Let Me Predict The Future...

I am usually pretty good at predicting the course of books, even if they take "unexpected turns." Divergent is a pretty good book so far, but I am almost positive I already know the outcome. From the moment Tris grabbed Four's hand after the jump I knew that he would be the love interest. Even though it has not officially happened yet Roth is making it more and more obvious. Four has taken a special interset in Tris from the very beginning and now Tris describes it as electricity between them. The little details between them make it a sure thing that they will find a deeper connection. Also, There is no way that Tris is not making it into dauntless. While they make it seem like she is ranking close to last there is no way the author is going to make her main character factionless. While she may not be physically strong, Tris is daring and smart. She can survive on her wit and the way she faces every comment as a challenge makes it hard not to see her inner strength. She is someone that the reader has no choice but to root for. Her weakness makes her relateable and her persistance and slightly daring personality make her a good character to build a story around. Not to mention it makes it really easy to know how everything will end up when the author already published a whole series. Obviously things have to work out in order to continue the story. I am by no means disappointed in this book, but I wish that some novels were harder to predict. I want to be really taken aback by something that happens in a book. I still have a lot more of the novel left to go, so maybe it will surprise me. I can only hope it will.

Shed your Skin

Snakes shed their skin, but that doesn't mean they change what they are. In "Divergent" Beatrice and a few others switch factions on choosing day. They have to leave behind their old faction and immerse themselves into the new one in order to make it through initiation. This is especially true for Dauntless because if they are not in the top 10 out of all initiates then they become factionless. Beatrice goes back and forth in the struggle to become dauntless. She was the first to jump off the roof and she shed her old name almost immediately after. When she decided to become "Tris," I assumed that she would completely stop her old ways, but its not that simple. Tris cannot leave behind every part of Abnegation. That faction was 16 years of her life. The reader, and even her fellow initiates are able to see Abnegation poking through in the way that she reguards the slightest public display of affection. She then tries to immerse herself even more into Dauntless by wearing eyeliner, dressing in black and...GETTING A TATOO. It was the last thing expected from a plain jane from Abnegation, but she does it. Three little birds headed toward her heart. As a reader, I have to wonder is this just an act, just another way to try to lose herself in Dauntless? How could she ever completely shave off 16 years of her life. Caleb, Tris's brother, seemed to shed his selflessness the moment he decided on Erudite. Tris may seem more dauntless, but she's always been... divergent and I don't think that will completely change. She may shed her skin like a snake and grow a new one, but underneath it all a part of her will still be Beatrice.

Choices, Choices

In Veronica Roth's book "Divergent," Beatrice and her brother, Caleb, have to make the important decision of choosing what faction they will live in. They have to consider who they truely are and not who they have been. It is a shock to both Beatrice and the reader that Caleb chooses to leave Abnegation and enter in a as Erudite. It was clear that Beatrice did not mesh easily into Abnegation, but Caleb played the part to perfection. It makes me consider all the people in society that play roles. You can look at someone day in and day out and see them being the "perfect" son or daughter, etc., but when they get the slightest chance to break free you see a completely different person, their real self. It is not only the fact that Caleb chooses Erudite that is surprising. It is the fact that he smiled without a care in the world as to how his decision effected his parents or his sister. It was not like he was selfless, but his thirst for knowledge was stronger. He seemed to take nothing of Abnegation with him. Beatrice on the other hand clearly did not fit in perfectly to Abnegation, but she constantly carried pieces of her old faction with her. But thats the thing, for Caleb it was an act and nothing more, but for Beatrice she had tried for so long to mold herself into selflessness that a few things actually stuck. Being yourself in this warped future society is complicated. On one hand you choose the faction that best suits you. On the other hand, you still have to fit into predetermined slots. You may be more yourself in one faction, but you can never completely let everything you are define you.

To Stray From the Path

"Divergent" by Veronica Roth describes a Utopian society where the society splits themselves into different factions based on which value they embody. However, Beatrice is a blend of values, she does not fit easily into any of the molds society has presented to her. This is the point at which every story surrounds itself. An author that paints a picture-perfect society is always prepared to tear apart that same society to expose the imperfections. The Utopian society described by Roth is basically an exaggeration of current society. Society today makes molds of how each person should look, dress, and act. As much as everyone says they want to stand out, most really just want to fit in. Beatrice is divergent because she does not clearly belong to one faction, even though she desperately wished she did. America prides itself on being individuals that do not clearly fit the mold of one group. However, you can see in high school and throughout your life that your identity with one group is important and that feeling of belongingness  is an innate desire among all humans. Beatrice story of being different intrigues readers because while each are unique individuals like Beatrice they also relate to the feeling that fitting in somewhere gives you a specific identity and safety net.