The Giver
by Lois Lowry
Table of Contents
Chapters 5 and 6
Summary: Chapters 5 and 6
Jonas’ family tells their dreams in the morning. Although Jonas usually does not have any dreams to tell, on this particular morning he has a particularly interesting dream to share. Jonas dreamed that he was at the House of Old in the bathing room. In the dream, Jonas aims to persuade his friend Fiona to remove her clothes and let him bathe her. Jonas feels a “wanting,” but he has never experienced this before. When Lily leaves for school, Jonas’ mother tells him that he is having his first Stirrings. She reassures him that everyone has Stirrings at around his age. Jonas’ mother gives him a pill as a “treatment”; she tells him that he will need to take the pill every morning. Jonas feels happy that he has reached the age of Stirrings. He recalls hearing about Stirrings over the loudspeakers, and now he feels connected to his community. Though the dream was pleasant, as soon as Jonas takes his pill, the feelings the dream gave him dissipate.
During the first morning of the Ceremony, Jonas and his family discuss the landmarks that children of each “class” pass before the ceremony. When they are seven, they receive a jacket that they button themselves. At eight, they are allowed to volunteer. When they turn nine, they are given bikes. Throughout the first ceremony, Jonas’ father holds the newchildren who will receive their names at the ceremony. Gabriel still does not weigh enough and he does not sleep through the night. However, he receives a reprieve because Jonas’ family is caring for him. However, the family has had to sign a statement that says they will not get attached to Gabriel.
At the Ceremony, we learn of a “replacement child” named Caleb. The replacement child Caleb is meant to replace another Caleb who was “lost” in a river. After the first Caleb died, the community held a Ceremony of Loss, in which they chanted his name softer and softer until it just faded away. However, in the Murmur of...
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