We argued for 45 minutes at my library book club about whether the ending of 'The Giver' was hopeful or tragic.

A new member, a retired teacher named Carol, pointed out a line about music I'd totally missed, and it completely flipped my view to hopeful. Anyone else have their mind changed by a tiny detail someone else caught?

2 comments

2 Comments

lindaw291mo ago

That line about music is a good catch, but I always saw the sled as the bigger clue. The book says he feels the memory of warmth, which to me means he's remembering, not freezing to death. It's a small thing, but it makes the ending seem less bleak. Maybe the music is part of that same feeling.

daniel_martinez841mo ago

My money's on the sled. That specific line about feeling the warmth is a memory, not the cold. It means he made it somewhere safe and is remembering, not dying. The music fits that same hopeful idea.