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A listing of characters who appear in Lois Lowry's ''Literature/TheGiverQuartet'', consisting of ''Literature/TheGiver'', ''Literature/GatheringBlue'', ''Literature/{{Messenger}}'', and ''Literature/{{Son}}.''
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:''The Giver'']]
!!Jonas
The main protagonist of ''The Giver'' and supporting character in ''Messenger'' and ''Son.'' At the onset of the first book twelve-year-old Jonas is selected to become the next Receiver of Memory, who stores all the memories of the time before Sameness so they can aid the Community in making decisions the Elders lack the experience to make. As Jonas receives memories of beautiful things such as sunshine, love, and family, as well as terrible things like war and starvation, the more horrified he becomes at how emotionally sterile the community has to be in order to function at all, and he and the Giver set out to change things.
Played by Brenton Thwaites in the 2014 film.
* AdaptationDyeJob: He has brown eyes in the film, instead of blue eyes like in the book.
* AgeLift: He was eleven going on twelve in the book, but has been aged up to sixteen for the movie.
* BigBrotherInstinct: [[spoiler:Despite his growing disillusionment with his Community, it's not until he learns that Gabe is going to be killed that he decides to leave.]]
* BigBrotherIsEmployingYou: He is being trained to take a role in perpetuating the dystopia they all live in.
* TheCameo: In ''Gathering Blue'', Matt describes a boy with "amazing blue eyes."
* TheChosenOne: He is chosen by his society to be the new Receiver of Memory, a very revered position. Halfway through the book he decides that pulling a ScrewDestiny will work for the better of society in the long run.
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Like most people in his community, Jonas takes things that would be downright horrifying to many people as normal -- although once he receives memories of better times, he realizes how horrible the Community is to make its residents live this way.
* CrapsackOnlyByComparison: Inverted. At first he ''thinks'' that he's in a utopia, but it's actually more of a CrapsackWorld.
* EroticDream: His dream of his "favorite female friend," Fiona, which prompts his mother to start giving him the pills.
* FirstSnow: He is very confused upon seeing snow for the first time (because he's used to total climate control).
* HeroesWantRedheads: He has his Stirrings for Fiona, who has red hair. [[spoiler:He ends up with the dark-haired Kira, though.]]
* InferredSurvival: [[spoiler: It's strongly hinted in ''Messenger'' that Leader is Jonas: the mentions of his blue eyes, his sister, and Fiona, the sled makes an appearance, and that he first discovered his powers via an apple.]]
* LivingIsMoreThanSurviving: He comes to realize that the community gave up genuine emotion and humanity for an emotionally sterile, functional utopia.
%% * LoveInterest: Fiona [[spoiler: and implied in ''Messenger,'' Kira. He graduates to full-on OfficialCouple with the latter.]]
* MeaningfulName: "Jonas" is a variant form of the Hebrew name "Jonah". Much like the prophet Jonah in Literature/TheBible, Jonas (who's arguably a "prophet" in his own way) is a ChosenOne selected by his rulers to receive great messages, and he ultimately [[spoiler: decides to elude his destiny by running away and starting a new life somewhere else]].
* MentorsNewHope: The Receiver of Knowledge who mentors Jonas is revealed [[spoiler: to have had another protege in the past, hinted to have been his own biological daughter (in their society, children are assigned to parents other than their birthmothers), who committed suicide out of despair brought on by the knowledge she received from her mentor, and was unpersoned by the Community]].
* NiceGuy: Intuitive, understanding, sensitive, kind, well-meaning, polite, and wanting to do what's best for the Community.
* OccultBlueEyes: Has blue eyes, which are very rare in the community, and is a sign that he is capable of "seeing beyond".
* OfficialCouple: [[spoiler: By ''Son'', he and Kira have two children together.]]
* OnlyOneName: Justified, since he and the rest of the Community are raised by adoptive parents assigned by the government, and have no reason to carry family names.
%% * PapaWolf: Towards Gabriel.
* ParentalSubstitute: He becomes protective of Gabriel, and [[spoiler:when they reappear in ''Son'' they have a dynamic sort of like this, although Jonas notes he could never have been a true parent to him]].
%% * PsychicPowers: It's vaguely mentioned that he has the capacity to "see beyond." He fully displays this [[spoiler: in ''Messenger'']].
* RiteOfPassage: Getting assigned a job is an important rite that determines the rest of a person's life; being assigned the unusual job of Receiver is what marks Jonas as special in the community.
%% * SomeoneHasToDoIt: How he deals with his duties as the Receiver of Memory.
* SplashOfColor: In-universe. He first starts seeing color by noticing red for the first time, when everyone else is unable to see anything other than black and white.
%% * ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: [[spoiler: Why the Giver asks to be left behind in the Community while Jonas escapes, and why, years later, Jonas lets Gabe fight Trademaster by himself]].
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: He grows up in a false Utopian society where the word "love" has become obsolete. When he learns about it through memories received from the Giver and asks his parents if they love him, they admonish him for not using precise language and say that asking "Do you enjoy me?" or "Do you take pride in my accomplishments?" would have been better. What makes it better is that they actually laugh and treat the question as meaningless. Jonas can't help but think that what he felt earlier was anything ''but'' meaningless. He realizes that further questions would also be met with either ignorance or programmed responses.
!!The Giver
The current Receiver Of Memory, who selects Jonas to become his replacement, a lonely, isolated man who carries all the memories of the time before Sameness. He considers them a burden, but cares deeply about Jonas and the Community and looks out for their best interests.
Played by Creator/JeffBridges in the 2014 film.
%% * BigGood
* CastFromLifespan: He mentions that using his memory-absorbing power has "aged" him; though it isn't clear whether it has actually shortened his life, or if he just looks much older than he really is.
* CharacterTitle: The titular "Giver" of the novel, although his real title is Receiver.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: His real name is never revealed and he is always just called "Giver" by Jonas and "Receiver" by other characters.
* TheGoodChancellor: His role in the Community is to advise them well based on the memories he's received.
%% * KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge: Pretty much his job description.
%% * TheMentor: To Jonas.
* MyGreatestSecondChance: After the startling failure of the previous Receiver-in-training, he is determined to do right by Jonas.
* NoNameGiven: His real name is never revealed.
* OccultBlueEyes: Has blue eyes, which are very rare in the community, and is a sign that he is capable of "seeing beyond".
* PassingTheTorch: An essential part of his relationship with Jonas. Jonas accepts the job as the Receiver with the understanding that he will eventually become the next Giver, with the task of passing on the accumulated memories to the next Receiver.
%% * PsychicPowers
* TookALevelInBadass: In the film adaptation, [[spoiler:he stalls the Chief Elder long enough to prevent Fiona's execution]].
* YoungerThanTheyLook: While it's unclear how old he actually is, it's (very briefly) mentioned that the stress of keeping all the memories is part of the reason he looks so old.
!!Asher
Jonas's best friend, a cheerful boy whose main concern is having fun -- as such, he's assigned to become the next Assistant Director of Recreation. Although their friendship is genuine, the knowledge Jonas has to bear puts a strain on their friendship.
Played by Cameron Monaghan in the 2014 film.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: He is consistently happy and cheerful throughout the book (where he's assigned a recreational position), while in the film he starts off that way but becomes more serious and unsmiling after being assigned drone pilot.
* AgeLift: He was eleven going on twelve in the book, but has been aged up to sixteen for the movie.
* AscendedExtra: To an extent, he just...stopped appearing in the narration after a certain point in the book, but has far more to do in the film.
%% * CheerfulChild / {{Keet}}
* CorporalPunishment: As a three, he asked for a "smack" instead of a "snack" when he was hungry and was hit so often with the stick that his legs had marks and he went silent for a time. The Chief Elder remembered this fondly.
%% * TheHedonist: Is absolutely ''delighted'' when he is assigned to be the Assistant Director of Recreation.
* MeaningfulName: "Asher" means "happy." Not so much in [[Film/TheGiver the film]], where he's a serious, unsmiling busybody.
* OnlyOneName: Justified, since he and the rest of the Community are raised by adoptive parents assigned by the government, and have no reason to carry family names.
!!Fiona
Jonas's closest female friend, a kind and gentle girl who is assigned to care for the people at the House of the Old.
Played by Odeya Rush in the 2014 film.
* AgeLift: She was eleven going on twelve in the book, but has been aged up to sixteen for the movie.
* AscendedExtra: To an extent, she just...stopped appearing in the narration after a certain point in the book, but has far more to do in the film.
* DamselInDistress: [[spoiler:During the climax of the film adaptation, in which she's sentenced to Release for her role in helping Jonas escape.]]
* FieryRedhead: Inverted. She is said to be calm and serene from Jonas.
* MeaningfulName: Fiona is an Irish name; although ethnic names of all types appear in "the community," Fiona is the only person with red hair, a feature the Irish are known for.
* NiceGirl: She's caring and considerate, which makes her a good fit for the job of caring for old people. Although [[spoiler: her job of "releasing" old people is not so nice, although she doesn't understand the implications of such an act.]]
* OnlyOneName: Justified, since she and the rest of the Community are raised by adoptive parents assigned by the government, and have no reason to carry family names.
* PromotedToLoveInterest: In the book, she is a good friend of Jonas's whom he eventually drifts apart from (although he's definitely interested in her). In the film [[spoiler:he manages to convince her to stop taking the injections and she realizes she loves him as well. She eventually aids in his escape and he promises her he'd come back for her]].
!!Rosemary
The previous Receiver-in-training. When she failed in her duties, the Community had to absorb the horrifying memories she'd received. Determined not to let this happen again, she was unpersoned by the Community and took great pains in choosing Jonas to be Rosemary's successor.
Played by Music/TaylorSwift in the 2014 film.
* DrivenToSuicide: She couldn't take the horrors of the memories she received, and applied for Release, which, unknown to most of the characters, is a lethal injection. And she knew exactly what it was--she asked to perform the Release herself. This prompted the community to add a new rule, in that future Receivers of Memory cannot ask to be released.
%% * InTheBlood: [[spoiler: She was the Giver's daughter.]]
* MeaningfulName: Rosemary (which stands for remembrance, according to Ophelia in ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''). Her name will never be used again after her death forced the community to remember the vivid emotions they have left behind.
* PosthumousCharacter: Her suicide took place years before the story starts.
%% * PsychicPowers
%% * ReleasedToElsewhere: Her death.
* {{Unperson}}: The story's {{dystopia}}n society has removed her from the public memory, going as far as to forbid her name to be used for a new child ever again, after [[spoiler:the memories she received dissipated out into the community when she applied for [[ReleasedToElsewhere release]] (assisted suicide, and she knew what it was) and the members of the community had to feel emotion and pain for the first time]].
!!Gabe
A newchild informally adopted by Jonas's family due to his slightly stunted development. He and Jonas form a strong bond, especially after Jonas realizes that he can Receive memories as well.
* AmbiguousDisorder: He doesn't meet typical developmental goals for babies/toddlers. It's vaguely implied that he had some kind of Pervasive Developmental Disorder. [[ScienceMarchesOn Note that when the book was written, PDD and Autism were thought to be much rarer than they are today.]]
* BreakingSpeech: Gives one in ''Son'' to [[spoiler: Trademaster, on how the people he's victimized still manage to find good lives for themselves.]]
* CheerfulChild: As a baby, he's very loud and happy.
* InSeriesNickname: His real name is Gabriel, but Jonas's father dubs him "Gabe" and it sticks.
* MeaningfulName: Gabriel is the name of an angel who is often considered a symbol of healing.
* MysteriousPast: In ''Son.'' He only knows what Jonas has told him, which isn't a lot, and is frustrated by his answers of, essentially, "[[CrapsackWorld that's just how it was]]."
* OccultBlueEyes: Has blue eyes, which are very rare in the community, and is a sign that he is capable of "seeing beyond". Gabe's power is veering, in which he can briefly transport himself into another person's body and experience their thoughts and feelings.
%% * PsychicPowers
!!Chief Elder
Leader of The Community. Is the speaker at all of the ceremonies in The Community as well.
Played by Creator/MerylStreep in the 2014 film.
* AdaptationalVillainy: She is a minor character in the book. In the film, she is a KnightTemplar villain.
* BigBad: Of the film.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Her real name is never revealed.
* FreudianExcuse: It's implied that [[spoiler:Rosemary was her daughter, showing why her loss drove her to be obstinate and controlling]].
%% * LightIsNotGood: In the film adaptation, she wears white.
%% * NoNameGiven:
%% * OnlyOneName: Presumably.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Firmly believes in this. Especially with her conversation to the Giver at the end:
--->'''Chief Elder''': You have seen children starve, seen people stand on each other's necks, just for the view. You know what it feels like when men blow each other up over a simple line in the sand, and yet, and yet, you and Jonas want to open that door again, bring all that back."
--->'''Giver''': "But, if you could only see the possibility of love, of love, with love comes faith, comes hope."
--->'''Chief Elder''' (scoffing with contempt): "Love is just passion. Passion that can turn, turn into contempt and murder."
--->'''Giver''' (pleading): "We could choose better."
--->'''Chief Elder''': "People are weak, people are selfish, when people have the freedom to choose, they chose wrong. Every single time."
%% * WellIntentionedExtremist: She actually believes that the society she endorses is the best solution for mankind.
!!Jonas' family
Jonas's family, consisting of his parents and little sister, Lily -- although like the rest of the family units, none of them are biologically related. Like the rest of the Community, they are ConditionedToAcceptHorror and remain oblivious to Jonas's increasing distance.
Played by Creator/AlexanderSkarsgard (Jonas's father), Katie Holmes (Jonas's mother), and Emma Tremblay (Lily) in the 2014 film.
%% * AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Lily can come off as this sometimes.
* BureaucraticallyArrangedMarriage: Like all couples in the Communtiy, they are arranged this way, so that they complement each other and work well together, though it's still loveless and sexless.
* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:Jonas's parents are this to Jonas. It's especially so for the father after Jonas saw a recording of the former "releasing" a twin baby. In the sequels Jonas does not even refer to them as his parents anymore, instead calling them "the people who raised him."]]
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: People who work with the very young or the old are conditioned to accept [[spoiler:euthanasia]] as a fact of life, starting from their early adolescence. [[spoiler:This includes Jonas's father, who nonchalantly euthanizes a baby.]]
%% * MotorMouth: Lily. She does almost all of the talking out of her whole family.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In the film adaptation, [[spoiler:Jonas's father realizes that he had been committing institutionalized murder with each Release all along as the memories return to the Community]].
* NiceGuy: Claire singles out Jonas's father as being especially kind and friendly.
* NuclearFamily: Minus the dog, as pets don't exist in the Community. Invoked by the Community, as all families are intentionally set up like this.
* SexlessMarriage: Like every other marriage in the Community, their's is this, since sexual desires are suppressed by pills.
* UnnamedParent: Both of Jonas's parents are unnamed.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: When Jonas asks them if they love him, they admonish him for not using precise language and say that asking "Do you enjoy me?" or "Do you take pride in my accomplishments?" would have been better. What makes it better is that they actually laugh and treat the question as meaningless.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:''Gathering Blue'']]
!!Kira
The main character of ''Gathering Blue'' and supporting character in ''Messenger'' and ''Son''. Born with a deformed leg, Kira is ostracized by members of her community and would have been put to death at birth had it not been for her mother's intervention. Upon her mother's death she is nearly sentenced to die, but is instead singled out for her exceptional weaving skills and is chosen to be the Threader, the person who will embroider the Singer's robe with the history of their people.
* TheChosenOne: Along with Thomas and Jo, she's chosen by the council to pass on the history of human civilization.
* CoolBigSis: To Matty. She teaches him manners.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: In a way, to Jonas -- while Jonas is from a futuristic society, able-bodied, had been treated well since birth, and male, Kira is from a backwater village, disabled, ostracized because of it, and female. However, they're both determined young people burdened to pass on the history of human civilization. [[spoiler: Jonas eventually has to make a sacrifice by leaving his community and Kira makes a sacrifice by staying in hers, for the betterment of both. Also, they end up together.]]
* DeadGuyJunior: In ''Son'', [[spoiler:her and Jonas's son is named Matthew for Matty and their daughter is named Annabelle for Annabella.]]
* DisabledLoveInterest: [[spoiler: To Jonas. Unlike most examples, it's pretty permanent.]]
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: How her gift manifests itself -- visions of the future appear in her embroidery.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness
* InsecureLoveInterest: [[spoiler: Downplayed in ''Son'', in which she's still insecure about her deformed leg even after two children with Jonas.]]
* InspirationallyDisadvantaged: She's been crippled since birth, but since her mother's death, her weaving and embroidery skills keep her from being killed by the council, and she later rises above those who scorn her.
* LooseLips: Mentioning to Jamison that Annabella knows there are no beasts in the woods [[spoiler: gets Annabella killed]].
* OccultBlueEyes: Has the blue eyes linked to "seeing beyond."
* PsychicPowers: It's implied her prodigious talent at embroidery is somewhat psychic in origin. This is elaborated on in ''Messenger,'' where she's now able to see temporary visions of the future in her work.
* SupremeChef: It's mentioned in ''Son'' that she's an exceptional cook.
* TextileWorkIsFeminine: Her job is to embroider the Singer's robe while Thomas's is to carve the Singer's staff.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: With Thomas and Matt.
!!Matty
Supporting character in ''Gathering Blue'' and protagonist of ''Messenger.'' Matt is a tyke from the Fen, a swampy region with strange customs and an odd way of speaking. He is at first Kira's only friend and acts as a sidekick of sorts to her. By ''Messenger'', he's been adopted by Christopher and has taken on the name "Matty."
* BigBrotherMentor: To Gabe. It's mentioned in ''Son'' that Gabe really admired and looked up to him.
* ABoyAndHisX: His dogs Branchie and Frolic.
* {{Courier}}: Matty craves the admiration and prestige of being the village's Messenger.
* HappilyAdopted: In ''Messenger,'' he is now Seer / Christopher's adopted son.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Essentially sacrifices himself to heal the world]].
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He and Kira have this dynamic; she acts as the CoolBigSis to his TagalongKid. Solidified when Christopher adopts him.
* HatesBaths: Due to growing up in the Fen, he's never without layers of dirt. He hates it when Thomas forcibly bathes him.
* HeroesLoveDogs: He forms a strong attachment to Branchie and is devastated when he dies. He later adopts Frolic and loves him just as easily.
* MessianicArchetype: [[spoiler: He sacrifices himself so that the residents of Village can find the good in themselves again. It's outright stated in ''Son'' that the villagers found ways to become worthy of his sacrifice.]]
* NonHumanSidekick: Branchie in ''Gathering Blue'' and Frolic in ''Messenger'' after the former's death.
* OnlyFriend: After Kira's mother's death, he's at first the only person willing to interact with her.
* ThePigPen: Kira often describes him as filthy. He cleans up by ''Messenger''.
* {{Sidekick}}: To Kira at first, although he graduates to full-on Hero in ''Messenger''.
* TagalongKid: To Kira in ''Gathering Blue,'' where he's her eight-year-old sidekick.
* WorldHealingWave: [[spoiler: At the end of ''Messenger'' - effectively healing the world of all evil, but effectively taking his life in the process.]]
!!Annabella
An old woman skilled in the art of dyeing threads who teaches Kira the skill.
* CoolOldLady: Age hasn't diminished her talent with plants at all.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied the Council killed her for knowing that the "beasts" were just them manipulating the residents.]]
* TheMentor: She teaches Kira everything she knows about making dyes -- not with weaving and embroidery, however, as she notes she never had the talent. That comes from Kira's mother and Kira's own innate talent.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: [[spoiler: She's offed when Kira tells the Council that Annabella knows there are no beasts]].
!!Katrina
Kira's kind mother, who died of an unspecified illness prior to ''Gathering Blue''.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Was always good to her daughter and encouraged her talents -- a stark contrast to [[AbusiveParents the other parents in the setting]].
* MamaBear: Fought vehemently against the Council's orders to have her daughter put to death. It helped that Katrina's own father and husband were influential.
* SoapOperaDisease: Her cause of death was a vaguely-defined illness, although [[spoiler: Kira increasingly suspects she was poisoned by the Council]].
* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: Christopher disappeared while she was pregnant. She never remarried and raised Kira by herself in memory of him.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: According to Annabella, Kira strongly resembles her.
!!Christopher/Seer
Kira's DisappearedDad. Before his reappearance in ''Gathering Blue'' all that was known of him was that he was taken by beasts. In ''Messenger'' it's revealed that in the interim he'd found himself a new home in Village, where he serves as a source of guidance to its residents.
* DisappearedDad: To Kira, although they end up reuniting.
* KilledOffscreen: Dies between ''Messenger'' and ''Son.''
* ParentalSubstitute: He becomes one to Matty -- the boy ends up being his eyes while he serves as a much-needed parental influence.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Like the Giver, he's a wise old man who's experienced extremely trying times and serves as a source of wisdom to his community. Both of them also [[spoiler: lost their daughters (although Kira and Seer reunite)]] and take gifted young boys under their wing.
!!Jamison
One of the Guardians, a group of wise old men who rule over Kira's village and oversee all decision-making. He is appointed as Kira's defender during her trial and later oversees her duties as the Threader.
* CoolOldGuy: A renowned hunter and respected Guardian.
* EvilAllAlong
* GreenEyedMonster: He was jealous of the power and influence Christopher wielded and set him up to die for it.
* ManipulativeBastard: He defends Kira at her trial in order to gain her trust so she wouldn't suspect she was being used for her gift.
* KarmaHoudini: Although we see in ''Messenger'' that Kira's village has gotten better in some aspects, we don't see any direct comeuppance Jamison gets.
* TreacherousAdvisor
!!Thomas
The Carver, a boy Kira's age singled out by the Guardians for his amazing woodcarving skills (much like Kira). His job is to carve the Singer's staff with key events so the Singer would not forget their place in the Song.
* BirdsOfAFeather: He and Kira bond thanks to their similar experiences and circumstances.
* TheChosenOne: By the Council, to carve the Singer's staff.
* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: He was taken in by the Council and his gifts were nurtured by them after his parents were killed in a lightning storm. Both of them. At the same time. A little ''too'' convenient...
* NiceGuy: He helps Kira adjust to her new way of living.
* ShipTease: With Kira, with whom he quickly bonds with, but they end up married to different people.
!!Jo
A little girl from the Fen in training to become the next Singer. Unlike Thomas and Kira's relative freedom, the Guardians are cruel to her.
* CheerfulChild: She's upbeat and enthusiastic at the Gathering.
* TheChosenOne: To become the next Singer.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: ''Messenger'']]
!!Leader
The young and powerful leader of Village.
* BigGood: One of the most moral, well-intentioned people in Village and also its leader.
* TheFaceless: His appearance is not described. [[spoiler: In the fourth and final book, ''Son'', it's outright stated that he and Jonas are the same person.]]
* TheLeader: Of his community.
* IKnowYourTrueName: His psychic powers allow him to sense a person's true name and purpose.
* PsychicPowers: He "sees beyond," and uses this power to watch over Village.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* ShipTease: Done rather subtly with Kira. [[spoiler: When he first sees Kira, he describes her as being beautiful. By ''Son'', they have two kids together.]]
* YoungAndInCharge: It's pointed out that he's much younger than plenty of the people he leads, but is in such a position because of the wisdom brought about by his PsychicPowers.
!!Trademaster
The antagonist of ''Messenger'' and ''Son'', a mysterious man with the power to grant your wishes at a high price.
* BigBad: The instigator of the main problems in ''Messenger'' and ''Son''.
* DarkIsEvil: Dark hair, dark outfit, dark outcomes to his wishes...
* DealWithTheDevil: His whole schtick. He'll give you what you want, but his prices require you to trade away the best part of yourself -- for example, it's implied Ramon's mother traded her children's health for a Gaming Machine. But ''refuse'' to trade with him and it's possible you'll be even worse off than when you started -- he cripples Einar for being proud enough to refuse his help.
* TheDreaded: To the people in the Village after the events of ''Messenger''.
* EmotionEater: It's suggested that selfishness, and the chaos and destruction it causes, feed him in some way.
* IShallTauntYou: He gives a big speech out of all the chaos he's caused to Gabe in an attempt to unnerve him.
* MadeOfEvil: According to Leader, he's pure evil. Gabe describes him as a force disguised as a man.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Claire describes him as surprisingly well-dressed.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: ''Son'']]
!!Claire
Claire is a girl from the Community three years ahead of Jonas, whose disastrous first birth (by C-section) terminates her assignment as Birthmother and gets her reassigned to Fish Hatchery. However, thanks to a slip-up by one of the handlers, she can't stop thinking about her son, Number Thirty-Six: whom the readers know as Gabriel. Overwhelmed with love and grief -- feelings she's kept bottled up due to them being forbidden -- after [[spoiler: Jonas takes Gabe on his escape to Elsewhere]], she ends up amnesiac and living with a caring seaside community. As her memories slowly return, she knows she has one goal -- to find her son.
* DefiledForever: Few people in her new home want anything to do with her after her TeenPregnancy is discovered.
* TheDeterminator: She won't give up on finding her son, even if it means scaling the terrifying cliffs that prevent escape or [[spoiler: having to watch him from afar as he won't believe her story due to her RapidAging]].
* EasyAmnesia: When Claire wakes up from her shipwreck she can remember her name, but not much else. Her memories begin to come back, although the residents are astounded that things like colors and animals seem completely new to her.
* MeaningfulName: "Claire" means "clear," as in the horrors of her society becoming clear to her.
* MissingMom: To Gabe. Unlike most examples, she takes an active role in searching for her son.
* MysteriousWaif: She's this to the seaside community who take her in, as she's young, amnesiac, talks "elegantly" compared to the way the others speak, and is almost childlike in her ignorance of common knowledge such as animals and colors. Of course, to those familiar with the world of ''The Giver'', this is not her own fault.
* RapidAging: Trademaster's bargain for [[spoiler:remembering her son is taking her youth, rendering her as an old woman. She gets better]].
* RedHeadedHeroine: Of ''Son.'' Her hair is described as coppery and red-gold.
* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: Her eyes are described as green.
* TeenPregnancy: She gave birth at fourteen, not that this is unusual for the Community -- but it's definitely unusual for the people who take her in, and she's ostracized a little once the knowledge is out.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She performs some pretty amazing things in the name of finding Gabe but retains a fear of water after nearly drowning in the sea.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Birthmothers are kept off the "pills" that keep deeper feelings in line in order to keep their hormones and such functioning. When Claire is reassigned nobody tells her to start taking them again, so she doesn't. This results in her feeling love for Gabe. Too bad nobody can relate to it. After her memories are wiped she begins to adjust to it.
!!Alys
The old woman who takes Claire in.
* LikeASonToMe: She grows to view Claire as her own daughter.
* TheMedic: She functions as this for the whole community, being skilled with herbs and healing.
* MyNaymeIs: "Alys."
* OldMaid: She did, however, use to be in a relationship with one of the old men in the village.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Claire.
!!Einar
Once called Fierce Einar due to his rebelliousness, he was the first to climb out of the cliffs that isolate their community -- but fell down just as quickly due to an injury he refuses to talk about. Having been dubbed Lame Einar, he now tends the sheep.
* DisabledLoveInterest: To Claire. Despite his needing a cane to walk they easily bond, and Einar teaches her how to climb. They do not, however, end up together, as Claire eventually moves on [[spoiler: to Village, in order to find Gabe]].
* {{Fingore}}: Trademaster ''cut off half his foot'' for being too proud to trade.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: InUniverse. Claire [[spoiler: as an old woman frequently wonders what would have happened if she'd just stayed and married Einar]].
[[/folder]]
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:''The Giver'']]
!!Jonas
The main protagonist of ''The Giver'' and supporting character in ''Messenger'' and ''Son.'' At the onset of the first book twelve-year-old Jonas is selected to become the next Receiver of Memory, who stores all the memories of the time before Sameness so they can aid the Community in making decisions the Elders lack the experience to make. As Jonas receives memories of beautiful things such as sunshine, love, and family, as well as terrible things like war and starvation, the more horrified he becomes at how emotionally sterile the community has to be in order to function at all, and he and the Giver set out to change things.
Played by Brenton Thwaites in the 2014 film.
* AdaptationDyeJob: He has brown eyes in the film, instead of blue eyes like in the book.
* AgeLift: He was eleven going on twelve in the book, but has been aged up to sixteen for the movie.
* BigBrotherInstinct: [[spoiler:Despite his growing disillusionment with his Community, it's not until he learns that Gabe is going to be killed that he decides to leave.]]
* BigBrotherIsEmployingYou: He is being trained to take a role in perpetuating the dystopia they all live in.
* TheCameo: In ''Gathering Blue'', Matt describes a boy with "amazing blue eyes."
* TheChosenOne: He is chosen by his society to be the new Receiver of Memory, a very revered position. Halfway through the book he decides that pulling a ScrewDestiny will work for the better of society in the long run.
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Like most people in his community, Jonas takes things that would be downright horrifying to many people as normal -- although once he receives memories of better times, he realizes how horrible the Community is to make its residents live this way.
* CrapsackOnlyByComparison: Inverted. At first he ''thinks'' that he's in a utopia, but it's actually more of a CrapsackWorld.
* EroticDream: His dream of his "favorite female friend," Fiona, which prompts his mother to start giving him the pills.
* FirstSnow: He is very confused upon seeing snow for the first time (because he's used to total climate control).
* HeroesWantRedheads: He has his Stirrings for Fiona, who has red hair. [[spoiler:He ends up with the dark-haired Kira, though.]]
* InferredSurvival: [[spoiler: It's strongly hinted in ''Messenger'' that Leader is Jonas: the mentions of his blue eyes, his sister, and Fiona, the sled makes an appearance, and that he first discovered his powers via an apple.]]
* LivingIsMoreThanSurviving: He comes to realize that the community gave up genuine emotion and humanity for an emotionally sterile, functional utopia.
%% * LoveInterest: Fiona [[spoiler: and implied in ''Messenger,'' Kira. He graduates to full-on OfficialCouple with the latter.]]
* MeaningfulName: "Jonas" is a variant form of the Hebrew name "Jonah". Much like the prophet Jonah in Literature/TheBible, Jonas (who's arguably a "prophet" in his own way) is a ChosenOne selected by his rulers to receive great messages, and he ultimately [[spoiler: decides to elude his destiny by running away and starting a new life somewhere else]].
* MentorsNewHope: The Receiver of Knowledge who mentors Jonas is revealed [[spoiler: to have had another protege in the past, hinted to have been his own biological daughter (in their society, children are assigned to parents other than their birthmothers), who committed suicide out of despair brought on by the knowledge she received from her mentor, and was unpersoned by the Community]].
* NiceGuy: Intuitive, understanding, sensitive, kind, well-meaning, polite, and wanting to do what's best for the Community.
* OccultBlueEyes: Has blue eyes, which are very rare in the community, and is a sign that he is capable of "seeing beyond".
* OfficialCouple: [[spoiler: By ''Son'', he and Kira have two children together.]]
* OnlyOneName: Justified, since he and the rest of the Community are raised by adoptive parents assigned by the government, and have no reason to carry family names.
%% * PapaWolf: Towards Gabriel.
* ParentalSubstitute: He becomes protective of Gabriel, and [[spoiler:when they reappear in ''Son'' they have a dynamic sort of like this, although Jonas notes he could never have been a true parent to him]].
%% * PsychicPowers: It's vaguely mentioned that he has the capacity to "see beyond." He fully displays this [[spoiler: in ''Messenger'']].
* RiteOfPassage: Getting assigned a job is an important rite that determines the rest of a person's life; being assigned the unusual job of Receiver is what marks Jonas as special in the community.
%% * SomeoneHasToDoIt: How he deals with his duties as the Receiver of Memory.
* SplashOfColor: In-universe. He first starts seeing color by noticing red for the first time, when everyone else is unable to see anything other than black and white.
%% * ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: [[spoiler: Why the Giver asks to be left behind in the Community while Jonas escapes, and why, years later, Jonas lets Gabe fight Trademaster by himself]].
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: He grows up in a false Utopian society where the word "love" has become obsolete. When he learns about it through memories received from the Giver and asks his parents if they love him, they admonish him for not using precise language and say that asking "Do you enjoy me?" or "Do you take pride in my accomplishments?" would have been better. What makes it better is that they actually laugh and treat the question as meaningless. Jonas can't help but think that what he felt earlier was anything ''but'' meaningless. He realizes that further questions would also be met with either ignorance or programmed responses.
!!The Giver
The current Receiver Of Memory, who selects Jonas to become his replacement, a lonely, isolated man who carries all the memories of the time before Sameness. He considers them a burden, but cares deeply about Jonas and the Community and looks out for their best interests.
Played by Creator/JeffBridges in the 2014 film.
%% * BigGood
* CastFromLifespan: He mentions that using his memory-absorbing power has "aged" him; though it isn't clear whether it has actually shortened his life, or if he just looks much older than he really is.
* CharacterTitle: The titular "Giver" of the novel, although his real title is Receiver.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: His real name is never revealed and he is always just called "Giver" by Jonas and "Receiver" by other characters.
* TheGoodChancellor: His role in the Community is to advise them well based on the memories he's received.
%% * KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge: Pretty much his job description.
%% * TheMentor: To Jonas.
* MyGreatestSecondChance: After the startling failure of the previous Receiver-in-training, he is determined to do right by Jonas.
* NoNameGiven: His real name is never revealed.
* OccultBlueEyes: Has blue eyes, which are very rare in the community, and is a sign that he is capable of "seeing beyond".
* PassingTheTorch: An essential part of his relationship with Jonas. Jonas accepts the job as the Receiver with the understanding that he will eventually become the next Giver, with the task of passing on the accumulated memories to the next Receiver.
%% * PsychicPowers
* TookALevelInBadass: In the film adaptation, [[spoiler:he stalls the Chief Elder long enough to prevent Fiona's execution]].
* YoungerThanTheyLook: While it's unclear how old he actually is, it's (very briefly) mentioned that the stress of keeping all the memories is part of the reason he looks so old.
!!Asher
Jonas's best friend, a cheerful boy whose main concern is having fun -- as such, he's assigned to become the next Assistant Director of Recreation. Although their friendship is genuine, the knowledge Jonas has to bear puts a strain on their friendship.
Played by Cameron Monaghan in the 2014 film.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: He is consistently happy and cheerful throughout the book (where he's assigned a recreational position), while in the film he starts off that way but becomes more serious and unsmiling after being assigned drone pilot.
* AgeLift: He was eleven going on twelve in the book, but has been aged up to sixteen for the movie.
* AscendedExtra: To an extent, he just...stopped appearing in the narration after a certain point in the book, but has far more to do in the film.
%% * CheerfulChild / {{Keet}}
* CorporalPunishment: As a three, he asked for a "smack" instead of a "snack" when he was hungry and was hit so often with the stick that his legs had marks and he went silent for a time. The Chief Elder remembered this fondly.
%% * TheHedonist: Is absolutely ''delighted'' when he is assigned to be the Assistant Director of Recreation.
* MeaningfulName: "Asher" means "happy." Not so much in [[Film/TheGiver the film]], where he's a serious, unsmiling busybody.
* OnlyOneName: Justified, since he and the rest of the Community are raised by adoptive parents assigned by the government, and have no reason to carry family names.
!!Fiona
Jonas's closest female friend, a kind and gentle girl who is assigned to care for the people at the House of the Old.
Played by Odeya Rush in the 2014 film.
* AgeLift: She was eleven going on twelve in the book, but has been aged up to sixteen for the movie.
* AscendedExtra: To an extent, she just...stopped appearing in the narration after a certain point in the book, but has far more to do in the film.
* DamselInDistress: [[spoiler:During the climax of the film adaptation, in which she's sentenced to Release for her role in helping Jonas escape.]]
* FieryRedhead: Inverted. She is said to be calm and serene from Jonas.
* MeaningfulName: Fiona is an Irish name; although ethnic names of all types appear in "the community," Fiona is the only person with red hair, a feature the Irish are known for.
* NiceGirl: She's caring and considerate, which makes her a good fit for the job of caring for old people. Although [[spoiler: her job of "releasing" old people is not so nice, although she doesn't understand the implications of such an act.]]
* OnlyOneName: Justified, since she and the rest of the Community are raised by adoptive parents assigned by the government, and have no reason to carry family names.
* PromotedToLoveInterest: In the book, she is a good friend of Jonas's whom he eventually drifts apart from (although he's definitely interested in her). In the film [[spoiler:he manages to convince her to stop taking the injections and she realizes she loves him as well. She eventually aids in his escape and he promises her he'd come back for her]].
!!Rosemary
The previous Receiver-in-training. When she failed in her duties, the Community had to absorb the horrifying memories she'd received. Determined not to let this happen again, she was unpersoned by the Community and took great pains in choosing Jonas to be Rosemary's successor.
Played by Music/TaylorSwift in the 2014 film.
* DrivenToSuicide: She couldn't take the horrors of the memories she received, and applied for Release, which, unknown to most of the characters, is a lethal injection. And she knew exactly what it was--she asked to perform the Release herself. This prompted the community to add a new rule, in that future Receivers of Memory cannot ask to be released.
%% * InTheBlood: [[spoiler: She was the Giver's daughter.]]
* MeaningfulName: Rosemary (which stands for remembrance, according to Ophelia in ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''). Her name will never be used again after her death forced the community to remember the vivid emotions they have left behind.
* PosthumousCharacter: Her suicide took place years before the story starts.
%% * PsychicPowers
%% * ReleasedToElsewhere: Her death.
* {{Unperson}}: The story's {{dystopia}}n society has removed her from the public memory, going as far as to forbid her name to be used for a new child ever again, after [[spoiler:the memories she received dissipated out into the community when she applied for [[ReleasedToElsewhere release]] (assisted suicide, and she knew what it was) and the members of the community had to feel emotion and pain for the first time]].
!!Gabe
A newchild informally adopted by Jonas's family due to his slightly stunted development. He and Jonas form a strong bond, especially after Jonas realizes that he can Receive memories as well.
* AmbiguousDisorder: He doesn't meet typical developmental goals for babies/toddlers. It's vaguely implied that he had some kind of Pervasive Developmental Disorder. [[ScienceMarchesOn Note that when the book was written, PDD and Autism were thought to be much rarer than they are today.]]
* BreakingSpeech: Gives one in ''Son'' to [[spoiler: Trademaster, on how the people he's victimized still manage to find good lives for themselves.]]
* CheerfulChild: As a baby, he's very loud and happy.
* InSeriesNickname: His real name is Gabriel, but Jonas's father dubs him "Gabe" and it sticks.
* MeaningfulName: Gabriel is the name of an angel who is often considered a symbol of healing.
* MysteriousPast: In ''Son.'' He only knows what Jonas has told him, which isn't a lot, and is frustrated by his answers of, essentially, "[[CrapsackWorld that's just how it was]]."
* OccultBlueEyes: Has blue eyes, which are very rare in the community, and is a sign that he is capable of "seeing beyond". Gabe's power is veering, in which he can briefly transport himself into another person's body and experience their thoughts and feelings.
%% * PsychicPowers
!!Chief Elder
Leader of The Community. Is the speaker at all of the ceremonies in The Community as well.
Played by Creator/MerylStreep in the 2014 film.
* AdaptationalVillainy: She is a minor character in the book. In the film, she is a KnightTemplar villain.
* BigBad: Of the film.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Her real name is never revealed.
* FreudianExcuse: It's implied that [[spoiler:Rosemary was her daughter, showing why her loss drove her to be obstinate and controlling]].
%% * LightIsNotGood: In the film adaptation, she wears white.
%% * NoNameGiven:
%% * OnlyOneName: Presumably.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Firmly believes in this. Especially with her conversation to the Giver at the end:
--->'''Chief Elder''': You have seen children starve, seen people stand on each other's necks, just for the view. You know what it feels like when men blow each other up over a simple line in the sand, and yet, and yet, you and Jonas want to open that door again, bring all that back."
--->'''Giver''': "But, if you could only see the possibility of love, of love, with love comes faith, comes hope."
--->'''Chief Elder''' (scoffing with contempt): "Love is just passion. Passion that can turn, turn into contempt and murder."
--->'''Giver''' (pleading): "We could choose better."
--->'''Chief Elder''': "People are weak, people are selfish, when people have the freedom to choose, they chose wrong. Every single time."
%% * WellIntentionedExtremist: She actually believes that the society she endorses is the best solution for mankind.
!!Jonas' family
Jonas's family, consisting of his parents and little sister, Lily -- although like the rest of the family units, none of them are biologically related. Like the rest of the Community, they are ConditionedToAcceptHorror and remain oblivious to Jonas's increasing distance.
Played by Creator/AlexanderSkarsgard (Jonas's father), Katie Holmes (Jonas's mother), and Emma Tremblay (Lily) in the 2014 film.
%% * AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Lily can come off as this sometimes.
* BureaucraticallyArrangedMarriage: Like all couples in the Communtiy, they are arranged this way, so that they complement each other and work well together, though it's still loveless and sexless.
* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:Jonas's parents are this to Jonas. It's especially so for the father after Jonas saw a recording of the former "releasing" a twin baby. In the sequels Jonas does not even refer to them as his parents anymore, instead calling them "the people who raised him."]]
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: People who work with the very young or the old are conditioned to accept [[spoiler:euthanasia]] as a fact of life, starting from their early adolescence. [[spoiler:This includes Jonas's father, who nonchalantly euthanizes a baby.]]
%% * MotorMouth: Lily. She does almost all of the talking out of her whole family.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In the film adaptation, [[spoiler:Jonas's father realizes that he had been committing institutionalized murder with each Release all along as the memories return to the Community]].
* NiceGuy: Claire singles out Jonas's father as being especially kind and friendly.
* NuclearFamily: Minus the dog, as pets don't exist in the Community. Invoked by the Community, as all families are intentionally set up like this.
* SexlessMarriage: Like every other marriage in the Community, their's is this, since sexual desires are suppressed by pills.
* UnnamedParent: Both of Jonas's parents are unnamed.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: When Jonas asks them if they love him, they admonish him for not using precise language and say that asking "Do you enjoy me?" or "Do you take pride in my accomplishments?" would have been better. What makes it better is that they actually laugh and treat the question as meaningless.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:''Gathering Blue'']]
!!Kira
The main character of ''Gathering Blue'' and supporting character in ''Messenger'' and ''Son''. Born with a deformed leg, Kira is ostracized by members of her community and would have been put to death at birth had it not been for her mother's intervention. Upon her mother's death she is nearly sentenced to die, but is instead singled out for her exceptional weaving skills and is chosen to be the Threader, the person who will embroider the Singer's robe with the history of their people.
* TheChosenOne: Along with Thomas and Jo, she's chosen by the council to pass on the history of human civilization.
* CoolBigSis: To Matty. She teaches him manners.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: In a way, to Jonas -- while Jonas is from a futuristic society, able-bodied, had been treated well since birth, and male, Kira is from a backwater village, disabled, ostracized because of it, and female. However, they're both determined young people burdened to pass on the history of human civilization. [[spoiler: Jonas eventually has to make a sacrifice by leaving his community and Kira makes a sacrifice by staying in hers, for the betterment of both. Also, they end up together.]]
* DeadGuyJunior: In ''Son'', [[spoiler:her and Jonas's son is named Matthew for Matty and their daughter is named Annabelle for Annabella.]]
* DisabledLoveInterest: [[spoiler: To Jonas. Unlike most examples, it's pretty permanent.]]
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: How her gift manifests itself -- visions of the future appear in her embroidery.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness
* InsecureLoveInterest: [[spoiler: Downplayed in ''Son'', in which she's still insecure about her deformed leg even after two children with Jonas.]]
* InspirationallyDisadvantaged: She's been crippled since birth, but since her mother's death, her weaving and embroidery skills keep her from being killed by the council, and she later rises above those who scorn her.
* LooseLips: Mentioning to Jamison that Annabella knows there are no beasts in the woods [[spoiler: gets Annabella killed]].
* OccultBlueEyes: Has the blue eyes linked to "seeing beyond."
* PsychicPowers: It's implied her prodigious talent at embroidery is somewhat psychic in origin. This is elaborated on in ''Messenger,'' where she's now able to see temporary visions of the future in her work.
* SupremeChef: It's mentioned in ''Son'' that she's an exceptional cook.
* TextileWorkIsFeminine: Her job is to embroider the Singer's robe while Thomas's is to carve the Singer's staff.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: With Thomas and Matt.
!!Matty
Supporting character in ''Gathering Blue'' and protagonist of ''Messenger.'' Matt is a tyke from the Fen, a swampy region with strange customs and an odd way of speaking. He is at first Kira's only friend and acts as a sidekick of sorts to her. By ''Messenger'', he's been adopted by Christopher and has taken on the name "Matty."
* BigBrotherMentor: To Gabe. It's mentioned in ''Son'' that Gabe really admired and looked up to him.
* ABoyAndHisX: His dogs Branchie and Frolic.
* {{Courier}}: Matty craves the admiration and prestige of being the village's Messenger.
* HappilyAdopted: In ''Messenger,'' he is now Seer / Christopher's adopted son.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Essentially sacrifices himself to heal the world]].
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He and Kira have this dynamic; she acts as the CoolBigSis to his TagalongKid. Solidified when Christopher adopts him.
* HatesBaths: Due to growing up in the Fen, he's never without layers of dirt. He hates it when Thomas forcibly bathes him.
* HeroesLoveDogs: He forms a strong attachment to Branchie and is devastated when he dies. He later adopts Frolic and loves him just as easily.
* MessianicArchetype: [[spoiler: He sacrifices himself so that the residents of Village can find the good in themselves again. It's outright stated in ''Son'' that the villagers found ways to become worthy of his sacrifice.]]
* NonHumanSidekick: Branchie in ''Gathering Blue'' and Frolic in ''Messenger'' after the former's death.
* OnlyFriend: After Kira's mother's death, he's at first the only person willing to interact with her.
* ThePigPen: Kira often describes him as filthy. He cleans up by ''Messenger''.
* {{Sidekick}}: To Kira at first, although he graduates to full-on Hero in ''Messenger''.
* TagalongKid: To Kira in ''Gathering Blue,'' where he's her eight-year-old sidekick.
* WorldHealingWave: [[spoiler: At the end of ''Messenger'' - effectively healing the world of all evil, but effectively taking his life in the process.]]
!!Annabella
An old woman skilled in the art of dyeing threads who teaches Kira the skill.
* CoolOldLady: Age hasn't diminished her talent with plants at all.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied the Council killed her for knowing that the "beasts" were just them manipulating the residents.]]
* TheMentor: She teaches Kira everything she knows about making dyes -- not with weaving and embroidery, however, as she notes she never had the talent. That comes from Kira's mother and Kira's own innate talent.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: [[spoiler: She's offed when Kira tells the Council that Annabella knows there are no beasts]].
!!Katrina
Kira's kind mother, who died of an unspecified illness prior to ''Gathering Blue''.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Was always good to her daughter and encouraged her talents -- a stark contrast to [[AbusiveParents the other parents in the setting]].
* MamaBear: Fought vehemently against the Council's orders to have her daughter put to death. It helped that Katrina's own father and husband were influential.
* SoapOperaDisease: Her cause of death was a vaguely-defined illness, although [[spoiler: Kira increasingly suspects she was poisoned by the Council]].
* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: Christopher disappeared while she was pregnant. She never remarried and raised Kira by herself in memory of him.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: According to Annabella, Kira strongly resembles her.
!!Christopher/Seer
Kira's DisappearedDad. Before his reappearance in ''Gathering Blue'' all that was known of him was that he was taken by beasts. In ''Messenger'' it's revealed that in the interim he'd found himself a new home in Village, where he serves as a source of guidance to its residents.
* DisappearedDad: To Kira, although they end up reuniting.
* KilledOffscreen: Dies between ''Messenger'' and ''Son.''
* ParentalSubstitute: He becomes one to Matty -- the boy ends up being his eyes while he serves as a much-needed parental influence.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Like the Giver, he's a wise old man who's experienced extremely trying times and serves as a source of wisdom to his community. Both of them also [[spoiler: lost their daughters (although Kira and Seer reunite)]] and take gifted young boys under their wing.
!!Jamison
One of the Guardians, a group of wise old men who rule over Kira's village and oversee all decision-making. He is appointed as Kira's defender during her trial and later oversees her duties as the Threader.
* CoolOldGuy: A renowned hunter and respected Guardian.
* EvilAllAlong
* GreenEyedMonster: He was jealous of the power and influence Christopher wielded and set him up to die for it.
* ManipulativeBastard: He defends Kira at her trial in order to gain her trust so she wouldn't suspect she was being used for her gift.
* KarmaHoudini: Although we see in ''Messenger'' that Kira's village has gotten better in some aspects, we don't see any direct comeuppance Jamison gets.
* TreacherousAdvisor
!!Thomas
The Carver, a boy Kira's age singled out by the Guardians for his amazing woodcarving skills (much like Kira). His job is to carve the Singer's staff with key events so the Singer would not forget their place in the Song.
* BirdsOfAFeather: He and Kira bond thanks to their similar experiences and circumstances.
* TheChosenOne: By the Council, to carve the Singer's staff.
* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: He was taken in by the Council and his gifts were nurtured by them after his parents were killed in a lightning storm. Both of them. At the same time. A little ''too'' convenient...
* NiceGuy: He helps Kira adjust to her new way of living.
* ShipTease: With Kira, with whom he quickly bonds with, but they end up married to different people.
!!Jo
A little girl from the Fen in training to become the next Singer. Unlike Thomas and Kira's relative freedom, the Guardians are cruel to her.
* CheerfulChild: She's upbeat and enthusiastic at the Gathering.
* TheChosenOne: To become the next Singer.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: ''Messenger'']]
!!Leader
The young and powerful leader of Village.
* BigGood: One of the most moral, well-intentioned people in Village and also its leader.
* TheFaceless: His appearance is not described. [[spoiler: In the fourth and final book, ''Son'', it's outright stated that he and Jonas are the same person.]]
* TheLeader: Of his community.
* IKnowYourTrueName: His psychic powers allow him to sense a person's true name and purpose.
* PsychicPowers: He "sees beyond," and uses this power to watch over Village.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* ShipTease: Done rather subtly with Kira. [[spoiler: When he first sees Kira, he describes her as being beautiful. By ''Son'', they have two kids together.]]
* YoungAndInCharge: It's pointed out that he's much younger than plenty of the people he leads, but is in such a position because of the wisdom brought about by his PsychicPowers.
!!Trademaster
The antagonist of ''Messenger'' and ''Son'', a mysterious man with the power to grant your wishes at a high price.
* BigBad: The instigator of the main problems in ''Messenger'' and ''Son''.
* DarkIsEvil: Dark hair, dark outfit, dark outcomes to his wishes...
* DealWithTheDevil: His whole schtick. He'll give you what you want, but his prices require you to trade away the best part of yourself -- for example, it's implied Ramon's mother traded her children's health for a Gaming Machine. But ''refuse'' to trade with him and it's possible you'll be even worse off than when you started -- he cripples Einar for being proud enough to refuse his help.
* TheDreaded: To the people in the Village after the events of ''Messenger''.
* EmotionEater: It's suggested that selfishness, and the chaos and destruction it causes, feed him in some way.
* IShallTauntYou: He gives a big speech out of all the chaos he's caused to Gabe in an attempt to unnerve him.
* MadeOfEvil: According to Leader, he's pure evil. Gabe describes him as a force disguised as a man.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Claire describes him as surprisingly well-dressed.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: ''Son'']]
!!Claire
Claire is a girl from the Community three years ahead of Jonas, whose disastrous first birth (by C-section) terminates her assignment as Birthmother and gets her reassigned to Fish Hatchery. However, thanks to a slip-up by one of the handlers, she can't stop thinking about her son, Number Thirty-Six: whom the readers know as Gabriel. Overwhelmed with love and grief -- feelings she's kept bottled up due to them being forbidden -- after [[spoiler: Jonas takes Gabe on his escape to Elsewhere]], she ends up amnesiac and living with a caring seaside community. As her memories slowly return, she knows she has one goal -- to find her son.
* DefiledForever: Few people in her new home want anything to do with her after her TeenPregnancy is discovered.
* TheDeterminator: She won't give up on finding her son, even if it means scaling the terrifying cliffs that prevent escape or [[spoiler: having to watch him from afar as he won't believe her story due to her RapidAging]].
* EasyAmnesia: When Claire wakes up from her shipwreck she can remember her name, but not much else. Her memories begin to come back, although the residents are astounded that things like colors and animals seem completely new to her.
* MeaningfulName: "Claire" means "clear," as in the horrors of her society becoming clear to her.
* MissingMom: To Gabe. Unlike most examples, she takes an active role in searching for her son.
* MysteriousWaif: She's this to the seaside community who take her in, as she's young, amnesiac, talks "elegantly" compared to the way the others speak, and is almost childlike in her ignorance of common knowledge such as animals and colors. Of course, to those familiar with the world of ''The Giver'', this is not her own fault.
* RapidAging: Trademaster's bargain for [[spoiler:remembering her son is taking her youth, rendering her as an old woman. She gets better]].
* RedHeadedHeroine: Of ''Son.'' Her hair is described as coppery and red-gold.
* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: Her eyes are described as green.
* TeenPregnancy: She gave birth at fourteen, not that this is unusual for the Community -- but it's definitely unusual for the people who take her in, and she's ostracized a little once the knowledge is out.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She performs some pretty amazing things in the name of finding Gabe but retains a fear of water after nearly drowning in the sea.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Birthmothers are kept off the "pills" that keep deeper feelings in line in order to keep their hormones and such functioning. When Claire is reassigned nobody tells her to start taking them again, so she doesn't. This results in her feeling love for Gabe. Too bad nobody can relate to it. After her memories are wiped she begins to adjust to it.
!!Alys
The old woman who takes Claire in.
* LikeASonToMe: She grows to view Claire as her own daughter.
* TheMedic: She functions as this for the whole community, being skilled with herbs and healing.
* MyNaymeIs: "Alys."
* OldMaid: She did, however, use to be in a relationship with one of the old men in the village.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Claire.
!!Einar
Once called Fierce Einar due to his rebelliousness, he was the first to climb out of the cliffs that isolate their community -- but fell down just as quickly due to an injury he refuses to talk about. Having been dubbed Lame Einar, he now tends the sheep.
* DisabledLoveInterest: To Claire. Despite his needing a cane to walk they easily bond, and Einar teaches her how to climb. They do not, however, end up together, as Claire eventually moves on [[spoiler: to Village, in order to find Gabe]].
* {{Fingore}}: Trademaster ''cut off half his foot'' for being too proud to trade.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: InUniverse. Claire [[spoiler: as an old woman frequently wonders what would have happened if she'd just stayed and married Einar]].
[[/folder]]
to:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:''The Giver'']]
!!Jonas
The main protagonist of ''The Giver'' and supporting character in ''Messenger'' and ''Son.'' At the onset of the first book twelve-year-old Jonas is selected to become the next Receiver of Memory, who stores all the memories of the time before Sameness so they can aid the Community in making decisions the Elders lack the experience to make. As Jonas receives memories of beautiful things such as sunshine, love, and family, as well as terrible things like war and starvation, the more horrified he becomes at how emotionally sterile the community has to be in order to function at all, and he and the Giver set out to change things.
Played by Brenton Thwaites in the 2014 film.
* AdaptationDyeJob: He has brown eyes in the film, instead of blue eyes like in the book.
* AgeLift: He was eleven going on twelve in the book, but has been aged up to sixteen for the movie.
* BigBrotherInstinct: [[spoiler:Despite his growing disillusionment with his Community, it's not until he learns that Gabe is going to be killed that he decides to leave.]]
* BigBrotherIsEmployingYou: He is being trained to take a role in perpetuating the dystopia they all live in.
* TheCameo: In ''Gathering Blue'', Matt describes a boy with "amazing blue eyes."
* TheChosenOne: He is chosen by his society to be the new Receiver of Memory, a very revered position. Halfway through the book he decides that pulling a ScrewDestiny will work for the better of society in the long run.
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Like most people in his community, Jonas takes things that would be downright horrifying to many people as normal -- although once he receives memories of better times, he realizes how horrible the Community is to make its residents live this way.
* CrapsackOnlyByComparison: Inverted. At first he ''thinks'' that he's in a utopia, but it's actually more of a CrapsackWorld.
* EroticDream: His dream of his "favorite female friend," Fiona, which prompts his mother to start giving him the pills.
* FirstSnow: He is very confused upon seeing snow for the first time (because he's used to total climate control).
* HeroesWantRedheads: He has his Stirrings for Fiona, who has red hair. [[spoiler:He ends up with the dark-haired Kira, though.]]
* InferredSurvival: [[spoiler: It's strongly hinted in ''Messenger'' that Leader is Jonas: the mentions of his blue eyes, his sister, and Fiona, the sled makes an appearance, and that he first discovered his powers via an apple.]]
* LivingIsMoreThanSurviving: He comes to realize that the community gave up genuine emotion and humanity for an emotionally sterile, functional utopia.
%% * LoveInterest: Fiona [[spoiler: and implied in ''Messenger,'' Kira. He graduates to full-on OfficialCouple with the latter.]]
* MeaningfulName: "Jonas" is a variant form of the Hebrew name "Jonah". Much like the prophet Jonah in Literature/TheBible, Jonas (who's arguably a "prophet" in his own way) is a ChosenOne selected by his rulers to receive great messages, and he ultimately [[spoiler: decides to elude his destiny by running away and starting a new life somewhere else]].
* MentorsNewHope: The Receiver of Knowledge who mentors Jonas is revealed [[spoiler: to have had another protege in the past, hinted to have been his own biological daughter (in their society, children are assigned to parents other than their birthmothers), who committed suicide out of despair brought on by the knowledge she received from her mentor, and was unpersoned by the Community]].
* NiceGuy: Intuitive, understanding, sensitive, kind, well-meaning, polite, and wanting to do what's best for the Community.
* OccultBlueEyes: Has blue eyes, which are very rare in the community, and is a sign that he is capable of "seeing beyond".
* OfficialCouple: [[spoiler: By ''Son'', he and Kira have two children together.]]
* OnlyOneName: Justified, since he and the rest of the Community are raised by adoptive parents assigned by the government, and have no reason to carry family names.
%% * PapaWolf: Towards Gabriel.
* ParentalSubstitute: He becomes protective of Gabriel, and [[spoiler:when they reappear in ''Son'' they have a dynamic sort of like this, although Jonas notes he could never have been a true parent to him]].
%% * PsychicPowers: It's vaguely mentioned that he has the capacity to "see beyond." He fully displays this [[spoiler: in ''Messenger'']].
* RiteOfPassage: Getting assigned a job is an important rite that determines the rest of a person's life; being assigned the unusual job of Receiver is what marks Jonas as special in the community.
%% * SomeoneHasToDoIt: How he deals with his duties as the Receiver of Memory.
* SplashOfColor: In-universe. He first starts seeing color by noticing red for the first time, when everyone else is unable to see anything other than black and white.
%% * ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: [[spoiler: Why the Giver asks to be left behind in the Community while Jonas escapes, and why, years later, Jonas lets Gabe fight Trademaster by himself]].
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: He grows up in a false Utopian society where the word "love" has become obsolete. When he learns about it through memories received from the Giver and asks his parents if they love him, they admonish him for not using precise language and say that asking "Do you enjoy me?" or "Do you take pride in my accomplishments?" would have been better. What makes it better is that they actually laugh and treat the question as meaningless. Jonas can't help but think that what he felt earlier was anything ''but'' meaningless. He realizes that further questions would also be met with either ignorance or programmed responses.
!!The Giver
The current Receiver Of Memory, who selects Jonas to become his replacement, a lonely, isolated man who carries all the memories of the time before Sameness. He considers them a burden, but cares deeply about Jonas and the Community and looks out for their best interests.
Played by Creator/JeffBridges in the 2014 film.
%% * BigGood
* CastFromLifespan: He mentions that using his memory-absorbing power has "aged" him; though it isn't clear whether it has actually shortened his life, or if he just looks much older than he really is.
* CharacterTitle: The titular "Giver" of the novel, although his real title is Receiver.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: His real name is never revealed and he is always just called "Giver" by Jonas and "Receiver" by other characters.
* TheGoodChancellor: His role in the Community is to advise them well based on the memories he's received.
%% * KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge: Pretty much his job description.
%% * TheMentor: To Jonas.
* MyGreatestSecondChance: After the startling failure of the previous Receiver-in-training, he is determined to do right by Jonas.
* NoNameGiven: His real name is never revealed.
* OccultBlueEyes: Has blue eyes, which are very rare in the community, and is a sign that he is capable of "seeing beyond".
* PassingTheTorch: An essential part of his relationship with Jonas. Jonas accepts the job as the Receiver with the understanding that he will eventually become the next Giver, with the task of passing on the accumulated memories to the next Receiver.
%% * PsychicPowers
* TookALevelInBadass: In the film adaptation, [[spoiler:he stalls the Chief Elder long enough to prevent Fiona's execution]].
* YoungerThanTheyLook: While it's unclear how old he actually is, it's (very briefly) mentioned that the stress of keeping all the memories is part of the reason he looks so old.
!!Asher
Jonas's best friend, a cheerful boy whose main concern is having fun -- as such, he's assigned to become the next Assistant Director of Recreation. Although their friendship is genuine, the knowledge Jonas has to bear puts a strain on their friendship.
Played by Cameron Monaghan in the 2014 film.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: He is consistently happy and cheerful throughout the book (where he's assigned a recreational position), while in the film he starts off that way but becomes more serious and unsmiling after being assigned drone pilot.
* AgeLift: He was eleven going on twelve in the book, but has been aged up to sixteen for the movie.
* AscendedExtra: To an extent, he just...stopped appearing in the narration after a certain point in the book, but has far more to do in the film.
%% * CheerfulChild / {{Keet}}
* CorporalPunishment: As a three, he asked for a "smack" instead of a "snack" when he was hungry and was hit so often with the stick that his legs had marks and he went silent for a time. The Chief Elder remembered this fondly.
%% * TheHedonist: Is absolutely ''delighted'' when he is assigned to be the Assistant Director of Recreation.
* MeaningfulName: "Asher" means "happy." Not so much in [[Film/TheGiver the film]], where he's a serious, unsmiling busybody.
* OnlyOneName: Justified, since he and the rest of the Community are raised by adoptive parents assigned by the government, and have no reason to carry family names.
!!Fiona
Jonas's closest female friend, a kind and gentle girl who is assigned to care for the people at the House of the Old.
Played by Odeya Rush in the 2014 film.
* AgeLift: She was eleven going on twelve in the book, but has been aged up to sixteen for the movie.
* AscendedExtra: To an extent, she just...stopped appearing in the narration after a certain point in the book, but has far more to do in the film.
* DamselInDistress: [[spoiler:During the climax of the film adaptation, in which she's sentenced to Release for her role in helping Jonas escape.]]
* FieryRedhead: Inverted. She is said to be calm and serene from Jonas.
* MeaningfulName: Fiona is an Irish name; although ethnic names of all types appear in "the community," Fiona is the only person with red hair, a feature the Irish are known for.
* NiceGirl: She's caring and considerate, which makes her a good fit for the job of caring for old people. Although [[spoiler: her job of "releasing" old people is not so nice, although she doesn't understand the implications of such an act.]]
* OnlyOneName: Justified, since she and the rest of the Community are raised by adoptive parents assigned by the government, and have no reason to carry family names.
* PromotedToLoveInterest: In the book, she is a good friend of Jonas's whom he eventually drifts apart from (although he's definitely interested in her). In the film [[spoiler:he manages to convince her to stop taking the injections and she realizes she loves him as well. She eventually aids in his escape and he promises her he'd come back for her]].
!!Rosemary
The previous Receiver-in-training. When she failed in her duties, the Community had to absorb the horrifying memories she'd received. Determined not to let this happen again, she was unpersoned by the Community and took great pains in choosing Jonas to be Rosemary's successor.
Played by Music/TaylorSwift in the 2014 film.
* DrivenToSuicide: She couldn't take the horrors of the memories she received, and applied for Release, which, unknown to most of the characters, is a lethal injection. And she knew exactly what it was--she asked to perform the Release herself. This prompted the community to add a new rule, in that future Receivers of Memory cannot ask to be released.
%% * InTheBlood: [[spoiler: She was the Giver's daughter.]]
* MeaningfulName: Rosemary (which stands for remembrance, according to Ophelia in ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''). Her name will never be used again after her death forced the community to remember the vivid emotions they have left behind.
* PosthumousCharacter: Her suicide took place years before the story starts.
%% * PsychicPowers
%% * ReleasedToElsewhere: Her death.
* {{Unperson}}: The story's {{dystopia}}n society has removed her from the public memory, going as far as to forbid her name to be used for a new child ever again, after [[spoiler:the memories she received dissipated out into the community when she applied for [[ReleasedToElsewhere release]] (assisted suicide, and she knew what it was) and the members of the community had to feel emotion and pain for the first time]].
!!Gabe
A newchild informally adopted by Jonas's family due to his slightly stunted development. He and Jonas form a strong bond, especially after Jonas realizes that he can Receive memories as well.
* AmbiguousDisorder: He doesn't meet typical developmental goals for babies/toddlers. It's vaguely implied that he had some kind of Pervasive Developmental Disorder. [[ScienceMarchesOn Note that when the book was written, PDD and Autism were thought to be much rarer than they are today.]]
* BreakingSpeech: Gives one in ''Son'' to [[spoiler: Trademaster, on how the people he's victimized still manage to find good lives for themselves.]]
* CheerfulChild: As a baby, he's very loud and happy.
* InSeriesNickname: His real name is Gabriel, but Jonas's father dubs him "Gabe" and it sticks.
* MeaningfulName: Gabriel is the name of an angel who is often considered a symbol of healing.
* MysteriousPast: In ''Son.'' He only knows what Jonas has told him, which isn't a lot, and is frustrated by his answers of, essentially, "[[CrapsackWorld that's just how it was]]."
* OccultBlueEyes: Has blue eyes, which are very rare in the community, and is a sign that he is capable of "seeing beyond". Gabe's power is veering, in which he can briefly transport himself into another person's body and experience their thoughts and feelings.
%% * PsychicPowers
!!Chief Elder
Leader of The Community. Is the speaker at all of the ceremonies in The Community as well.
Played by Creator/MerylStreep in the 2014 film.
* AdaptationalVillainy: She is a minor character in the book. In the film, she is a KnightTemplar villain.
* BigBad: Of the film.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Her real name is never revealed.
* FreudianExcuse: It's implied that [[spoiler:Rosemary was her daughter, showing why her loss drove her to be obstinate and controlling]].
%% * LightIsNotGood: In the film adaptation, she wears white.
%% * NoNameGiven:
%% * OnlyOneName: Presumably.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Firmly believes in this. Especially with her conversation to the Giver at the end:
--->'''Chief Elder''': You have seen children starve, seen people stand on each other's necks, just for the view. You know what it feels like when men blow each other up over a simple line in the sand, and yet, and yet, you and Jonas want to open that door again, bring all that back."
--->'''Giver''': "But, if you could only see the possibility of love, of love, with love comes faith, comes hope."
--->'''Chief Elder''' (scoffing with contempt): "Love is just passion. Passion that can turn, turn into contempt and murder."
--->'''Giver''' (pleading): "We could choose better."
--->'''Chief Elder''': "People are weak, people are selfish, when people have the freedom to choose, they chose wrong. Every single time."
%% * WellIntentionedExtremist: She actually believes that the society she endorses is the best solution for mankind.
!!Jonas' family
Jonas's family, consisting of his parents and little sister, Lily -- although like the rest of the family units, none of them are biologically related. Like the rest of the Community, they are ConditionedToAcceptHorror and remain oblivious to Jonas's increasing distance.
Played by Creator/AlexanderSkarsgard (Jonas's father), Katie Holmes (Jonas's mother), and Emma Tremblay (Lily) in the 2014 film.
%% * AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Lily can come off as this sometimes.
* BureaucraticallyArrangedMarriage: Like all couples in the Communtiy, they are arranged this way, so that they complement each other and work well together, though it's still loveless and sexless.
* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:Jonas's parents are this to Jonas. It's especially so for the father after Jonas saw a recording of the former "releasing" a twin baby. In the sequels Jonas does not even refer to them as his parents anymore, instead calling them "the people who raised him."]]
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: People who work with the very young or the old are conditioned to accept [[spoiler:euthanasia]] as a fact of life, starting from their early adolescence. [[spoiler:This includes Jonas's father, who nonchalantly euthanizes a baby.]]
%% * MotorMouth: Lily. She does almost all of the talking out of her whole family.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In the film adaptation, [[spoiler:Jonas's father realizes that he had been committing institutionalized murder with each Release all along as the memories return to the Community]].
* NiceGuy: Claire singles out Jonas's father as being especially kind and friendly.
* NuclearFamily: Minus the dog, as pets don't exist in the Community. Invoked by the Community, as all families are intentionally set up like this.
* SexlessMarriage: Like every other marriage in the Community, their's is this, since sexual desires are suppressed by pills.
* UnnamedParent: Both of Jonas's parents are unnamed.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: When Jonas asks them if they love him, they admonish him for not using precise language and say that asking "Do you enjoy me?" or "Do you take pride in my accomplishments?" would have been better. What makes it better is that they actually laugh and treat the question as meaningless.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:''Gathering Blue'']]
!!Kira
The main character of ''Gathering Blue'' and supporting character in ''Messenger'' and ''Son''. Born with a deformed leg, Kira is ostracized by members of her community and would have been put to death at birth had it not been for her mother's intervention. Upon her mother's death she is nearly sentenced to die, but is instead singled out for her exceptional weaving skills and is chosen to be the Threader, the person who will embroider the Singer's robe with the history of their people.
* TheChosenOne: Along with Thomas and Jo, she's chosen by the council to pass on the history of human civilization.
* CoolBigSis: To Matty. She teaches him manners.
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: In a way, to Jonas -- while Jonas is from a futuristic society, able-bodied, had been treated well since birth, and male, Kira is from a backwater village, disabled, ostracized because of it, and female. However, they're both determined young people burdened to pass on the history of human civilization. [[spoiler: Jonas eventually has to make a sacrifice by leaving his community and Kira makes a sacrifice by staying in hers, for the betterment of both. Also, they end up together.]]
* DeadGuyJunior: In ''Son'', [[spoiler:her and Jonas's son is named Matthew for Matty and their daughter is named Annabelle for Annabella.]]
* DisabledLoveInterest: [[spoiler: To Jonas. Unlike most examples, it's pretty permanent.]]
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: How her gift manifests itself -- visions of the future appear in her embroidery.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness
* InsecureLoveInterest: [[spoiler: Downplayed in ''Son'', in which she's still insecure about her deformed leg even after two children with Jonas.]]
* InspirationallyDisadvantaged: She's been crippled since birth, but since her mother's death, her weaving and embroidery skills keep her from being killed by the council, and she later rises above those who scorn her.
* LooseLips: Mentioning to Jamison that Annabella knows there are no beasts in the woods [[spoiler: gets Annabella killed]].
* OccultBlueEyes: Has the blue eyes linked to "seeing beyond."
* PsychicPowers: It's implied her prodigious talent at embroidery is somewhat psychic in origin. This is elaborated on in ''Messenger,'' where she's now able to see temporary visions of the future in her work.
* SupremeChef: It's mentioned in ''Son'' that she's an exceptional cook.
* TextileWorkIsFeminine: Her job is to embroider the Singer's robe while Thomas's is to carve the Singer's staff.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: With Thomas and Matt.
!!Matty
Supporting character in ''Gathering Blue'' and protagonist of ''Messenger.'' Matt is a tyke from the Fen, a swampy region with strange customs and an odd way of speaking. He is at first Kira's only friend and acts as a sidekick of sorts to her. By ''Messenger'', he's been adopted by Christopher and has taken on the name "Matty."
* BigBrotherMentor: To Gabe. It's mentioned in ''Son'' that Gabe really admired and looked up to him.
* ABoyAndHisX: His dogs Branchie and Frolic.
* {{Courier}}: Matty craves the admiration and prestige of being the village's Messenger.
* HappilyAdopted: In ''Messenger,'' he is now Seer / Christopher's adopted son.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Essentially sacrifices himself to heal the world]].
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He and Kira have this dynamic; she acts as the CoolBigSis to his TagalongKid. Solidified when Christopher adopts him.
* HatesBaths: Due to growing up in the Fen, he's never without layers of dirt. He hates it when Thomas forcibly bathes him.
* HeroesLoveDogs: He forms a strong attachment to Branchie and is devastated when he dies. He later adopts Frolic and loves him just as easily.
* MessianicArchetype: [[spoiler: He sacrifices himself so that the residents of Village can find the good in themselves again. It's outright stated in ''Son'' that the villagers found ways to become worthy of his sacrifice.]]
* NonHumanSidekick: Branchie in ''Gathering Blue'' and Frolic in ''Messenger'' after the former's death.
* OnlyFriend: After Kira's mother's death, he's at first the only person willing to interact with her.
* ThePigPen: Kira often describes him as filthy. He cleans up by ''Messenger''.
* {{Sidekick}}: To Kira at first, although he graduates to full-on Hero in ''Messenger''.
* TagalongKid: To Kira in ''Gathering Blue,'' where he's her eight-year-old sidekick.
* WorldHealingWave: [[spoiler: At the end of ''Messenger'' - effectively healing the world of all evil, but effectively taking his life in the process.]]
!!Annabella
An old woman skilled in the art of dyeing threads who teaches Kira the skill.
* CoolOldLady: Age hasn't diminished her talent with plants at all.
* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied the Council killed her for knowing that the "beasts" were just them manipulating the residents.]]
* TheMentor: She teaches Kira everything she knows about making dyes -- not with weaving and embroidery, however, as she notes she never had the talent. That comes from Kira's mother and Kira's own innate talent.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: [[spoiler: She's offed when Kira tells the Council that Annabella knows there are no beasts]].
!!Katrina
Kira's kind mother, who died of an unspecified illness prior to ''Gathering Blue''.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Was always good to her daughter and encouraged her talents -- a stark contrast to [[AbusiveParents the other parents in the setting]].
* MamaBear: Fought vehemently against the Council's orders to have her daughter put to death. It helped that Katrina's own father and husband were influential.
* SoapOperaDisease: Her cause of death was a vaguely-defined illness, although [[spoiler: Kira increasingly suspects she was poisoned by the Council]].
* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: Christopher disappeared while she was pregnant. She never remarried and raised Kira by herself in memory of him.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: According to Annabella, Kira strongly resembles her.
!!Christopher/Seer
Kira's DisappearedDad. Before his reappearance in ''Gathering Blue'' all that was known of him was that he was taken by beasts. In ''Messenger'' it's revealed that in the interim he'd found himself a new home in Village, where he serves as a source of guidance to its residents.
* DisappearedDad: To Kira, although they end up reuniting.
* KilledOffscreen: Dies between ''Messenger'' and ''Son.''
* ParentalSubstitute: He becomes one to Matty -- the boy ends up being his eyes while he serves as a much-needed parental influence.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Like the Giver, he's a wise old man who's experienced extremely trying times and serves as a source of wisdom to his community. Both of them also [[spoiler: lost their daughters (although Kira and Seer reunite)]] and take gifted young boys under their wing.
!!Jamison
One of the Guardians, a group of wise old men who rule over Kira's village and oversee all decision-making. He is appointed as Kira's defender during her trial and later oversees her duties as the Threader.
* CoolOldGuy: A renowned hunter and respected Guardian.
* EvilAllAlong
* GreenEyedMonster: He was jealous of the power and influence Christopher wielded and set him up to die for it.
* ManipulativeBastard: He defends Kira at her trial in order to gain her trust so she wouldn't suspect she was being used for her gift.
* KarmaHoudini: Although we see in ''Messenger'' that Kira's village has gotten better in some aspects, we don't see any direct comeuppance Jamison gets.
* TreacherousAdvisor
!!Thomas
The Carver, a boy Kira's age singled out by the Guardians for his amazing woodcarving skills (much like Kira). His job is to carve the Singer's staff with key events so the Singer would not forget their place in the Song.
* BirdsOfAFeather: He and Kira bond thanks to their similar experiences and circumstances.
* TheChosenOne: By the Council, to carve the Singer's staff.
* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: He was taken in by the Council and his gifts were nurtured by them after his parents were killed in a lightning storm. Both of them. At the same time. A little ''too'' convenient...
* NiceGuy: He helps Kira adjust to her new way of living.
* ShipTease: With Kira, with whom he quickly bonds with, but they end up married to different people.
!!Jo
A little girl from the Fen in training to become the next Singer. Unlike Thomas and Kira's relative freedom, the Guardians are cruel to her.
* CheerfulChild: She's upbeat and enthusiastic at the Gathering.
* TheChosenOne: To become the next Singer.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: ''Messenger'']]
!!Leader
The young and powerful leader of Village.
* BigGood: One of the most moral, well-intentioned people in Village and also its leader.
* TheFaceless: His appearance is not described. [[spoiler: In the fourth and final book, ''Son'', it's outright stated that he and Jonas are the same person.]]
* TheLeader: Of his community.
* IKnowYourTrueName: His psychic powers allow him to sense a person's true name and purpose.
* PsychicPowers: He "sees beyond," and uses this power to watch over Village.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* ShipTease: Done rather subtly with Kira. [[spoiler: When he first sees Kira, he describes her as being beautiful. By ''Son'', they have two kids together.]]
* YoungAndInCharge: It's pointed out that he's much younger than plenty of the people he leads, but is in such a position because of the wisdom brought about by his PsychicPowers.
!!Trademaster
The antagonist of ''Messenger'' and ''Son'', a mysterious man with the power to grant your wishes at a high price.
* BigBad: The instigator of the main problems in ''Messenger'' and ''Son''.
* DarkIsEvil: Dark hair, dark outfit, dark outcomes to his wishes...
* DealWithTheDevil: His whole schtick. He'll give you what you want, but his prices require you to trade away the best part of yourself -- for example, it's implied Ramon's mother traded her children's health for a Gaming Machine. But ''refuse'' to trade with him and it's possible you'll be even worse off than when you started -- he cripples Einar for being proud enough to refuse his help.
* TheDreaded: To the people in the Village after the events of ''Messenger''.
* EmotionEater: It's suggested that selfishness, and the chaos and destruction it causes, feed him in some way.
* IShallTauntYou: He gives a big speech out of all the chaos he's caused to Gabe in an attempt to unnerve him.
* MadeOfEvil: According to Leader, he's pure evil. Gabe describes him as a force disguised as a man.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Claire describes him as surprisingly well-dressed.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: ''Son'']]
!!Claire
Claire is a girl from the Community three years ahead of Jonas, whose disastrous first birth (by C-section) terminates her assignment as Birthmother and gets her reassigned to Fish Hatchery. However, thanks to a slip-up by one of the handlers, she can't stop thinking about her son, Number Thirty-Six: whom the readers know as Gabriel. Overwhelmed with love and grief -- feelings she's kept bottled up due to them being forbidden -- after [[spoiler: Jonas takes Gabe on his escape to Elsewhere]], she ends up amnesiac and living with a caring seaside community. As her memories slowly return, she knows she has one goal -- to find her son.
* DefiledForever: Few people in her new home want anything to do with her after her TeenPregnancy is discovered.
* TheDeterminator: She won't give up on finding her son, even if it means scaling the terrifying cliffs that prevent escape or [[spoiler: having to watch him from afar as he won't believe her story due to her RapidAging]].
* EasyAmnesia: When Claire wakes up from her shipwreck she can remember her name, but not much else. Her memories begin to come back, although the residents are astounded that things like colors and animals seem completely new to her.
* MeaningfulName: "Claire" means "clear," as in the horrors of her society becoming clear to her.
* MissingMom: To Gabe. Unlike most examples, she takes an active role in searching for her son.
* MysteriousWaif: She's this to the seaside community who take her in, as she's young, amnesiac, talks "elegantly" compared to the way the others speak, and is almost childlike in her ignorance of common knowledge such as animals and colors. Of course, to those familiar with the world of ''The Giver'', this is not her own fault.
* RapidAging: Trademaster's bargain for [[spoiler:remembering her son is taking her youth, rendering her as an old woman. She gets better]].
* RedHeadedHeroine: Of ''Son.'' Her hair is described as coppery and red-gold.
* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: Her eyes are described as green.
* TeenPregnancy: She gave birth at fourteen, not that this is unusual for the Community -- but it's definitely unusual for the people who take her in, and she's ostracized a little once the knowledge is out.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She performs some pretty amazing things in the name of finding Gabe but retains a fear of water after nearly drowning in the sea.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Birthmothers are kept off the "pills" that keep deeper feelings in line in order to keep their hormones and such functioning. When Claire is reassigned nobody tells her to start taking them again, so she doesn't. This results in her feeling love for Gabe. Too bad nobody can relate to it. After her memories are wiped she begins to adjust to it.
!!Alys
The old woman who takes Claire in.
* LikeASonToMe: She grows to view Claire as her own daughter.
* TheMedic: She functions as this for the whole community, being skilled with herbs and healing.
* MyNaymeIs: "Alys."
* OldMaid: She did, however, use to be in a relationship with one of the old men in the village.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Claire.
!!Einar
Once called Fierce Einar due to his rebelliousness, he was the first to climb out of the cliffs that isolate their community -- but fell down just as quickly due to an injury he refuses to talk about. Having been dubbed Lame Einar, he now tends the sheep.
* DisabledLoveInterest: To Claire. Despite his needing a cane to walk they easily bond, and Einar teaches her how to climb. They do not, however, end up together, as Claire eventually moves on [[spoiler: to Village, in order to find Gabe]].
* {{Fingore}}: Trademaster ''cut off half his foot'' for being too proud to trade.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: InUniverse. Claire [[spoiler: as an old woman frequently wonders what would have happened if she'd just stayed and married Einar]].
[[/folder]]
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* FreudianExcuse: It's implied that [[spoiler: Rosemary was her daughter]].
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* FreudianExcuse: It's implied that [[spoiler: Rosemary [[spoiler:Rosemary was her daughter]].daughter, showing why her loss drove her to be obstinate and controlling]].
%% * LightIsNotGood: In the film adaptation, she wears white.
%% * NoNameGiven:
%% * OnlyOneName: Presumably.
%% * LightIsNotGood: In the film adaptation, she wears white.
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* WellIntentionedExtremist: She actually believes that the society she endorses is the best solution for mankind.
%% * LightIsNotGood: In the film adaptation, she wears white.
%% * NoNameGiven:
%% * OnlyOneName: Presumably.
%% * LightIsNotGood: In the film adaptation, she wears white.
%% * NoNameGiven:
%% * OnlyOneName: Presumably.
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%% * WellIntentionedExtremist: She actually believes that the society she endorses is the best solution for mankind.
%% * LightIsNotGood: In the film adaptation, she wears white.
%% * NoNameGiven:
%% * OnlyOneName: Presumably.
%% * NoNameGiven:
%% * OnlyOneName: Presumably.
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* FreudianExcuse: It's implied that [[spoiler: Rosemary was her daughter]].
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* WellIntentionedExtremist: She actually believes that the society she endorses is the best solution for mankind.
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* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Firmly believes in this. Especially with her conversation to the Giver at the end:
--->'''Chief Elder''': You have seen children starve, seen people stand on each other's necks, just for the view. You know what it feels like when men blow each other up over a simple line in the sand, and yet, and yet, you and Jonas want to open that door again, bring all that back."
--->'''Giver''': "But, if you could only see the possibility of love, of love, with love comes faith, comes hope."
--->'''Chief Elder''' (scoffing with contempt): "Love is just passion. Passion that can turn, turn into contempt and murder."
--->'''Giver''' (pleading): "We could choose better."
--->'''Chief Elder''': "People are weak, people are selfish, when people have the freedom to choose, they chose wrong. Every single time."
--->'''Chief Elder''': You have seen children starve, seen people stand on each other's necks, just for the view. You know what it feels like when men blow each other up over a simple line in the sand, and yet, and yet, you and Jonas want to open that door again, bring all that back."
--->'''Giver''': "But, if you could only see the possibility of love, of love, with love comes faith, comes hope."
--->'''Chief Elder''' (scoffing with contempt): "Love is just passion. Passion that can turn, turn into contempt and murder."
--->'''Giver''' (pleading): "We could choose better."
--->'''Chief Elder''': "People are weak, people are selfish, when people have the freedom to choose, they chose wrong. Every single time."
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* AdaptationPersonalityChange: He is consistently happy and cheerful throughout the book (where he's assigned a recreational position), while in the film he starts off that way but becomes more serious and unsmiling after being assigned drone pilot.
* AgeLift: He was eleven going on twelve in the book, but has been aged up to sixteen for the movie.
* AscendedExtra: To an extent, he just...stopped appearing in the narration after a certain point in the book, but has far more to do in the film.
* AgeLift: He was eleven going on twelve in the book, but has been aged up to sixteen for the movie.
* AscendedExtra: To an extent, he just...stopped appearing in the narration after a certain point in the book, but has far more to do in the film.
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* AgeLift: She was eleven going on twelve in the book, but has been aged up to sixteen for the movie.
* AscendedExtra: To an extent, she just...stopped appearing in the narration after a certain point in the book, but has far more to do in the film.
* AscendedExtra: To an extent, she just...stopped appearing in the narration after a certain point in the book, but has far more to do in the film.
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* SexlessMarriage: Like every other marriage in the Communty, their's is this, since sexual desires are suppressed by pills.
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* SexlessMarriage: Like every other marriage in the Communty, Community, their's is this, since sexual desires are suppressed by pills.
