Divergent, By Veronica Roth

Social classes are organized by factions in Divergent, by Veronica Roth. Practically everything about an individual is based on what faction they belong to: their personality, how they dress, where they reside, what they consume, what they do for recreation, and what occupation they hold. The book takes place in a dystopian society of Chicago where everyone takes an aptitude test at the age of 16 to decide what faction they belong to and what their future will be. The factions are Abnegation, Amity, Dauntless, Erudite, and Candor. Beatrice Prior, the main character, takes this test and the results are inconclusive because she is divergent. Due to the fact that Beatrice, or Tris, is divergent, she can be placed into more than one faction. Since
“To foster a peaceful society, the city-state had, a century ago, divided itself into five factions that determine a member’s personality, profession, and even dress.” (Maio, “Girl Power in Dystopia” 202). People in Abnegation work for the government (Roth 31). “Like my father, she works for the government, but she manages city improvement projects. She recruited volunteers to administer the aptitude tests. Most of the time, though, she organizes workers to help the factionless with food and shelter and job opportunities.” (Roth 31). Those in Amity are mostly farmers (Roth 124). The Dauntless are in charge of the city’s security because they guard the fence that surrounds the city (Roth 125). “The Dauntless have limited options. We can guard the fence or work for the security of our city. We can work in the Dauntless compound, drawing tattoos or making weapons or even fighting each other for entertainment. Or we can work for the Dauntless leaders.” (Roth 125). The Erudite are scientists, librarians, and doctors (Roth 356). Majority of the people in Candor are lawyers because they are honest. The type of occupations held by each of the factions give a hint of how their personality is like. For example, the Dauntless are brave and that is why they are fit for protecting the city and guarding it from harm. The Erudite are smart, so it only makes sense if they hold positions in various
Nearly everything about an individual is based on what group they belong to: their character, their clothing style, their home, the food they eat, the activities they do for entertainment, and their profession. At the age of 16, teenagers must go through an examination process called the aptitude test. “The tests are only a recommendation, but changing factions means having to undergo an initiation to prove one's worth to the new faction” (De Lint, “Divergent”). On the day of the Choosing Ceremony, they have to decide which social class they want to spend the rest of their life in. Once they choose a faction, they cannot turn back or switch to another one. If they do, they remain factionless for the rest of their lives. Beatrice Prior’s aptitude test results are inconclusive because she is divergent. She does not fit into just one faction but three of them. She chooses Dauntless, but faces many challenges through the Dauntless initiation process because of her big secret. A world that consists of factions would not be problem free and would still lead to competitions and issues between the different groups. Therefore, factions do not solve the everyday conflicts that occur between