Analysis of the three important elements of writing

Characterization, plot, and setting are three components of literature. However, The Giver deliberately makes these elements obscure and incomplete.

   Characterization is one of the most important elements in a novel. It is made up of the main character’s growth and adventure throughout the whole novel. A good description of characterization can give the reader more sense about the protagonist’s life, making the book more vivid and interesting. Plot is the story line of a book. It is mostly made up of what happens in the book, the events, and the story’s conflicts. A well-written novel should include an integrated, progressive plot, and must contain conflicts such as a bloody war between the protagonist and the antagonist. Great plot can assist the reader when he or she is trying tounder stand the novel’s context, making the whole story fascinating and appealing. Setting is the word for the location and time that the narrative occurs in. A good setting can paint a mental picture for the reader, illustrating the book’s location, and subsequently making the book more interesting and distinctive rather than a generic description that makes the novel uninteresting. In addition, brilliant setting description can assist the reader in understanding the book’s characters and plots better.

   However, the characterization, plot and settingare incomplete in this novel. The writer, Lois Lowry, seems to write the characterization purposely obscure. Because she wants to show that the characters lack clear qualities or distinctive characteristics. She writes the plot vaguely in the first few chapters because she wants to reflect the seemingly idyllic society. Also she is secretly adding to the book’s “energy”. When the “inciting incident” occurs, the stored “energy” will burst climactically. Lois Lowry writes the setting purposefully generic and incomplete too because the story is based on a colorless, emotionless society, and she wants the readers to see the setting through their eyes.

   For a great novel, characterization, plot,and setting are very important. However it is not necessary for novels to express these three elements according to a certain standard. The writer can use different styles of writing to convey these elements.