Jonas is an 11-year-old boy selected to become the Receiver of Memory in his community, a role that will isolate him from his family and friends. He has a gift of being able to "see beyond" but doesn't understand it. Lily is Jonas's "sister" in the community where family structures are designed by elders. Victor has a crush on his classmate Teresa and hopes to be in her French class this year. His challenge is working up the courage to ask her out. Adam enjoys running fast like a zebra and got his nickname from onlookers noticing how his head moves as he runs swiftly.
3. JONAS ADVERSITY
Jonas – An Eleven-year-old who is about to become a Twelve. He is
selected to become the next Receiver of Memory in the Community.
Jonas, who has pale eyes, a rarity in the Community, also has a
gift, the ability to "see beyond," but he doesn't understand this gift
and the tells nobody about it until he meets the Giver.
4. LILY ADVERSITY
Lily – Jonas's "sister," though they do not necessarily have the same
birth parents. Children in the Community do not ever know the identity
of their true birth parents. Children are taken away from their
birthmothers--another job in the community, in fact, one that Lily
wants, though her "mother" discourages this--and given to the
Nurturing Center for the first year or so of their lives before they are
given to an adult couple. An adult couple may apply for up to two
children and it can take years for the Committee of Elders to
determine a suitable match by the Committee of Elders. Lily is a
Seven who will become an Eight when Jonas becomes a Twelve.
5. JONAS CHALLENGE
Jonas has a premonition that something terrible is about to happen. Unlike the other
Elevens, he is apprehensive about the upcoming Ceremony of Twelve when he and his
peers will be given the jobs they will hold for the rest of their adult lives in their
immaculately-organized, tightly-run society known only as the "Community." In the
Community, eccentricities in behavior, appearance, or personality are strongly opposed --
even outlawed. However, the rules appear to be readily accepted by all, including Jonas.
So it is without real protest that he initially accepts his selection as the Receiver of
Memory, the keeper of all ancient memories, a job he is told will be filled with pain and
the training for which will isolate him from his family and friends forever.
7. VICTOR
On the first day of school, Victor stood in line half an hour before he came to a
wobbly card table. He was handed a packet of papers and a computer card on which he listed his
one elective1, French. He already spoke Spanish and English, but he thought some day he might
travel to France, where it was cool; not like Fresno, where summer days reached 110 degrees in
the shade. There were rivers in France, and huge churches, and fair-skinned people everywhere,
the way there were brown people all around Victor.
8. TERESA
Teresa, a girl he had liked since they were in catechism classes at Saint Theresa’s,
was taking French, too. With any luck they would be in the same class. Teresa is going to be my
girl this year, he promised himself as he left the gym full of students in their new fall clothes.
She was cute. And good in math, too, Victor thought as he walked down the hall to his
homeroom. He ran into his friend, Michael Torres, by the water fountain that never turned off.That
victor had a crush on.
9. VICTOR CHALLENGE
The challenge that Victor had was talking to Teresa.
He had trouble to asking Teresa out on a date. After he got her to talk to her they became friends.
11. ADAM (ZEBRA)
Adam the kid that likes to run and run and never stop. He gets his
nickname from other people that will watch him run, the reason why they
called Zebra because the way he sticks his head out back and fourth as the
wind pass him running as fast like a zebra.
