A kind, caring man, Jonas's father is a Nurturer who looks after newchildren until they are given to families. He becomes attached to the babies he cares for and breaks small rules for their sakes, such as learning their names and bringing Gabriel home to look after him better. However, Jonas's father likes the way the community is structured, and because he does not understand what death means, he believes it is right to release children if they are too weak to be given to families. Although he claims not to believe in love, Jonas's father comes close to showing loving emotions to his children. Jonas feels love and affection for his father, which is why he feels betrayed when he discovers that his father is responsible for killing the babies. Jonas's father shows the limitations that the community places on those who might otherwise be fully loving individuals.
Jonas's Father Quotes in The Giver
The The Giver quotes below are all either spoken by Jonas's Father or refer to Jonas's Father. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
After Twelve, age isn't important. Most of us even lose track of how old we are as time passes.
Related Characters:
Jonas's Father (speaker)
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16
Quotes
"Do you love me?"
There was an awkward silence for a moment. Then Father gave a little chuckle. "Jonas. You, of all people. Precision of language, please!"
There was an awkward silence for a moment. Then Father gave a little chuckle. "Jonas. You, of all people. Precision of language, please!"
Related Characters:
Jonas (speaker), Jonas's Father (speaker)
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 19
Quotes
He killed it! My father killed it! Jonas said to himself.
Related Characters:
Jonas (speaker), Jonas's Father
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Jonas's Father Character Timeline in The Giver
The timeline below shows where the character Jonas's Father appears in The Giver. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
Jonas's father is a Nurturer, which means he cares for the community's babies, or newchildren. He explains...
(full context)
Chapter 2
After sharing, Jonas's parents ask to speak with Jonas alone. Jonas's father tries to calm his fears by telling...
(full context)
Jonas and his parents discuss the annual ceremonies. At the ceremony of One, the 50 babies in that year's...
(full context)
Jonas's father tells him that after the Ceremony of Twelve, when children get their Assignments, age is...
(full context)
Chapter 3
The next day Jonas's father brings home Gabriel. Although mirrors are rare so that he has only seen his own...
(full context)
Chapter 5
...to take off her clothes and bathe with him, but she kept refusing. After Jonas's father and Lily leave, Jonas's mother explains that Jonas is experiencing Stirrings, which are normal for...
(full context)
Chapter 6
...December ceremony, Assignments for Ones through Eights are given out. Jonas learns that because his father pleaded Gabriel's case to the Committee, Gabriel is allowed one extra year of nurturing to...
(full context)
Chapter 9
At the evening meal, Jonas asks his parents what happened to the person selected for Receiver ten years ago. His father tells him...
(full context)
Chapter 14
Meanwhile, at Jonas's home, Gabriel is growing but is still fretful at night. Jonas's father worries that he may still have to release Gabriel, but he comments that first he...
(full context)
Jonas, hoping he can somehow help Gabriel avoid release, asks his father if Gabriel can sleep in his room that night. His father agrees. That night when...
(full context)
Chapter 16
...asks who the two old people were, and The Giver tells him they are called grandparents. Jonas has never heard of Grandparents. In the community, parents aren't a part of their...
(full context)
At home that evening, Jonas asks his parents if they love him. They laugh at the question and chide him for using such...
(full context)
Chapter 17
The identical twins are scheduled to be born the next day, and Jonas's father mentions having to release one of them. Curious, Jonas asks whether his father will personally...
(full context)
Chapter 21
Jonas and The Giver's plan hits a snag that night: at dinner, Jonas's father tells the family that the previous night he brought Gabriel to a Nurturing Center to...
(full context)
