The End of The Giver

            The ending of The Giver, many say, is very controversial. Did baby Gabriel and Jonas die? or did they find that place which is described in the end as Elsewhere. What is your belief? In the beginning of chapter 23, Jonas feels that elsewhere was not far from where he was, but had little hope he would make it there. By then Jonas was hungry, very weak and cold. Jonas then tries to warm Gabriel up to keep him alive and says, " We're almost there, Gabriel. I remember this place"(177). This statement may make you believe it is the end of them but, the story goes on, "The wind was bitterly cold. The snow swirled, blurring his vision. But somewhere ahead, through the blinding storm, he knew there was warmth and light" (178). This sentence has plenty of detail that is occurring in the scene, yet it confuses a bit. One, because it says Jonas knew there was something ahead. This mean Jonas could be simply imagining so he can keep going and not give up. Second, he can actually still be having feeling and is actually experiencing warmth ahead and somehow seeing light. As the ending progresses, " Jonas found the sled that was waiting for them at the top of the hill. Numbly his hands fumbled for the rope" (178). Was the sled actually there? The author describes the ending as something very pleasant. It could be that the author wanted to end it happily since Jonas was a kid and Gabriel an infant. Or did they actually make it and left behind him, " ..vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo" (179) ? what do you believe was the ending , did they survive or did they die?