What is the falling action of The Giver?

The falling action of The Giver is Jonas’s escape from the community with Gabriel after he discovers that "release" means death and decides the community must change.

The climax comes when Jonas watches his father "release" the smaller of two twins and realizes that "release" is euthanasia. After that, Jonas and The Giver plan for Jonas to leave so that his memories will return to the community. The Giver agrees to stay behind and help people cope with the painful and beautiful memories they will suddenly receive.

The plan changes when Jonas learns that Gabriel is scheduled to be released the next day. Jonas acts immediately. He takes Gabriel, steals his father’s bicycle, crosses the river, and flees the community at night. This flight is the main falling action: Jonas hides from search planes, uses memories of snow to keep himself and Gabriel from being detected by heat-seeking devices, and gradually moves beyond the world of "Sameness."

As the journey continues, Jonas and Gabriel experience real hunger, cold, rain, exhaustion, injury, and fear. Jonas also sees parts of the natural world that had existed only in memory before, including birds, waterfalls, and wildflowers. His struggle becomes less about escaping for himself and more about keeping Gabriel alive: “He wept because he was afraid now that he could not save Gabriel. He no longer cared about himself.”

The falling action leads into the ambiguous ending, when Jonas reaches a snow-covered hill, finds a sled, and rides down toward colored lights and music. The ending leaves open whether Jonas has found Elsewhere or is dying. Regardless, the falling action shows the consequences of his choice: he leaves safety behind to save Gabriel and to give his community the chance to experience memory, love, pain, and choice.