like Edna's, are boring, she whispers), the toast, the anthem, the speeches, and Roberto's happy face. When Jonas asks where Roberto actually went, she shrugs: she doesn't know, and thinks no one does except the committee; Roberto bowed and walked through the special door. Jonas grins and wishes he had seen it. Larissa wishes young people could come, Jonas jokes that the committee might study a bigger room, and she laughs as he helps her from the tub.
A way in
Before reading, ask the student about a goodbye they have seen celebrated, and what the celebration was like. Read aloud to “so carefully regulated.” and stop: ask what Jonas gets to choose here that he does not choose in the rest of his day. Read on to “But still.” and stop: ask why Jonas never talks with Benjamin about his work. Read on to “unprotected, exposed, and free.” and ask what Jonas likes about this room. Read Larissa's story slowly, and stop at “Where exactly did Roberto go?” to ask what the student expects her to say. Read to the end, and ask what Larissa knows about Roberto's day, and what she does not.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in three parts. First the ride: the freedom of volunteer hours, the Eights, Benjamin and the rule against bragging, and the search for Asher's bicycle. Then the House of the Old: the attendant and the whispered story of the Eleven with no celebration, the quiet rooms, Jonas having no guess about his Assignment, and the bath. Last, Larissa's story in her own order: Edna's boring telling, Roberto's life, the celebration, Jonas's question, the shrug and the special door, and the joke about the committee. Ask for three or four sentences of the student's own for each part.
Imitate the author After copying, the student writes three sentences of their own about a rule they keep or a place where they feel safe. Ask for one sentence of only two words, like “But still.”; one sentence in two halves joined by a semicolon, where both halves begin the same way, like “he liked” in the second passage; and one sentence that ends with a list of three, like “unprotected, exposed, and free.”
Debate Take sides on the last written question. First make two lists together: everything Larissa can tell about Roberto's day (the telling, the toast, the anthem, the speeches, his face) and what she cannot (where he went). One side argues her story should reassure Jonas; the other argues it should make him wonder more. Each side gives a reason and a line from the chapter and answers one from the other side. No one may say what release is; the chapter gives only Larissa's account and her not knowing.
Purpose Close with the writer's choice of setting. Jonas's first real question about release comes in the gentlest scene of the book so far: warm water, a trusting old woman, a boy's careful hands, and gossip and laughter all around it. Ask the student why the writer might place the question here, and not in a stern or frightening scene, and how the warm room shapes how much a reader trusts “Pure happiness.” Leave release where the chapter leaves it: a cheerful ceremony and a special door that, Larissa thinks, no one but the committee sees past.
Easier Read aloud together from “He entered the bathing room” to “Jonas helped her from the tub.” Make two lists: what Larissa can tell Jonas about Roberto's day, and what she cannot. Talk through the second discussion question (the bath) and the third (Edna), then answer the last written question aloud.
On level Talk through all four discussion questions in order, then have the student write answers to the two written questions in complete sentences, each with a reason and a line from the chapter.
Harder Ask the student to write the last written question as an argument: a claim, the strongest reason against it, and an answer to that reason. Then set two people who do not know side by side: Jonas, who has “not even a guess” about his Assignment and laughs softly at himself, and Larissa, who does not know where Roberto went and gives “a small shrug.” Ask whether they feel the same about not knowing, and whether that changes the student's answer.
Discussion
- Jonas never talks with Benjamin about his great work, because of the rule against bragging. So why is it all right to tell a person's whole life out loud at a release?Theme
What it asks It asks the student to set two customs side by side. Benjamin has done “his entire nearly-Four years” at the Rehabilitation Center and has even made machines to speed healing, yet Jonas has never talked with him about it, because there is “never any comfortable way” to mention one's successes without breaking the rule against bragging. At a release, though, “They told his whole life,” and Larissa adds, “They always do.” The student works out why the town allows the telling when it steers clear of praise everywhere else. It takes up one part of the last written question: the telling of a life comes first in the celebration, and it is part of what makes Larissa's story of Roberto's day so happy. The chapter gives no reason for tellings; any reason the student gives is a reading of the page, not a fact from it.
One reading
Someone else does the telling. The rule is about mentioning your own successes. Roberto does not tell his own life; the others tell it, and his part is a good-bye speech.
There was never any comfortable way to mention or discuss one's successes without breaking the rule against bragging, even if one didn't mean to.
"They told his whole life before they released him," she said.
Another reading
It is a goodbye. Praise is awkward for the one who hears it while he goes on living among everyone. The telling comes when a person is leaving, as the first part of a celebration, so it honors him without setting him above anyone.
such a conversation would have been awkward for Benjamin
Well, there was the telling of his life. That is always first.
Listen for
- Uses “one's successes” and asks whose successes the rule is about.
- Notices that others tell Roberto's life, and that Roberto's own part is a good-bye speech.
- Notices that Jonas admires Benjamin and still says nothing: “But still.”
- Does not call the telling a trick or say the town is hiding something; the chapter does not say why tellings are allowed.
If stuck
- Why has Jonas never talked with Benjamin about his work?
- Who does the telling at a release?
- Would it feel different to hear your life told on the day you leave than on a day you stay?
A strong answer A strong response might say the telling is allowed because others do it: the rule is about mentioning “one's successes,” and Roberto's own part is a good-bye speech. Another might say it is allowed because it is a goodbye: praise is awkward for someone who must go on living among everyone, and the telling comes as a person leaves. A careful answer may notice what follows for the town: a whole life of good work may be spoken aloud for the first time on the day a person is released.
- Jonas likes the trust on Larissa's face as she lies in the water “unprotected, exposed, and free.” How can she be unprotected and free at the same time?Inference
What it asks It asks the student to think hard about one phrase. Bathing Larissa reminds Jonas of watching Father bathe the newchild: “the fragile skin, the soothing water,” the peaceful smile. The rule against looking at another's nakedness does not apply to newchildren or the Old, and Jonas is glad; he finds keeping covered “a nuisance” and “couldn't see why it was necessary.” He likes “the feeling of safety here” and the trust on Larissa's face as she lies “unprotected, exposed, and free.” Being unprotected usually sounds like danger, so the student works out what makes it feel like freedom here. It takes up one part of the last written question: Larissa trusts Jonas completely in this warm room, and a few minutes later Jonas takes her word about Roberto's day. Keep the talk on the care and the trust; the bath is not only about the rule on nakedness.
One reading
Free of the rules. Everyone else must stay covered and apologize for a glimpse. For the Old, as for newchildren, that rule is set aside, so Larissa has nothing to hide and nothing to apologize for.
but the rule did not apply to newchildren or the Old.
It was a nuisance to keep oneself covered while changing for games, and the required apology if one had by mistake glimpsed another's body was always awkward.
Another reading
Free because she trusts. She does not need to guard herself, because she trusts the hands caring for her. She sighs with pleasure and closes her eyes; being unprotected is safe when the person beside you is gentle.
She leaned back and sighed with pleasure, her head on a soft cushioned headrest.
he was careful to keep his motions steady and gentle so he wouldn't wake her.
Listen for
- Uses “unprotected, exposed, and free” and says what each word means for Larissa.
- Notices the rule that does not apply to the Old, and how Jonas feels about keeping covered.
- Notices what Larissa does in the water: she sighs, closes her eyes, and then talks and jokes freely.
- Keeps the talk on the care and the trust, not only on the rule about nakedness, and treats Larissa as sharp, not helpless.
If stuck
- What rule does not apply to the Old?
- What does Larissa do when she lies back in the water?
- When have you felt safe enough that you did not need to be on guard?
A strong answer A strong response might say she is free of the rules: the covering rule and its awkward apology do not apply to the Old, so she has nothing to hide. Another might say she is free because she trusts Jonas: she sighs “with pleasure” and closes her eyes, and being unprotected is safe in gentle hands. A careful answer may notice that Jonas likes this freedom too, since he “couldn't see why” the covering rule was needed, and that the same trust fills the room where Larissa tells him about Roberto.
- Larissa says “all lives are meaningful,” and right after that, “But Edna. My goodness.” Does she believe her own words?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to weigh Larissa's words against each other. She whispers that some tellings “are a little boring,” and that for Edna “they tried to make her life sound meaningful.” Then, “primly,” she adds that all lives are meaningful, before going on about Edna's jobs and that “She never even had a family unit.” A moment later Roberto's life, with its important jobs, is “wonderful.” The student decides whether Larissa believes what she says. It takes up one part of the last written question: Larissa can tell when a telling dresses a life up, and she is the one who tells Jonas about Roberto's day. Larissa is funny and sly here, not foolish; the student need not judge her harshly to answer either way.
One reading
She believes it. She says it on purpose, “of course,” and her complaint is that the telling was dull, not that Edna's life was worth less. Thinking someone was not very smart is not the same as thinking her life did not count.
And of course," she added primly, "all lives are meaningful, I don't mean that they aren't.
But to be honest," she whispered with a mischievous look, "some of the tellings are a little boring.
Another reading
She says it but does not quite live by it. She measures lives by jobs and family: Edna's are told with a sigh, Roberto's with pride. To Larissa, some lives clearly count for more.
She never even had a family unit.
He had been an Instructor of Elevens—you know how important that is—and he'd been on the Planning Committee.
Listen for
- Uses “primly” and “of course,” and asks what they show about how she says it.
- Notices that she sets Edna's jobs beside Roberto's.
- Uses “tried to make,” and notices that Larissa can tell when a telling dresses a life up.
- Does not call Larissa foolish or cruel; she is gossiping, and she knows it.
If stuck
- What does Larissa think of some tellings?
- What does she list about Edna, and what about Roberto?
- Can you think someone is dull and still think their life matters?
A strong answer A strong response might say she believes it: she adds it “primly,” on purpose, and her complaint is that the telling was dull. Another might say she does not quite: she sighs over Edna's jobs and that “She never even had a family unit,” and glows over Roberto's. A careful answer may notice how sharp Larissa's ear is: she can hear when a telling “tried to make” a life sound meaningful.
- Jonas jokes that the committee might “study” the idea of a bigger room, and Larissa hoots with laughter. What are they laughing at?Tone
What it asks It asks the student to read the joke the chapter ends on. Larissa does not know why no one Jonas's age may come to a release; she guesses “Not enough room” and says the committee should make the Releasing Room bigger. Jonas says they will suggest it: “Maybe they'd study it,” he says “slyly.” Larissa chortles and hoots. The student works out what is funny. It takes up one part of the last written question: a moment earlier Larissa said only the committee knows where Roberto went, and the chapter's last word on that committee is a shared laugh. Jonas suspects nothing here; he is joking with a friend, and the student should not read later chapters into the laugh.
One reading
At how slow committees are. Ask a committee for a bigger room and it will only “study” it. It is a friendly joke about the people in charge, the kind anyone in town could share.
"We'll have to suggest that to the committee. Maybe they'd study it," Jonas said slyly
Larissa chortled with laughter.
Another reading
At being on the outside together. Neither a boy nor an old woman gets a say in who comes to a release; the committee decides that. The joke turns it into something they can laugh about together.
I don't know why they don't let children come.
They should enlarge the Releasing Room.
Listen for
- Uses “slyly” and asks what Jonas is being sly about.
- Uses Larissa's “I don't know why” and her guess, “Not enough room.”
- Notices that the committee is the one Larissa said knows where Roberto went.
- Keeps the laugh warm and friendly; does not say Jonas or Larissa suspects the committee.
If stuck
- What does Larissa wish could change?
- What does Jonas say a committee would do with her idea?
- Have you ever joked about a rule you could not change?
A strong answer A strong response might say they are laughing at how slow committees are: a committee would only “study” a bigger room. Another might say they are laughing at being on the outside, since neither of them decides who comes. A careful answer may notice where the chapter puts this joke: just after Larissa says no one but the committee knows where Roberto went, so the chapter ends on a laugh about that same committee.
Critical thinking
- Roberto got a toast, but the Eleven in the whispered story got “no applause, no celebration.” Is a celebration here an honor, or just the usual thing?
What it asks It asks the student to set two ceremonies side by side. Long ago, the whispered story goes, an Eleven fell short on his volunteer hours and was given his Assignment “privately, with no applause, no celebration,” and that was “a disgrace that had clouded his entire future.” Roberto's release had a telling of his life, a toast, cheering, the anthem and speeches. The student decides what a celebration means here: an honor a person earns, or the usual way things are done, so that only its absence stands out. Then the student writes a claim with a reason from the chapter. It takes up one part of the last written question: how much the happiness of Roberto's day should count depends on what a celebration says in this town. The chapter does not say what a celebration is for, and nothing in it says the town hides anything behind one.
One reading
An honor. A celebration says a person did well. The Eleven who fell short got none, and it shamed him for life. Roberto had important jobs and a family, and his life was told and toasted.
then given his Assignment privately, with no applause, no celebration: a disgrace that had clouded his entire future.
He had been an Instructor of Elevens—you know how important that is—and he'd been on the Planning Committee.
Another reading
The usual thing. Every release gets a telling and a walk through the door; Edna had one too, even with a life Larissa thought was dull. A celebration is simply what happens when things go as they should, so it is missing one that marks a person.
"They told his whole life before they released him," she said. "They always do.
He just bowed to all of us and then walked, like they all do, through the special door in the Releasing Room.
Listen for
- Uses “no applause, no celebration” and “a disgrace.”
- Uses Larissa's “They always do” or “like they all do.”
- Notices that Edna had a telling too, though Larissa found it boring.
- Writes in complete sentences with a reason and a line from the chapter; does not say a celebration is a trick or hides something.
If stuck
- What happened to the Eleven in the whispered story?
- Did Edna get a telling, even though Larissa found her life dull?
- Would Roberto's day have looked any different if his life had been like Edna's?
A strong answer A strong response takes a position and backs it with a line. A student might argue a celebration is an honor: the Eleven with “no applause, no celebration” was shamed for life, while Roberto's important life was told and toasted. Another might argue it is the usual thing: Larissa says “They always do,” Roberto walked through the door “like they all do,” and even Edna's dull life was told. A careful answer may notice that both can be true: because a celebration is usual, going without one is what makes a disgrace.
- Jonas grins and wishes he had seen Roberto's face. Should Larissa's happy story of Roberto's last day reassure Jonas, or make him wonder more?
What it asks This is the last question the student meets, and it gathers the earlier ones. Larissa tells Roberto's day in loving detail: the telling of his life, the toast, the anthem, his speech, his thrilled face. When Jonas asks where Roberto went, she shrugs: “I don't know. I don't think anybody does, except the committee.” Then she returns to his look: “Pure happiness, I'd call it.” The prompt starts from what Jonas does next: he grins and wishes he had been there to see that look. So the story does reassure him; the student weighs whether it should, and defends the answer. Jonas himself does not seem worried. The chapter gives only Larissa's account and her not knowing, and nothing in it says she knows more than she tells; the answer should not borrow from later chapters.
One reading
Reassure. Larissa saw it all, and Roberto was thrilled: a good life told, a toast, a bow, and a happy face as he went. A man who looks that happy seems to be going somewhere good, and the committee knows the rest.
He was thrilled. You should have seen the look on his face when they let him go.
Pure happiness, I'd call it.
Another reading
Wonder more. Larissa can describe everything except the one thing Jonas asked. Her answer to “where” is a face, not a place: what she saw ends at the special door, and she thinks no one knows the rest but the committee.
I don't know. I don't think anybody does, except the committee.
He just bowed to all of us and then walked, like they all do, through the special door in the Releasing Room.
Listen for
- Lists what Larissa can describe and names the one thing she cannot.
- Uses the shrug and “I don't know.”
- Uses “Pure happiness” and Jonas's grin, and asks whether a happy face answers “where.”
- Writes in complete sentences, takes a position with a line from the chapter, and answers the other side; does not say what release is, and does not say Larissa is hiding something.
If stuck
- What parts of the celebration can Larissa describe?
- What does she say when Jonas asks where Roberto went?
- If you asked where someone went and heard how happy they looked, would you be satisfied?
A strong answer A strong response takes a position and tests it. A student might argue it should reassure him: Roberto “was thrilled,” and Larissa calls his look “Pure happiness.” Another might argue it should make him wonder: Larissa can describe every part of the day except the one Jonas asks about, and she thinks no one knows “except the committee.” A careful answer may notice that Jonas grins and only wishes he had been there, so the story does reassure him; the question is whether it should, when it tells how release is celebrated but not what it is.