Divergent - Body
Spoiler Alert: I will be analyzing Veronica Roth’s ‘Divergent’ in
this post, and I may include spoiler information. If you have not read
the book, please read it first – it’s worth the time.
Divergent is the first book in a YA trilogy by Veronica Roth that is a masterful work of mind, body, and spirit layering. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic Chicago, where the society is divided into six population groups. Any time there are a multiple of three of anything, I get curious.
People in this society choose which of five factions the wish to join when they turn sixteen years old, based on their personalities. If they ‘flunk out’ of their chosen faction, they end up in the sixth population group – the ‘Factionless.’
The main character in the book is special because her personality is not isolated to one faction or another. She is called ‘divergent’ because she tests high in three personality traits related to three different factions: the Dauntless (body), the Erudite (mind), and the Abnegation (spirit) factions.
The Dauntless faction is made of people who are fearless. They wear tattoos and piercings, leap from moving elevated trains onto rooftops, and are the only faction allowed to carry weapons. Their job is to defend and police the society. People who originally formed Dauntless believed cowardice was the root cause of all the problems that lead to the previous society’s downfall, and they have taken on the tasks where cowardice would not be tolerated.
Beatrice (aka 'Tris'), although she is divergent, chooses Dauntless and learns to fight, learns to use a variety of weapons, and learns to accept pain. She soon learns, though, that Dauntless has become corrupt. Before, they believed in things like teamwork and the bravery that comes from submission and trust in one who is wiser or stronger. Now, they seek only power and are willing to torture those who they see as ‘weak.’
These are the suffering poor who survive on whatever scraps society is willing to drop off the table and into their filthy streets and slums. They have no real place in society, no role to fill, and would likely be exterminated if Erudite or Dauntless were in charge. They seek only to survive. As a result, they take the dirtiest, basest jobs - the ones no one else in the society is willing to take. While I have not yet read the second book in the series, Insurgent, I understand the Factionless' role as a body society becomes even more well-defined as the story progresses. (Note: Since this was originally written, I have read Insurgent and this understanding has been confirmed.)
Tobias, also known as ‘Four,’ is the primary Dauntless character (He is also divergent, but not to the extreme that Tris is). While others in the faction must overcome a dozen or more fears in their training, Tobias only has four fears. This trait gives him the status of ‘legend’ within the faction, but he sees the corruption growing in the system and rather than join it, he has the courage and the strength to fight it from within.
Divergent is the first book in a YA trilogy by Veronica Roth that is a masterful work of mind, body, and spirit layering. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic Chicago, where the society is divided into six population groups. Any time there are a multiple of three of anything, I get curious.
People in this society choose which of five factions the wish to join when they turn sixteen years old, based on their personalities. If they ‘flunk out’ of their chosen faction, they end up in the sixth population group – the ‘Factionless.’
The main character in the book is special because her personality is not isolated to one faction or another. She is called ‘divergent’ because she tests high in three personality traits related to three different factions: the Dauntless (body), the Erudite (mind), and the Abnegation (spirit) factions.
The Body Society (I): The Dauntless Faction
The Dauntless faction is made of people who are fearless. They wear tattoos and piercings, leap from moving elevated trains onto rooftops, and are the only faction allowed to carry weapons. Their job is to defend and police the society. People who originally formed Dauntless believed cowardice was the root cause of all the problems that lead to the previous society’s downfall, and they have taken on the tasks where cowardice would not be tolerated.
Beatrice (aka 'Tris'), although she is divergent, chooses Dauntless and learns to fight, learns to use a variety of weapons, and learns to accept pain. She soon learns, though, that Dauntless has become corrupt. Before, they believed in things like teamwork and the bravery that comes from submission and trust in one who is wiser or stronger. Now, they seek only power and are willing to torture those who they see as ‘weak.’
The Body Society (II): The Factionless
These are the suffering poor who survive on whatever scraps society is willing to drop off the table and into their filthy streets and slums. They have no real place in society, no role to fill, and would likely be exterminated if Erudite or Dauntless were in charge. They seek only to survive. As a result, they take the dirtiest, basest jobs - the ones no one else in the society is willing to take. While I have not yet read the second book in the series, Insurgent, I understand the Factionless' role as a body society becomes even more well-defined as the story progresses. (Note: Since this was originally written, I have read Insurgent and this understanding has been confirmed.)
The Body Character: Tobias
Tobias, also known as ‘Four,’ is the primary Dauntless character (He is also divergent, but not to the extreme that Tris is). While others in the faction must overcome a dozen or more fears in their training, Tobias only has four fears. This trait gives him the status of ‘legend’ within the faction, but he sees the corruption growing in the system and rather than join it, he has the courage and the strength to fight it from within.
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