Summary of Chapter 6

This extract is taken from the chapter 6 out of the novel “The Giver” by Luis Lowry in year 1994 and deals with the twelve Ceremonies passed each year in the community, where Jonas is living.

In the beginning Jonas, his mother and sister Lily have a conversation. Lily does not like that her mother ties her braids and then they talk about the different Ceremonies, also about Jonas’ Ceremony of Twelve and which job he has to work for his whole life.

In the following part they enter the Auditorium, where they visit the Ceremonies, and its look is told: The Nurturers with the babies looking forward to the first Ceremony, the Naming, stay on stage. Because of the babies Jonas thinks about Gabriel who is not released, although he is not able to pass the Naming this year. Jonas is glad that the young boy got the chance to develop one more year.

The Naming seams to be a happy Ceremony and continues in a “Murmur-of-Replacement Ceremony” because the newchild Caleb takes the place of the child Caleb which died in the river. Last newchild is named Roberto and Jonas guesses that the old man named Roberto had been released. He noticed the differences between Loss and Release, because Roberto does not have a “Murmur-of-Replacement Ceremony”.

Then –after Ceremonies of Two, Three, Four, Fives, Sixes and Sevens and the midday meal were named shortly- Lily’s Ceremony of Eight follows. Jonas sees his sister jealous looking to the bicycles of the Nine although she acts politely.

The second passage is about the day after when Jonas will have his own Ceremony. The day starts introductory where the first passage finishes: In their Ceremony the Nines get their bicycles and one boy from Jonas’ neighborhood is one of them. Although it is against the rules each Nine has ridden a bicycle before.

To midday meal the Ceremonies of Ten and Eleven are passed. Jonas is excited about his Ceremony and feels boring about the other Ceremonies -instead they are told more detailed than the Ceremonies the day before.

Even how the day before they take their midday meal outside, but the situation is different, because the Elevens who will become Twelves are strained and they all look forward to their Ceremony.

Asher talks to Jonas about someone who did not like his job and because of that he left the community by swimming across the river and joining another community. Jonas and Asher talk about the different possibilities if they don’t like their jobs, although Jonas is sure that the Elders who control everything in their community know exactly what job is the right one for him.

Finally there are named some facts about the structures of the community like the perfect organizing of marriages: That a lot of factors have to be checked.

The Chapter ends with the signal for the beginning of the Ceremony of Twelve.