Divergent Thinking

by Leah Wilson

  So here’s to making choices. I’ve no doubt you’ll make the right one, Jenna (even if I may not agree with you!).

  Meteorologist turned novelist Maria V. Snyder has been writing since 1995. Eighteen years, twelve published novels, a dozen short stories, and a half-dozen awards later, Maria’s learned a thing or three about writing. Her Study series (Poison Study, Magic Study, and Fire Study) has been on the New York Times bestseller list. Maria earned her Master of Arts degree from Seton Hill University where she’s been teaching in their MFA program, which is why she would choose Erudite: she loves learning about new things and doing research for her novels.

  Jenna Snyder is currently a sophomore in high school. She is on the school soccer team and is involved in the ski club. She plays the flute and violin in her school’s band and orchestra. Reading and writing are two of the things Jenna enjoys most, and she has published book reviews in MIZZ magazine and an article, “Why Hurricanes Have Names,” in the appendix of Maria V. Snyder’s Storm Watcher. She is also on the staff of her school newspaper as an editor. She would choose Erudite because she enjoys learning about new topics and having intellectual conversation and discussions.

  During the scene in Divergent where Tris takes Al’s place in front of the target, Eric and Tobias argue about what it means to be Dauntless—what it means to be brave. Tobias says that “a brave man acknowledges the strength of others.” Eric insists that “a brave man never surrenders.” But Tris serves as a silent example of yet another understanding of bravery: a brave man (or woman) stands up for those who cannot do so for themselves.

  It’s this third definition that the Divergent trilogy appears to take as its primary one; by its end, Tris has sacrificed herself to defend the rights (and memories) of her city’s people, and Tobias has found meaning in similar sacrifice, as a politician working for change in the freer city that takes the Chicago experiment’s place. But Elizabeth Norris suggests there is even more to bravery, and that Dauntless is not the only place to find it.

  ORDINARY ACTS OF BRAVERY

  ELIZABETH NORRIS

  When I first read Divergent, it was a Saturday. I had a day of data entry in front of me and planned to reward myself with a chapter every few hours. As you might imagine, I didn’t manage to stop after a chapter—or even a few chapters. I read Divergent in its entirety, only stopping once to send a quick DM to Veronica Roth, who I’d met on her recent trip to New York.

  I told her that I desperately wanted to run outside, scream, “Dauntless!”, and perhaps punch someone in the face. (Someone who deserved it, of course.) It was probably the highest form of flattery I could offer her, and thankfully, she took it as such. I loved the book so much that I felt inspired to turn into some kind of Dauntless superhero. That reckless feeling only lasted briefly (I’d be a terrible vigilante), but long after I had finished the novel, something else still lingered in the back of my mind.

  I felt inspired to be brave.

  Not that the book made me want to run into a burning building and save someone or enlist in the military (both of which require incredible courage and dedication), but I took a look at my own life, at the everyday normalcy of it, and wanted to find my own ordinary acts of bravery. Which is fitting, considering that when Veronica signs copies of Divergent, she writes, “Be brave.”

  It’s clearly a theme that comes up a lot throughout the book. From the very first page, Tris is forced to act outside of her comfort zone; to face uncertainty, fear, and danger; and to make decisions that will change her life. But Tris isn’t brave just because of the decision she makes at the Choosing Ceremony; it isn’t because Tris chooses Dauntless that she becomes brave. As a true Divergent, she has personality traits that can be attributed to each of the five factions. Each of them, in their own right, make her brave.

  ACTING IN SPITE OF FEAR

  It’s easy to see how Dauntless embodies bravery. It’s what their faction stands for, part of their manifesto. They believe in bravery, in taking action, and in freedom from fear. However, it’s the latter—the idea of acting in spite of fear—that their faction uses to define bravery.

  We see that from the moment Tris chooses Dauntless. When the Choosing Ceremony is over, Tris and the other Dauntless initiates must run out of the building and to the train tracks. Their first test as part of their initiation is to jump onto the moving train, then jump from the train to the roof of Dauntless headquarters upon their arrival. The train is moving just fast enough that jumping onto it is possible, but requires a certain amount of physical strength and agility. Anyone who is out of shape or sick or even suffering from a physical disability would have a hard time passing this test. In effect, it’s designed to weed out initiates who are physically weak right from the beginning. But there’s more to it than just that. Jumping on and off the train leaves no room for hesitation. There is a specific window of time, as the train passes the roof, when the initiates must jump. Then, from their train car, they can see people in front of them jumping off when their turn comes. They can see the consequence if they fail, and all of them are afraid. The test, however, doesn’t allow for that fear to control them. Even the slightest hesitation—from fear—could delay their jump, and anyone who jumps too late risks falling to his or her death.

  The tests, of course, don’t end once Tris and the other initiates arrive at Dauntless. On the roof they’re immediately faced with another test: they’re asked to jump down a hole without being able to see the bottom. Tris can tell it’s at least several stories high, but that’s all she knows. While this test is different from the train jump, it has one striking similarity. Again, its purpose is to see that the initiates are capable of freeing themselves from fear or at least acting in spite of it. This time, the fear stems partly from the unknown. The initiates, especially Tris, who volunteers to go first, must trust the Dauntless leaders and jump into this dark hole and fall despite the fact that they don’t know where they will land. It is essentially a blind leap of faith where the initiates must banish all fear from their minds and trust that they will be okay. That this comes immediately after a Dauntless-born initiate misses the jump from the train to the roof and falls to her death, proving that no one is safe, only amplifies the potential consequences of this test, as well as the others they will face.

  While the initiates are tested physically (physical training), they are tested emotionally (simulations) and mentally (fear landscapes), as well. As Tris mentions, in Dauntless they teach you to be completely self-reliant, to be prepared for anything, in order to minimize the fear in any given situation, which often means doing things the hard way. “There’s nothing especially brave about wandering dark streets with no flashlight, but [Dauntless] are not supposed to need help, even from light” (Divergent). That preparation makes sense, especially given their role in the government—to protect the city. Similar to our own military preparations, Dauntless life is designed to make them capable of anything, so that when they’re in a situation where there is no light, and they can only rely on themselves, there will also be no fear.

  It also can make them foolhardy at times. Beating each other senseless in physical training, as the initiates are encouraged to do, and hanging over the chasm to prove one isn’t a coward, as Christina is forced to do, are not actions that stem from bravery. In fact, they’re more for cruelty’s sake than bravery’s.

  Similarly, after Al’s suicide, Eric praises him, and instead of a somber funeral, the Dauntless celebrate his “bravery” for going to a place unknown. We know that Al wasn’t brave. He didn’t choose to jump into the chasm in order to face the unknown. He wasn’t cut out for Dauntless life. In fact, he was weak. Not because he kept missing the target in knife throwing and not because he needed Tris to take his place at the target. He was weak because he felt threatened by Tris’ strength and allowed Peter to threaten her. Rather than stand up for her, like she did for him, he even helped Peter and Drew assault her and dangle her over the edge of the chasm.

&nb
sp; By celebrating bravery that we know Al didn’t have, Dauntless exposes a flaw in its definition of the concept. They’re striving for “freedom from fear,” but fearlessness is not always the same as bravery. Al’s suicide might have indirectly proved that he didn’t fear the ultimate unknown—death—but it was still an act of cowardice. For Al, the chasm was easier than facing the cutthroat aspects of Dauntless life and the shame he felt for his actions.

  Fear isn’t an enemy of bravery. Driving people to free themselves completely from fear doesn’t necessarily mean their actions will be brave. Fear is what makes people brave—feeling afraid, yet acting in spite of that fear.

  STANDING UP FOR ONE ANOTHER

  When I first started thinking about the meaning of bravery in the world of Divergent, I had a hard time with Amity. I knew what I believed and what I wanted to prove—true bravery can be found in kindness—but even to my own ears that didn’t sound like something other people would easily swallow. It was when I began to reread Divergent and Insurgent to prepare myself for Allegiant’s release that I realized that the connection between Amity and bravery is obvious. The decision to be kind even when faced with cruelty is brave.

  The line from the Dauntless manifesto, “We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another,” is not actually practiced in Dauntless anymore, something that Will and Tris realize during initiation after Edward is stabbed in the eye (Divergent). In any other faction, it would be brave for them to report what had happened to Edward, to come forward and stand up for him by telling the truth, but in Dauntless coming forward will make them seem afraid. The bravery to stand up for another person is rooted in the virtue of Amity.

  It isn’t the absence of fear that makes Tris stand up for Al in Divergent, it’s her kindness. She cares for Al, and she doesn’t enjoy seeing him berated, first because he’s struggling to throw a knife and hit the target and then because he’s honest enough to admit that he’s afraid of getting hit. Then when Eric orders Al to stand in front of the target, it’s Tris’ kindness that drives her to stand up to Eric and say, “Stop!”

  Tris’ kindness is often intertwined with her selflessness (more on this later, trust me), and her decision to take Al’s place in front of the target can be attributed to both virtues. Eric makes the offer, and her instinct to accept it is selfless. She knows she can prevent Al from experiencing more pain and embarrassment by taking that on herself. But protecting him also makes Tris feel strong and brave—she feels like she belongs in Dauntless. As a result, it’s not completely unselfish. But it’s still kind. Tris is able to stand at the target and keep from flinching because she knows that it’s the right thing to do—be kind and stand up for Al, who isn’t as strong as she is. That’s what makes her brave.

  It is the same mix of kindness and selflessness that ultimately saves Tris’ life in Insurgent. She saves Peter’s life at the Amity compound. It’s an instinct rather than a presence of mind that pushes her to dive into the Erudite woman pointing a gun. Tris acts without knowing the intended target because to her that doesn’t matter. She knows she can stop someone from getting shot without any danger to herself, and she steps up to protect anyone she can. As a result the shot goes wide, hitting the wall instead of hitting Peter. He and Tris have never been friends. In fact, between his disparaging comments, threats of violence, and physical attacks, he’s been cruel to her countless times. Their relationship is so strained, he doesn’t thank her and she doesn’t acknowledge him. Yet, Tris knows she saved his life and she doesn’t regret it. She’s capable of being kind to him despite his cruelty. Again, this instinct is both kind and selfless.

  Later, when Peter is one of her captors, Tris further demonstrates her innate kindness. She admits she probably would have forgiven him for everything that happened during initiation. That Tris has the power to offer him forgiveness, even if that forgiveness is incomplete, makes her incredibly brave. She is almost completely at his mercy, and it wouldn’t be out of character for Peter to respond to her kindness with more cruelty. But her admission prompts a shift in their relationship; it’s more apparent on her end, but Peter’s attitude toward Tris subtly changes as well.

  Peter must have already planned to switch the serum so that she is just paralyzed instead of being killed, but on the way to her execution, he takes her past the window to Tobias’ cell, allowing her one last look at him. He also offers her two words right before she is supposed to die: “Be brave” (Insurgent). These two words are significant in Dauntless and could have multiple meanings. Perhaps it’s the way Peter says them that makes them kind. Something about them makes her think of Tobias and the fact that he told her the same thing before her first simulation. This makes her believe Peter is trying to ease her fear. These words are a clue that she isn’t going to die, that she’ll need to be brave for what’s next. They’re kind words said by someone from whom Tris has come to expect only cruelty. By saving her and then helping Tobias and Tris escape, Peter claims that this makes them even—that after she saved his life at Amity, he owed her, and now he doesn’t anymore. Even though his reasons are selfish and warped, he is capable of kindness, and this is just the beginning of the change that we eventually see in Peter when he admits to not taking the memory inoculation because he’s sick of being cruel.

  Both Tris and Tobias claim to struggle with kindness more than any other virtue. Tobias tells Tris early on in Divergent that he doesn’t want to put down the virtues of the other factions in order to be brave. He wants to be “brave and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest” but he struggles with kindness the most. I don’t believe he struggles with it as much as he thinks he does because I see so much evidence of his kindness throughout the series. Despite his plans to leave and become factionless, he stays in Dauntless to help Tris, and in Allegiant, he goes back to the city to tell Uriah’s family what has happened to him. His efforts to stand up for others and to do what is right by them are often colored with kindness. The fact that he believes he struggles with kindness proves that he’s thinking about it and that he values it. It doesn’t surprise me that either he or Tris find the act of kindness is hard. They’re forced to interact with people who are cruel on a daily basis, and it’s exceptionally hard to be kind to people who have caused you pain in some way.

  But that’s what bravery is. It’s not about hurting people or wishing pain on people who have hurt you. It’s the realization that violence only begets more violence. It takes a truly brave person to break the cycle of cruelty and violence and use kindness in order to make peace.

  THE NEED FOR TRUTH

  It’s not easy to look at Erudite and find an example of bravery, especially since Jeanine is Erudite’s leader and it’s the thirst for knowledge—to discover what Abnegation is hiding—that drives Caleb to betray Tris. During much of the series, the Erudite are cast as villains, but that’s because, like Dauntless, they have strayed from the tenets of their faction, pursuing knowledge the way the Dauntless pursue a life free from fear. They’ve become arrogant, choosing to disregard the potential repercussions of their actions. This reckless pursuit of knowledge is what leads Jeanine to torture Tris, in order to develop a better understanding of her Divergence.

  But the pursuit of knowledge can also be brave. When Tris and Tobias agree to go outside the compound in Allegiant, they are facing the unknown. Unlike during Dauntless initiation, neither of them is motivated by overcoming their innate fear of the unknown. This time is different—there’s something out there, beyond the city limits, and though it’s scary, they need to know what it is. There are countless dangers that could arise, but after seeing Edith Prior’s video, Tris knows that they have a responsibility to do something with the truth about the city rather than just sit on the news as Evelyn wants. It’s possible that what Tris learns about the world outside the fences will not be something she wants to know, but she knows she needs to seek the truth no matter the cost, and that is brave.


  On a personal level, the knowledge she finds doesn’t come without consequences. Tris learns exactly what it means to be “Divergent,” which it turns out is a lot less special than she’d previously been led to believe. It’s not the superpower she’d thought, and it’s no longer armor that Tris can hide behind when she’s afraid. She also learns that her mom knew David and knew about the Bureau and the experiments, and this knowledge about her mother, uncovering the secrets that she had, changes Tris’ impression both of her mother and of her own identity.

  It would have been easier, in many ways, for Tris to stay inside the walls, comfortable with her knowledge and understanding of the world. She still would have faced conflict inside the city, but she could have done that without having to change her perception of herself, her mother, or her world. She knows, though, that wouldn’t be the brave choice. After escaping from her near-execution in Insurgent, she values her own life. She’s realized that she wants to live, despite the guilt and the loss she’s experienced, and with that realization, she wants to solve problems without violence and she wants to find the truth about who she is and about what happened to their society.

  BEING HONEST ALL THE TIME

  Similar to knowledge, honesty also costs something. Tris is good at holding on to her own secrets and not quite as good at trusting other people with the truth, something that often puts a strain on her relationships with the people she cares about, particularly Tobias. That’s because it takes a certain kind of bravery to be honest and admit a truth that might influence how you’re perceived by other people, especially those you care about.