Self Discovery In Plato's Divergent By Veronica Roth

Plato’s Diverging Path: A Road That Must Be Taken The popularity of young adult novels is undeniable. From contemporary series such as Harry Potter and The Hunger Games to classic novels such as The Catcher in the Rye topping YA book sales, reading tales about adolescent journeys of self-discovery have never more been appealing. In the novel Divergent by Veronica Roth, one teen by the name of Tris, leaves the world that she has always known and ventures down a difficult path that leads to new understanding of both herself and the world in which she lives. In Plato’s Republic “Book VII”, the allegory of the cave perpetuates the idea that as one breaks free from the chains that bind him, he is able to discover a completely new world. With knowledge gained from exploring the real world, a person is free to discover personal truths and choose his or her life path independently. Breaking away from of literal or metaphorical chains is a difficult process. Often, a person finds himself bound by familial ties, obligations, and his environment. The character Tris spent sixteen years tied to her family’s faction, Abnegation, although she felt
When light symbolizes knowledge and understanding, as it does in Plato’s allegory, what one discovers about reality can be painful. Without accurate knowledge, a person like Tris may spend years believing that something as established as her society is morally good, but upon further inspection, it becomes evident that her previously held beliefs were simply a false sense of understanding. Disillusioned by facts that prove her society is corrupt and oppressive, she becomes convicted to return to other “slaves” and bring them into a state of enlightenment. By assuming a hero’s journey, she has come to believe that “in the realm of knowledge is goodness…” (Plato 66). Despite a decaying world, she will embrace the goodness and find