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.