Divergent

“Faction customs dictate even idle behavior and supersede individual preference. I doubt all the Erudite want to study all the time, or that every Candor enjoys a lively debate, but they can't defy the norms of their factions any more than I can”

This quote highlights a contrast between the ideal and the reality of faction life. Faction customs are not limited to public behavior—they are supposed to inform every aspect of life and override individual preferences. In every faction, it is likely that there are those who do not want to conform to these demands all the time. Even so, no one is permitted to defy the norms of their factions.

“‘Wait,’ I interrupt her. ‘So you have no idea what my aptitude is?’ ‘Yes and no. My conclusion,’ she explains, ‘is that you display equal aptitude for Abnegation, Dauntless, and Erudite. People who get this kind of result are…’ She looks over her shoulder like she expects someone to appear behind her. ‘…are called…Divergent.’ She says the last word so quietly that I almost don’t hear it, and her tense, worried look returns”

This is the first time that Tris hears the word “Divergent.” Tori uses it following Tris’s aptitude test and explains that it applies to people who display an equal aptitude for different factions. At this point, we do not know the consequences of being Divergent or why this status needs to be hushed up. From Tori’s reaction, however, it is clear that being Divergent is not something to be shouted about and that it was troubling connotations.

“When I look at the Abnegation lifestyle as an outsider, I think it’s beautiful. When I watch my family move in harmony; when we go to dinner parties and everyone cleans together afterward without having to be asked; when I see Caleb help strangers carry their groceries, I fall in love with this life all over again. It’s only when I try to live it myself that I have trouble. It never feels genuine”

As Tris recognizes, Abnegation seems beautiful when looked at from the outside. People are kind and helpful, and there is no violence or hatred. The problem is that Tris does not feel as though she belongs there. It is not that she does not love her family, but she feels that Abnegation is not her home and that she has to suppress her true personality.

“This is where the factionless live. Because they failed to complete initiation into whatever faction they chose, they live in poverty, doing the work no one else wants to do. They are janitors and construction workers and garbage collectors; they make fabric and operate trains and drive buses. In return for their work they get food and clothing, but, as my mother says, not enough of either”

Choosing a faction and successfully completing initiation is crucial in the world depicted in this book. Failing to do so renders one factionless and, as we see here, this is far from an ideal state. Those who are factionless live in poverty and work in menial jobs that faction members do not want to take on. They get some food and clothing in return, but Tris’s mother laments that it is not enough; indeed, Abnegation members are trained to carry extra food to give to any factionless individuals that they encounter.

“The city is ruled by a council of fifty people, composed entirely of representatives from Abnegation, because our faction is regarded as incorruptible, due to our commitment to selflessness. Our leaders are selected by their peers for their impeccable character, moral fortitude, and leadership skills. Representatives from each of the other factions can speak in the meetings on behalf of a particular issue, but ultimately, the decision is the council’s. And while the council technically makes decisions together, Marcus is particularly influential. It has been this way since the beginning of the great peace, when the factions were formed. I think the system persists because we’re afraid of what might happen if it didn’t: war”

Here, Tris explains how the city is structured. The council is made up solely of Abnegation representatives, who are seen as ideal on account of their selflessness and incorruptible morals. Members of other factions can speak in meetings but the final decision rests with the council. This system has been around for as long as the faction system has existed, and Tris implies that it persists because people are afraid of what would happen otherwise; that is, war. As we will see, though, not everyone is happy with this arrangement.

“‘See you soon,’ he says. Without a trace of doubt. My mother hugs me, and what little resolve I have left almost breaks. I clench my jaw and stare up at the ceiling, where globe lanterns hang and fill the room with blue light. She holds me for what feels like a long time, even after I let my hands fall. Before she pulls away, she turns her head and whispers in my ear, ‘I love you. No matter what’”

As Tris prepares to embark on the choosing ceremony, we see that her mother and father have different expectations about what will happen. Her father has no doubt that his children will remain in Abnegation but her mother—who we later find out is Divergent—is evidently not so certain. As she hugs Tris, we sense her awareness that Tris might not return home. However, when she assures her that she loves her no matter what, we are aware that she will support whatever decision her children make.

“Decades ago our ancestors realized that it is not political ideology, religious belief, race, or nationalism that is to blame for a warring world. Rather, they determined that it was the fault of human personality—of humankind's inclination toward evil, in whatever form that is. They divided into factions that sought to eradicate those qualities they believed responsible for the world's disarray”

This passage explains the basis for the faction system. Decades previously, it was decided that war was a result of human personality and its inclination toward evil. Consequently, it was decided that dividing people into factions would eliminate the qualities that had formerly led to war and chaos. As we see later in the novel though, this system ultimately has the opposite effect.

“Working together, these five factions have lived in peace for many years, each contributing to a different sector of society. Abnegation has fulfilled our need for selfless leaders in government; Candor has provided us with trustworthy and sound leaders in law; Erudite has supplied us with intelligent teachers and researchers; Amity has given us understanding counselors and caretakers; and Dauntless provides us with protection from threats both within and without. But the reach of each faction is not limited to these areas. We give one another far more than can be adequately summarized. In our factions, we find meaning, we find purpose, we find life”

In this speech, Marcus elaborates on the roles and positive contributions of the various factions. There are five factions in total, each of which serves a function and has produced individuals who have made valuable contributions to society. Marcus states that, to define them in this way does not give them full credit, however, as it is in their factions that individuals find meaning and purpose in life.

“I think of the motto I read in my Faction History textbook: Faction before blood. More than family, our factions are where we belong. Can that possibly be right?

Marcus adds, ‘Apart from them, we would not survive.’

The silence that follows his words is heavier than other silences. It is heavy with our worst fear, greater even than the fear of death: to be factionless”

In Tris’s world, factions are more important than family, and this is reiterated throughout training. Being factionless is seen as a fate worse than death—people can survive without family and, indeed, children who choose to transfer away from their native factions sometimes find themselves disowned. To be without a faction, however, is to be relegated to the outskirts of society and denied a sense of belonging.

“It takes me five rounds to hit the middle of the target, and when I do, a rush of energy goes through me. I am awake, my eyes wide open, my hands warm. I lower the gun. There is power in controlling something that can do so much damage—in controlling something, period. Maybe I do belong here”

There was certainly no place for guns in Abnegation but, when she begins Dauntless training, Tris finds that learning to use guns is vital. Tris initially struggles to shoot the target during practice but, when she finally manages to, she feels wide awake and experiences a rush of energy. Experiencing the power of controlling something makes her reflect that maybe she really did choose the right faction.

“I guess I haven't really had a friend, period. It's impossible to have real friendship when no one feels like they can accept help or even talk about themselves. That won't happen here. I already know more about Christina than I ever knew about Susan, and it's only been two days”

Though Tris technically had friends in Abnegation, she found it impossible to make real friends in that faction. After all, Abnegation is about self-denial, meaning that no one can share the kind of information that leads to friendship. In short, people cannot really know one another. In Dauntless, meanwhile, there are no such restrictions, and Tris has already learnt more about her new friend Christina than she ever knew about her former friends in Abnegation.

“My hands ache from holding the rungs, and my legs are shaking, but I’m not sure why. It isn’t the height that scares me—the height makes me feel alive with energy, every organ and vessel and muscle in my body singing at the same pitch. Then I realize what it is. It’s him. Something about him makes me feel like I am about to fall. Or turn to liquid. Or burst into flames”

During the capture the flag exercise, Tris climbs the Ferris wheel to get a good vantage point from which to view the opposing team. While her hands ache from holding the rungs, she is not sure why her legs are shaking. It is not that she is scared of the height; quite the opposite, it makes her feel alive. Then, she realizes that it is Four who is making her feel this sense of giddiness. This passage marks the point when Tris starts to realize her feelings for her instructor.

“‘You're afraid of heights,’ I say. ‘How do you survive in the Dauntless compound?’ ‘I ignore my fear,’ he says. ‘When I make decisions, I pretend it doesn't exist.’ I stare at him for a second. I can't help it. To me there's a difference between not being afraid and acting in spite of fear, as he does”

Unlike Tris, it turns out that Four has a fear of heights. It would seem unlikely that someone could survive in Dauntless while suffering such a fear, but Four says that he ignores his fear and pretends it does not exist. Tris is impressed by this, because, as she observes, there is a big difference between being unafraid and being afraid yet acting in spite of one’s fears.

“My father used to say that sometimes, the best way to help someone is just to be near them. I feel good when I do something I know he would be proud of, like it makes up for all the things I've done that he wouldn't be proud of”

As Tris tries to comfort Al, she is unsure what she can do to help him. However, she remembers her father’s advice that, sometimes, just being with someone can be comforting. Here, we see that Tris has not abandoned or forgotten all aspects of Abnegation, nor has she dismissed them in favor of the teachings of Dauntless. In this case, she remembers the importance of empathy and companionship. She knows that her father was shocked by her transfer to Dauntless and would not approve of many of her actions, so it makes her feel good when she does something that would make him proud.

“‘When can I go again?’ I say. My smile stretches wide enough to show teeth, and when they laugh, I laugh. I think of climbing the stairs with the Abnegation, our feet finding the same rhythm, all of us the same. This isn’t like that. We are not the same. But we are, somehow, one”

While Tris sometimes misses her former faction and her family, she also relishes some of the experiences offered in Dauntless. Abnegation insists on selflessness and does not deal in adrenalin and excitement, so these new experiences—such as zip lining down a building—are all the more fun and energizing for Tris. She feels a sense of camaraderie and wholeness with the other Dauntless members, but this is very different from the uniformity and conformity she experienced in Abnegation.

“‘But becoming fearless isn’t the point. That’s impossible. It’s learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it, that’s the point.’ I nod. I used to think the Dauntless were fearless. That is how they seemed, anyway. But maybe what I saw as fearless was actually fear under control”

While Tris had initially thought that the Dauntless were fearless, Four explains that fearlessness is not the point, nor is it possible. Rather, the goal is to control one’s fears and not let them guide one’s actions. This is the point of the numerous training exercises and simulations that the initiates must complete if they are to join Dauntless.

“I have never been carried around by a large boy, or laughed until my stomach hurt at the dinner table, or listened to the clamor of a hundred people all talking at once. Peace is restrained; this is free”

As Tris had observed earlier, there are many positive aspects of Abnegation. It is certainly a peaceful faction, but Tris felt constrained by its placidity and orderliness. She had never experienced fun, laughter, and commotion before joining Dauntless; in short, she had never felt free.

“I didn't jump off the roof because I wanted to be like the Dauntless. I jumped off because I already was like them, and I wanted to show myself to them. I wanted to acknowledge a part of myself that Abnegation demanded that I hide”

Though there are some aspects of Dauntless that Tris needs to get used to, she is aware that she already possessed Dauntless traits prior to transferring. The very fact that she had to suppress these traits was one of the reasons she never felt at home in Abnegation. Joining Dauntless, then, is not about trying to emulate the other members—she feels that she is already like them and now has a chance to demonstrate her inherently Dauntless traits. 

“Tori was the only one in the tattoo place, so I felt safe getting the symbol of Abnegation—a pair of hands, palms up as if to help someone stand, bounded by a circle—on my right shoulder. I know it was a risk, especially after all that's happened. But that symbol is a part of my identity, and it felt important to me that I wear it on my skin”

In addition to her Dauntless qualities, Tris grows to accept that Abnegation is part of her identity—she does not need to limit her allegiance to one factor or another, especially since she is Divergent. Abnegation is where she hails from and where she spent the first sixteen years of her life with her family. So, while she knows that getting the tattoo is a risk, she now embraces her Abnegation past.

He says, ‘I have a theory that selflessness and bravery aren’t all that different. All your life you’ve been training to forget yourself, so when you’re in danger, it becomes your first instinct. I could belong in Abnegation just as easily.’

Suddenly I feel heavy. A lifetime of training wasn’t enough for me. My first instinct is still self-preservation.

‘Yeah, well,’ I say, ‘I left Abnegation because I wasn’t selfless enough, no matter how hard I tried to be.’

‘That’s not entirely true.’ He smiles at me. ‘That girl who let someone throw knives at her to spare a friend, who hit my dad with a belt to protect me—that selfless girl, that’s not you?’”

Tris has often observed that she was not selfless enough to meet Abnegation standards; her first instinct has always been self-preservation. One might assume that self-preservation would be seen as the ideal in Dauntless, but Four has a theory that selflessness and bravery are not all that different. Tris feels dejected hearing this, as she feels that her first instinct is still self-preservation. However, Four points out that several of her actions in Dauntless have shown otherwise; for instance, when she defended him in the simulation and when she took her friend’s place as target in the knife throwing exercise. In this passage, Tris learns that she has exhibited greater selflessness than she had imagined.

“‘I think we’ve made a mistake,’ he says softly. ‘We’ve all started to put down the virtues of the other factions in the process of bolstering our own. I don’t want to do that. I want to be brave, and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest.’ He clears his throat. ‘I continually struggle with kindness.’

‘No one’s perfect,’ I whisper. ‘It doesn’t work that way. One bad thing goes away, and another bad thing replaces it’”

While the faction system was set up as an ideal social structure, Four is not sure it has succeeded. Not only does he feel that Dauntless has lost touch with its original manifesto, he believes that the factions have started to put one another down in an attempt to boost their own status. He does not want to be limited to specifically “Dauntless” traits, nor does he think that personality traits should be split up on a faction-by-faction basis. He aspires to be brave, selfless, smart, kind, and honest, though he admits that he struggles with kindness. As Tris notes, though, no one is perfect, and eliminating one negative trait does not mean that another will not rear its head.

“I can't wage war against Abnegation, against my family. I would rather die. My fear landscape proved that. My list of options narrows, and I see the path I must take. I will pretend long enough to get to the Abnegation sector of the city. I will save my family. And whatever happens after that doesn't matter”

By this point, Tris’s allegiance to her family and former faction is plain to see. She is aware that Erudite and Dauntless are working together to wage war on Abnegation, and she cannot stand by as innocent people are murdered. Her fear landscape, in which she chose to sacrifice herself rather than kill her family, has already demonstrated her potential for selflessness, and she is willing to put this into practice in the real world.

“‘Every faction conditions its members to think and act a certain way. And most people do it. For most people, it’s not hard to learn, to find a pattern of thought that works and stay that way.’ She touches my uninjured shoulder and smiles. ‘But our minds move in a dozen different directions. We can’t be confined to one way of thinking, and that terrifies our leaders. It means we can’t be controlled. And it means that no matter what they do, we will always cause trouble for them.’

I feel like someone breathed new air into my lungs. I am not Abnegation. I am not Dauntless.

I am Divergent.

And I can’t be controlled”

Tris’s mother explains the danger that Divergence poses to the faction system. Faction members are conditioned to act in a certain way but Divergents cannot be confined to one way of thinking. The mind of a Divergent cannot be controlled, and this is why Divergents are seen as so dangerous. Upon hearing this, Tris feels a new lease of life and finally embraces her real identity: neither Abnegation nor Dauntless but Divergent.