What are some changes that Asher goes through in Lois Lowry's The Giver?

Asher is a high-energy, happy child who must learn to control his impulses. For the most part Asher does learn to fit into the community by speaking correctly and obeying the rules. One of the first things learned about Asher in Lowry's The Giver is when he runs into class late and must apologize. The society expects an individual to be held accountable to others in order to instill a sense of responsibility for community. A person giving an apology must also give an explanation, whereupon Asher says he became "distraught" when he saw some workmen separating salmon on the way to school. Everyone accepts his apology, but then the teacher corrects his word choice by telling him he should have used the word "distracted" rather than "distraught" (4). 

Language and word choice is important to this society because it helps with effective communication. The better a person can explain his feelings, the more effective communication is achieved. Language is one of Asher's weaknesses that he needs to work on as seen in the following passage:

"Jonas was careful about language. Not like his friend, Asher, who talked too fast and mixed things up, scrambling words and phrases until they were barely recognizable and often very funny" (3).

As the text shows, one of Asher's first things to overcome is his accuracy with language. Jonas's father also says that Asher was a baby who giggled and laughed a lot, which says something about Asher's energetic personality from a very early age. Jonas believes Asher must be high-maintenance because Asher's family waited a long time before requesting another baby:

"Maybe, Jonas suspected, they had been so exhausted by Asher's lively foolishness that they had needed a little time" (43).

This passage helps to support the notion that Asher is a high-energy kid who needs to learn to manage his self-control verbally and physically. Jonas even goes so far as to call him foolish, which suggests that Asher also needs to learn wisdom and how to act during different situations. Luckily, Asher does learn how to speak effectively and to obey the rules of the community. His assignment as "Assistant Director of Recreation" also allows him to use that his personality and physical energy for a good purpose (56).