What does The Giver look like?

The Giver is a kind, elderly-looking man with grey coloring and unusually pale, blue eyes. His appearance is not described in elaborate detail, but Jonas first recognizes him as the current Receiver because he stands out from the crowd: like Jonas and Gabriel, he has pale eyes in a community where most people have dark eyes.

When Jonas later meets him in the Annex, The Giver is old and grey, and his body and manner suggest the burden of the memories he carries. He often appears worn down by pain. On some afternoons Jonas finds him hunched over, unable to train because a memory is hurting him too badly. His age is partly physical and partly emotional: the memories of the whole world make him seem older than he actually is.

The Giver's pale eyes are significant because they connect him to Jonas and Gabriel. All three are visibly different from the rest of the community, and that difference is tied to their ability to receive memories, see color, and experience deeper feeling. The Giver’s appearance therefore marks him as separate from the community’s "Sameness" before Jonas even understands what his role truly means.