Ambiguity

Unresolved endings in literature encourage readers to actively take part in the story; the ambiguity allows the reader to decide on the ending and what they think the book actually means.  Naturally, every reader will have a different take on how the story actually ends.  Lois Lowry’s The Giver doesn’t have a fixed ending.  The reader decides if whether or not Jonas and Gabriel make it to Elsewhere or if they die from starvation or exposure in the freezing snow.  Considering that the novel mentions the word Elsewhere not only as way to refer to death but also the surrounding area outside of the community, it simply depends on what the reader considers Elsewhere to symbolize.  Though, by withholding this information Lowry was able to write a complex story with multifaceted characters.  They are endless possibilities as to what might have happened and it’s crucial for readers to be flexible with this.  Literature is ingenuous.  Foster stresses his readers to not be blinded by their present context and worldview when attempting to analyze the possible meanings of a book or piece of literature.  Even when regarding symbols, he notes how students always have something particular in mind which isn’t always the case; they often have a range of meanings or interpretations.  This ambiguity challenges readers and prevents stories or pieces of literature from being one dimensional, and it allows us to be more flexible when we are reading.  Becoming a professional reader asks us to be more aware of this.