The Giver Ending Theory

By Anonymous -
   The ending of the Giver is a very open ended side of the novel that leaves readers confused and curious all at once. As Jonas and Gabriel race through the wind, cold, and snow away from their suffocating community and towards Elsewhere, where there is hope. Lois Lowry  leaves the ending of The Giver pretty open ended. She gives readers space to interpret the ending which in a way can be seen as frustrating, but it's also a chance to achieve a creative mindset and to truly make the story that much more of an individual experience. With this blog post, I want to talk about some of the theories that I have read about online and thought over myself as well.
   The last chapter of The Giver begins with Jonas and Gabriel trudging through the wilderness as they try their best to find Elsewhere and escape their previously abusive environment. Of course, readers could interpret the very end of the book as a positive thing. There are multiple clues that Gabriel and Jonas get the Elsewhere perfectly and in one piece. "Suddenly he was aware with certainty and joy that below, ahead, they were waiting for him; and that they were waiting, too, for the baby." (225) Jonas uses the last of what little strength he has left to shield baby Gabe from the elements and does his best to keep them both alive. He even states that he hears music coming from the near future they are about to be in. "For the first time, he heard something that he knew to be music. He heard people singing." (225)
   Likewise, a lot of readers also see the ending as a tragedy to the story. Both Jonas and Gabriel have been exposed to the negative elements for such a while and they are so ill equipped to properly deal with the biting cold that they are being forced to experience. When Jonas hears music and sees lights off in the distance towards Elsewhere, he could easily be fantasizing them. "He forced his eyes open as they went downward, downward, sliding, and all at once he could see lights, and he recognized them now." (225)  He has slowly been dipping in and out of delusions and his body is becoming weaker and weaker with every sentence, not to mention he is trying to give all he has left to the baby. For all the readers could know, Jonas and Gabriel could have easily passed out in the snow and been left for dead. Morbid, but still a strong possibility.
   Personally, I would like to think that they made it to Elsewhere and got away from their negative lives in their hometown. I hope that they grew up to be stable and all feeling, all knowing kinds of people with their own sacred memories and families.

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