As I began reading Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry, I realized that I had read the book before. When I read it the first time, I don't remember realizing that it was a companion book to The Giver. Probably because nothing about The Giver is ever mentioned in Gathering Blue. I assume they tie together in the third book, Messenger, which is sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read.
Knowing the connection between the two books, I got more out of Gathering Blue this time because I was conscious of the differences and similarities between the two civilizations portrayed. The differences are obvious to anyone who's read them. Shielded from pain and hardship in The Giver, everything is pain and hardship in Gathering Blue.
The similarity that I was most struck by is the intense need to remember the past. Even though in one book, the people remain in ignorance of their past and in the other they gather yearly to hear their past sung, the need to preserve it is equally important in both. And the person who holds the memory of their past is the most honored, but also in many ways the most unfortunate member of their society.
There is also a lot of secrecy in both books. The people are all being told, or not told, many things in order to keep them in line. Whether through fear or ignorance, the results are the same: a group of followers who do not question.
I'm looking forward to making more connections, and maybe encountering an ending, in Messenger.
No comments:
Post a Comment