History YMMV / TheGiver

* MoralEventHorizon: The reveal of the true nature of the "Release" is this for the entire society. For Jonas, [[spoiler:his father in particular goes over the line, as he's the one doing the Release to a ''baby''.]] This is softened in the LiveActionAdaptation as [[spoiler:he undergoes a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment once, upon the release of the memories, it dawns upon him that he's been committing institutionalized murder all along]].

* MoralEventHorizon: The reveal of the true nature of the "Release" is this for the entire society. For Jonas, [[spoiler: his father in particular goes over the line, as he's the one doing the Release to a ''baby''.]]

* TheWoobie: [[spoiler:Poor, poor Rosemary...]]

* UnfortunateImplications: The idea of an eye color being "superior", especially light eyes, may be shady if you're [[GodwinsLaw thinking that way]], but the even more unfortunate implication is that Jonas's first "encounter" with people of a different race is them brutally killing a defenseless elephant.

** [[spoiler:The fact that Jonas's parents--and everyone else but the Giver in the book--is ignorant to the idea of love. When I first read the book in middle school, reading Jonas's reaction to his parents answering his question broke my heart. It's so difficult to fathom-- parents who don't actually love their children is a hard concept to swallow. The delivery of it was so simple too; not dramatic and heart-wrenching which made it even harder to read.]]

* WhamLine: At some point The Giver mentions that [[spoiler:there used to be another receiver named Rosemary. She was given sweet memories most of the time, but when she started to get the ''really'' painful memories, she asked to be released. After she died, her memories were let out, and there was chaos. Only with The Giver's help did people return to their normal lives. Later on, you also learn that The Giver has a daughter. Jonas, eager to help, asked what her name was. The reply? [[TearJerker "Her name was Rosemary."]]]]

* UnfortunateImplications: The idea of an eye color being "superior", especially [[BlueEyes light eyes]], may be shady if you're [[GodwinsLaw thinking that way]], but the even more unfortunate implication is that Jonas's first "encounter" with people of a different race is them brutally killing a defenseless elephant.

* FirstInstallmentWins: A lot of people read this book at some point, usually for MiddleSchool. However, almost nobody knows there were two sequels.

* {{Anvilicious}}: In the last novel, ''Messenger'', the protagonist blatantly states that [[spoiler:the entire world, or at least the forest that surrounds his village,]] is really just a metaphor for the human condition.

* WhamLine: At some point The Giver mentions that [[spoiler:there used to be another receiver named Rosemary. She was given sweet memories most of the time, but when she started to get the ''really'' painful memories, she asked to be released. After she died, her memories were let out, and there was chaos. Only with The Giver's help did people return to their normal lives. Later on, you also learn that The Giver has a daughter. Jonas, eager to help, asked what her name was. The reply? [[TearJerker "Her name was Rosemary."]]]]

** [[spoiler: Jonas's father killing a baby, and saying "bye bye!" as the body goes down ''a metal chute''.]]

* {{Tearjerker}}: What happened to [[spoiler:Rosemary]] is bad enough, but when you find out that [[spoiler:she was The Giver's ''daughter,'' and that he watched her "being released,"]] it takes on a whole new level of depressing.

* MoralEventHorizon: The reveal of the true nature of the "Release" is this for the entire society.

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: [[spoiler: Jonas's father killing a baby, and saying "bye bye!" as the body goes down ''a metal chute''.]]
** Some of the memories Jonas receives qualify as this. Remember the first "bad" one?. "Oh look, it's the sled again! This can't go wrong-..oh...OH....aaaagh..." And remember, that was somebody's ''memory'', meaning that horrible crash and mangling ''happened to someone.''
** Oh, and let's not forget the memory of [[WarIsHell dying soldiers.]] From Jonas's point of view, ''it lasted for'' '''''hours.'''''

** Somewhat disputable. We don't exactly know if the higher-ups realize the full connotations of what they are doing. Because of the way things work around here, they probably know what it means, but since nobody really knows what it is to die, their successors wouldn't know that what they are doing is wrong.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: The book Deconstructing Penguins applies some FridgeLogic and points out that people don't lie unless they know what they are doing is wrong. The argument escalates until "Jonas is no longer running away from a place where everyone believes the same things and he's different. He's running away from a place of terrible corruption that desperately needs him as the one person who might be able to make things better."

** This kind of falls apart when you realize the Community has rules to follow; therefore, the citizens ''would'' have reason to lie if they break the rules, and the initial argument for this premise (they have no reason to lie) doesn't make sense.

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: [[spoiler: Jonah's father killing a baby, and saying "bye bye!" as the body goes down ''a metal chute''.]]

* NightmareFuel: [[spoiler: Jonah's father killing a baby, and saying "bye bye!" as the body goes down ''a metal chute''.]]
** Some of the memories Jonas receives qualify as this. Remember the first "bad" one?. "Oh look, it's the sled again! This can't go wrong-..oh...OH....aaaagh..." And remember, that was somebody's ''memory'', meaning that horrible crash and mangling ''happened to someone.''
** Oh, and let's not forget the memory of [[WarIsHell dying soldiers.]] From Jonas's point of view, ''it lasted for'' '''''hours.'''''

* NightmareFuel: Um, [[spoiler: Jonah's father killing a baby, and saying "bye bye!" as the body goes down ''a metal chute''.]]