Son

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. How are mothers typically characterized in young adult stories? Thinking generally about young adult literature, what conclusions can be drawn regarding the role of mother characters across genres?

Teaching Suggestion: These questions will help students examine the literary context regarding the usual depiction of mothers in YA literature. Students might approach this question as a think-pair-share activity to notice connections in the ways that mothers are represented in fiction or media. Students may notice an emerging pattern: mothers who fall under either the “evil mother/stepmother” archetype (such as in Cinderella or Snow White) or the “benevolent but absent” archetype (for example, in Harry Potter and other stories that include the orphan archetype). The accompanying resources include examples of mother characters’ usual representation in literature to help students establish a framework for understanding literary precedents. With this knowledge, students can analyze how Lowry subverts expectations surrounding the role of mothers in YA literature to explore themes of maternal love and sacrifice.

• “Motherhood in Literature” by Dale Salwak analyzes the depiction of mothers in literature throughout history, ranging from mythology to contemporary literature; at the end of the article, he examines literary models and archetypes of mothers. (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing due to complexity and mature examples)
• This article from Illinois State University, “Scholars Need New Lens to View Mothers in Literature,” reports on the work of Dr. Karen Coats, who analyzes the preponderance of dead, absent, or evil mothers in children’s and young adult literature.
• This interview with Lois Lowry from New York Times Magazine discusses the author’s inspirations, including the death of her son, an Air Force Pilot who died in a crash after a plane malfunction. (Content Warning: brief discussions of death and suicide) Lowry’s statement that the loss of her son “permeates her being” may offer students authorial context that informs some of the book’s major themes, like The Prevalence of Loss. (May require subscription to view)

2. What are some common elements of the dystopian fiction genre? How is it different from fantasy or science fiction genres?

Teaching Suggestion: If students are unfamiliar with the word “dystopia,” they might investigate the etymology of the word (“dys” meaning bad and “topos” meaning place), then infer the meaning and apply it to a particular kind of story. Organizational tools like a Venn diagram or other graphic organizer may be useful to help students chart similarities and differences between dystopian fiction, science fiction, and fantasy; this may be accomplished via independent work, group/partner work, or as a class discussion. After students have brainstormed and noted their own knowledge about the genres, the accompanying resources may be useful to supplement or supply other important elements. Students may use this knowledge during reading to analyze how Lowry uses conventions of both dystopian and fantasy genres to construct narrative elements.

• This informational article from MasterClass offers context on the history of the fantasy genre, its characteristics and subtypes, and what distinguishes it from science fiction and horror genres.  
• “The Difference Between Science Fiction and Fantasy” from Writer’s Digest analyzes the differences between the two genres. Sections of particular relevance for class discussion may be “What Defines Science Fiction?” and “What Defines Fantasy?”
• SuperSummary’s genre resource guide examines the characteristics of dystopias, explains their functions in literature, and provides examples.  

Short Activity

Think about a favorite book, movie, or video game. Reflect on the following questions:

• Who is the protagonist or main character?
• Do you experience the story from their perspective?
• How do you think the protagonist’s perspective influences the way that the reader understands the story?

After reflecting on these questions, put yourself in the shoes of a secondary character from your chosen work. How would the story change if narrated from that character’s perspective? In a piece of writing of 2-3 paragraphs, re-imagine or re-tell a brief scene from the story from that character’s perspective.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity may be used to introduce the purpose of a companion novel and to review point of view as a literary device. As a companion novel to The Giver and its sequels, Son utilizes Claire’s point of view to offer a different perspective and new insights on the world established in The Giver. In the final part of Son, Lowry juxtaposes Claire’s journey with Gabe’s by narrating Book 3 primarily from Gabe’s perspective. Lowry uses point of view as a literary device to enhance the reader’s understanding of themes regarding The Importance of History, The Price of Sacrifice, and maternal love.   

• This article from Vulture offers short summaries of each book in The Giver Quartet. While Son can be read as a standalone novel, understanding the important characters and events from the previous novels will enrich students’ understanding of how Lowry uses different points of views to construct a deeper exploration of themes developed throughout the series.
• This 3-minute video, “What Is a Protagonist?” by the OSU School of Writing, Literature, and Film explains how to identify the protagonist in a story and how the protagonist drives the story as its “emotional heart.”
• SuperSummary’s resource guide on point of view explains how authors use different narrative perspectives for a variety of purposes and offers further resources.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

What does the word “sacrifice” mean to you? If you have had to sacrifice something, how did that experience impact you? If you haven’t had this experience, list and discuss a component of your life that is important enough that you would be willing to sacrifice something for it.

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt offers students an entry point into Claire’s character and the larger themes of maternal sacrifice at play in the novel. Depending on their level, background, and prior experiences, some students may have a limited concept of “sacrifice.” It may be helpful to first define “sacrifice” as a class to guide them in their responses/reflections. Setting parameters or expectations around what is meant by sacrifice may also be beneficial if there are concerns about sensitive topics being elicited in responses.