How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"But don't you want to be with me, Giver?" Jonas asked sadly.
The Giver hugged him. "I love you, Jonas," he said. "But I have another place to go. When my work here is finished, I want to be with my daughter." (20.101-102)
The idea that death can be a solution to isolation is an interesting one, and this has implications for the ambiguous ending to The Giver. The Giver hints at something like a heaven, some sort of afterlife, where he imagines he will be with his daughter Rosemary. Could it be, then, that Jonas forms the same sort of bond with Gabriel because they're dying together?
Quote #8
Gabriel had not cried during the long frightening journey. Now he did. He cried because he was hungry and cold and terribly weak. Jonas cried too, for the same reason, and another reason as well. He wept because he was afraid now that he could not save Gabriel. He no longer cared about himself. (22.23)
For Jonas, love is the way to connect with others. For him, isolation is an emotional state. Breaking it has to do with forging close emotional bonds with others – that's why his relationship with The Giver was so important.