Some major changes from the book The Giver by Lois Lowry that cause

meaningful change to the effect of the movie, are the changes when it

comes to the intricately controlled environment of the utopia in which Jonas

lived, the addition of other plot points to the movie, and a clear ending.

These changes would cause viewers of the movie to either have to lose a

lot of the excitement that came with the book or to create a new type of

entertainment for the audience.

The first major change is that the specific changes that came about with

every age change was not particularly highlighted in the movie as they

were in the book. In the movie it's skipped over really quickly at the

ceremony scene and the only age milestones that were mentioned were

the nines, olds, and new-childs but the book broke down every single

change that would occur once a child hit a certain age for example the

books says ``.the Nines were all resettled in their seats, each having

wheeled a bicycle outside where it would be waiting for its owner at the end

of the day… females lost their braids at Ten, and males, too, relinquished

their long childish hair and took on the more manly short style which

exposed their ears.” . It made the movie lose its effect of how the utopia

really was not a utopia and was just a big, controlled experiment. A major
and effective part of the book was that it was able to compel the reader into

fully supporting the protagonist without a doubt that they could have

survived in the utopia without risking their lives and an infant's but since the

movie did not include the intense micro management of “ the elders” there

was room for the reader to think that the protagonist would have just stayed

in the town.

The second major change is that the movie had a much clearer ending.

While reading, an audience could infer from the last few lines that both the

baby and the protagonist perished because it says “Behind him, across

vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he

heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo.”. The book gives you a

mysterious ending and a chance to think of your own idea of whatever

outcome your mind wants. Writer Ambrosino Brandon in the article, “7

Ways the Giver Movie Is Different than the Book.” says, “The film's ending

is less ambiguous than the book's. Both versions of the story end with

Jonas and Gabe sledding down a snowy mountain toward a home that the

Giver had showed him in a previous memory. The way that the book ends

makes it uncertain as to whether or not the two children actually make it to

the abode. In the film, the last shot deliberately features Jonas, babe in

tow, walking up to the snow-covered home. The variation between the two
endings is slight, but it is worth noting that Lowry's final paragraphs

probably had less appeal to producers than the one that ended up on the

big screen.” Which explains and backs up how different, if only by a little

bit, what the endings are and what type of reaction the readers and/or

watchers would give. In the movie it is clear that Jonas wakes up after

Gabe starts crying and walks into a warm house after having crossed the

boundary which was clearly marked in the movie with a large metal

contraption and a wavy wall. It then flashes back to the utopia where the

viewer can see that everyone has regained “the memories of the world”

and understand why the protagonist went on this long toiling journey. A

much clearer ending makes the movie appealing to the audience because

very few people like cliffhangers.

The third change in the movie that was changed from the boom was that

the movie was made more romantic and dramatic. In the book Jonas had

no help from friends and he was too young to have developed any real

affection toward his childhood friend Fiona. In the movie it is clear that the

producers added this extra plot to make the movie appeal to several

audiences while keeping the fact that she was the one that started his

stirring in the book. Additionally the movie included a very dramatic fight
and chasing scene from one of Jonas's closest friends and a kidnapping

operation to get save Gabe from being released, which never happened in

the book since he was only chased by planes after he'd made his way out

of the village and gained significant distance between them and the

pursuers. In an article written by Jessica Rawden, she says “The third act

in the movie is heightened. Jonas decides to take baby Gabriel, and this

leads to a heightened chase through the nursery and into the wild on a

motorcycle. Because Jonas jumps from a cliff and is dropped by his friend

Asher into a large lake with a waterfall, the ending is a bit more exciting,

although it takes away from the philosophical nature of Lowry’s book.” She

supports my idea that the new excitement and chemistry between the

characters included in the movie can both take away from the message of

the novel, which is what ultimately makes it such an interesting yet

controversial story and in a more positive light, bring in a new audience.

Adding romance and action to the movie would attract a number of people

who would not normally sit down and read the book and pay attention to

the minor details between the book and novel.

In the movie a lot of other minor changes were made, like the age

difference, the jobs that his friends got and in the movie the elders got
much more involved in his development as he continued to take the

memories. But none of these genuinely affected the movie like the three

major changes that happened.

Works Cited:

Rawden, Jessica. "10 Big Differences between the Giver Book and

Movie." CINEMABLEND. Cinemablend, 16 Aug. 2014. Web. 7 Apr.

2023.

https://www.cinemablend.com/new/10-Big-Differences-Between-Giver-

Book-Movie-66801.html.

Ambrosino, Brandon. “7 Ways the Giver Movie Is Different than the

Book.” Vox, 18 Aug. 2014, www.vox.com/2014/8/18/6031221/7-ways-

the-giver-movie-is-different-than-the-book.