So chapter 20-22 in my opinion was a bit of twist and turn chapters… Starting with the little surprise that we had at the end of chapter 20, revealing that the previous Receiver (Rosemary) was the Giver’s daughter. We also found out that Gabriel was going to be released too and that Jonas is plotting to run away to Elsewhere. So much events! Anyway, this makes the mood of the last 2 chapters for me rather painful and sad because Jonas has to leave his closest friends (the Giver, Asher, Fiona…) behind as he goes on his perilous journey to Elsewhere. Also, as I read more about the details of his journey, I felt admiration and pity at the same time for Jonas, as he also took Gabriel with him to Elsewhere, a nearly fatal but brave task as it meant sharing his already meager food rations. I felt pity for Gabriel as he has to go through so much even when he’s barely a baby: starvation, coldness, weakness…

As I read through this, I kept thinking of how much Jonas has matured and grown, starting from the near emotionless, Community citizen to someone willing to break a lot of major rules to save another person and able to feel real genuine emotions about the world around him. It’s such a big and interesting change in the main character… Also as Jonas was on his journey, starving and weakened from the wild,  I kind of kept thinking of Bear Grylls and how easy he probably makes survival in the wild seems…

And finally, using clues from the text, I think that the ending of the book will be a happy one (also because I like happy endings in long books). Because he can hear music and singing, it is hinting to the fact that Jonas probably arrive at Elsewhere weak but alive, smack right in the middle of Christmas because it is winter and he left at the DECEMBER ceremony (pg. 158). Although it makes sense that because of the ending layout, some readers may think that the two of them died happily listening to music on top of a snowy hill. But even Lois Lowry (the author) in an interview at the back of the book said that she preferred to think that the two of them reached Elsewhere alive.