Assignments
- View history
Assignments are the occupations of the inhabitants of the Community . Assignments are designated when a member of the Community goes through their respective Ceremony of Twelve .
All Assignments can be found here .
- 1.1 The Giver
History [ ]
The giver [ ].
Claire is given the Assignment of Birthmother at the Ceremony of Twelve.
Coming soon...
- Assignments are made by the Elders may be appealed by contacting them, who form a committee to discuss it. Committees typically take a large amount of time to decide so an appeal is considered to be impractical.
What is Asher's assignment?
answer in detail
When Asher is assigned as the Assistant Director of Recreation. It will be his job to develop games and oversee playing. Jonas thinks the assignment is perfect, because it is wha for Asher because it's something he does naturally.
"I worry a little about Asher's Assignment," Jonas confessed. "Asher's such fun. But he doesn't really have any serious interests. He makes a game out of everything."
Log In To Your GradeSaver Account
- Remember me
- Forgot your password?
Create Your GradeSaver Account
Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions
- Newsletters
Site search
- Israel-Hamas war
- Home Planet
- 2024 election
- Supreme Court
- All explainers
- Future Perfect
Filed under:
7 ways The Giver movie is different than the book
Share this story.
- Share this on Facebook
- Share this on Twitter
- Share this on Reddit
- Share All sharing options
Share All sharing options for: 7 ways The Giver movie is different than the book
Screen adaptations of books never stick to the source material completely, and the big screen version of The Giver is no exception. W hile the story is very similar to the one Lois Lowry wrote in her award-winning novel, the differences between the two versions are noticeable. Here are 7 of them.
1) The film over-delivers on explanation
It's a bit unfair to start with this one because film, by virtue of its medium, cannot be as subtle as literature (for the most part). But one of the things I appreciate about Lowry's writing is that the mystery of Jonas's world is very slow to unfold. In the film, almost an entire third of Lowry's book happens on-screen within the first few scenes. Characters are developed very quickly, and, as a result, the film loses some of the uneasy ambiguity of the book. Granted, because films are limited by time, they have to be more fast-moving than books, which can take a few pages or even chapters to hint at one minor plot point.
2) On screen, Jonas is a (hunky) young man
In the book, much is made about characters' ages. In fact, in the world of The Giver , the calendar seems to center on a Ceremony which marks the aging of children from one year to the next. When the book opens, Jonas is about to become a Twelve, which means he will be given his community Assignment. Jonas' young age makes him the prefect protagonist for a story in which he discovers the depth of human emotion as he simultaneously expands his vocabulary. By making the movie Jonas slightly older — 16 years old — the film loses some of the innocent quality of the Lowry's hero. Still, it's worth noting that Brenton Thwaites does bring a youthful naivety and charm to the role, and so Lowry's vision remains largely intact.
3) Meryl Streep's character was a much smaller part of the book
Streep is absolute gold and her character was a great addition to the movie. But you should know that the character she's based on, the Chief Elder, isn't nearly as important a character in Lowry's novel.
4) Jonas doesn't kiss Fiona in the book
Unsurprisingly, the Jonas/Fiona relationship was given the Hollywood Young Adult Movie treatment. In the book, there are hints that Jonas does have strong but unexplained feelings toward Fiona (Odeya Rush) — the book calls the feelings "Stirrings." The fact that Jonas is able to "see beyond" the gray color of Fiona's hair to its original red also suggests that the two of them share a special bond. But in the book, he doesn't really act on his Stirrings toward Fiona, probably because, well, he's only a Twelve.
5) Fiona isn't assigned to be a Nurturer in the book
This one might not seem like it changes anything about the overall story, and I mostly agree. There is, however, one small part of me that wishes Hollywood would have kept its hands off Fiona's Assignment. In the book, the job Fiona ends up getting assigned to is something much less sexy than the job of taking care of babies. In Lowry's original story, Fiona is assigned to be a Caretaker of the Old.
That means the young Twelve is tasked with caring for the elderly of her society, with bathing them and helping make them as comfortable as possible just before they are euthanized, or "released." Obviously, it would have been difficult to show Fiona and Jonas bathing naked old people, and so it makes sense that this part was written out. At the same time, Lowry's novel stands as a warning to a society that seems to have a certain disregard for its elders, an element the film loses.
6) Asher isn't a pilot, and Jonas doesn't punch him
Again, this was a strategic change made to help with the momentum of the film adaptation. In the book, Asher (Cameron Monaghan) is assigned to be the Assistant Director of Recreation. On screen, he's made a Pilot, which helps add an additional layer of drama to the end of the film when Jonas flees from the authorities, and Asher is sent to search for him.
7) The film's ending is less ambiguous than the book's
Both versions of the story end with Jonas and Gabe sledding down a snowy mountain toward a home that the Giver had showed him in a previous memory. The way that the book ends makes it uncertain as to whether or not the two children actually make it to the abode. In the film, the last shot deliberately features Jonas, babe in tow, walking up to the snow-covered home. The variation between the two endings is slight, but it's worth noting that Lowry's final paragraphs probably had less appeal to producers than the one that ended up on the big screen.
Will you support Vox today?
We believe that everyone deserves to understand the world that they live in. That kind of knowledge helps create better citizens, neighbors, friends, parents, and stewards of this planet. Producing deeply researched, explanatory journalism takes resources. You can support this mission by making a financial gift to Vox today. Will you join us?
We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via
Next Up In The Latest
Sign up for the newsletter today, explained.
Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day.
Thanks for signing up!
Check your inbox for a welcome email.
Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Expert Answers. Asher is assigned to be Assistant Director of Recreation. In the community, each child is given a job for life at the Ceremony of Twelve when they turn twelve years old. Jonas is ...
The Giver (2014) In The Giver (2014), Asher is portrayed by Cameron Monaghan, and the character's age is changed from 12 to 18. Asher's assignment is Drone Pilot instead of recreation director, which was never mentioned in the book. Asher helps Jonas with his escape, though in the book Jonas did everything on his own.
The Giver is a Newberry Award-winning dystopian fiction novel written by Lois Lowry, originally published in 1993. The book incorporates themes and conflicts that have stood the test of time. The ...
The Chief Elder begins to announce the Assignments for Twelves. When it is Asher's turn, the Chief Elder laughingly mentions language mistakes Asher made. She recalls when Asher was three and confused the words "snack" and "smack." To teach him the difference, he was smacked with the "discipline wand" when he asked for a smack instead of a snack.
Analysis. The next day, Jonas joins Asher and their friend Fiona at the House of the Old, where they do their volunteer hours. When they become Eights, children are required to start volunteering, but they are allowed to choose where they go—one of the few choices they are allowed. Unlike other children, who usually pick a single volunteer ...
Jonas's greatest concern for Asher is that he speaks without thinking and often confuses words, which is a great shortcoming in the community. Rosemary. ... The group of elders that makes decisions for the community, like Matching Spouses, Assignments, and rules. The Giver advises the Committee. Caleb. A four-year-old boy who drowned in the ...
A elaborate description both in-depth analysis of Asher in To Giver.
Summary and Analysis Chapters 6-8. As Chapter 6 begins, Jonas' family unit is preparing to go to the December Ceremony, which lasts for two days. By describing the rules that each peer group must follow, Lowry emphasizes the theme of individuality versus conformity. We learn that Fours, Fives, and Sixes are required to wear jackets that button ...
Assignments are the occupations of the inhabitants of the Community. Assignments are designated when a member of the Community goes through their respective Ceremony of Twelve. All Assignments can be found here. Claire is given the Assignment of Birthmother at the Ceremony of Twelve. Coming soon... Assignments are made by the Elders may be appealed by contacting them, who form a committee to ...
Answers 1. When Asher is assigned as the Assistant Director of Recreation. It will be his job to develop games and oversee playing. Jonas thinks the assignment is perfect, because it is wha for Asher because it's something he does naturally. "I worry a little about Asher's Assignment," Jonas confessed. "Asher's such fun.
Analysis. The next day Jonas 's father brings home Gabriel. Although mirrors are rare so that he has only seen his own reflection a few times, Jonas notices that Gabriel has pale eyes like his, while most people in the community have dark eyes. Jonas thinks Gabriel's eyes have depth and are "solemn and knowing."
6) Asher isn't a pilot, and Jonas doesn't punch him Again, this was a strategic change made to help with the momentum of the film adaptation. In the book, Asher (Cameron Monaghan) is assigned to ...
Expert Answers. Asher's mistakenly using the wrong word and being punished for it to the point that he stops talking demonstrates the community's relentless insistence that everyone be the same ...