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Divergent
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Divergent: Book 1

Divergent (2011) (edit title/settings)

by Veronica Roth (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every... read more

Summary edit see section history

16 year old Beatrice has always felt different from the rest of her family. She has been raised as an "Abnegation" child, meaning that she has been trained to be selfless. Being selfless has never come naturally to Beatrice, especially because it involves wearing only grey clothing, only... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

16 year old Beatrice has always felt different from the rest of her family. She has been raised as an "Abnegation" child, meaning that she has been trained to be selfless. Being selfless has never come naturally to Beatrice, especially because it involves wearing only grey clothing, only being able to look in a mirror every three months, and not being able to ask questions. She has always thought that when she turned 16 and was able to choose her own faction, that she would leave her family behind to try another faction. When Beatrice takes her test to find out what faction she'll join, she's a little shocked to find out not only is she different from everyone else, but she'll have a choice to make. Her results reveal that she is suited towards three different factions, making her "Divergent"- a dangerous thing that she cannot mention to anyone. She can choose to stay in "Abnegation", or she can leave her Abnegation family forever by selecting to join another faction.

During the choosing ceremony, where all 16 year olds decide which faction they will join, Beatrice's brother selects the "Erudite" faction, and Beatrice selects the "Dauntless" faction. Beatrice immediately begins initiation into the Dauntless faction- a dangerous three stage process where initiates are ranked according to how well they do. During the initiation process, Beatrice changes her name to Tris, gets tattoos, learns to shoot guns, and faces her own fears. She learns that her Abnegation qualities are what leads her to be such a strong candidate for the Dauntless. Along the way, her Dauntless initiation trainer Four pushes her to become stronger and stronger. Tris becomes good friends with fellow initiates Al and Christina. Several initiates form relationships, including some that must be kept secret.

However, it soon becomes clear that there are problems among the factions. Dauntless leader Eric seems suspicious, while the Erudite publish flyers containing lies about members of Abnegation. Big changes are in store for the members of all factions.

Characters edit see section history

  • Beatrice (Tris) Prior: An Abnegation transfer into Dauntless. Very evil and conniving. He stabs Edward in the eye when he is in first place and tried to scare or harm Tris when she reaches the first spot on the initiation lists. Will stop at nothing to stay number one on the initiation lists.
  • Four: Lead character. 18. One of the Dauntless instructors. He is in charge of training the non-Dauntless-born initiates.
  • Peter: A Candor transfer into Dauntless. Very evil and conniving. He stabs Edward in the eye when he is in first place and tried to scare or harm Tris when she reaches the first spot on the initiation lists. Will stop at nothing to stay number one on the initiation lists.
  • Natalie Prior: Beatrice's mother.
  • Andrew Prior: Beatrice's father.
  • Caleb Prior: Tris's older brother, although they are born less than a year apart.
  • Jeanine Matthews: The leader of Erudite who is always questioning and picking at the Abnegation government in her newspaper articles. Covets power.
  • Eric: A cruel Dauntless leader with greasy hair, and many piercings and tattoos who hungers for more power.
  • Christina: A friend of Tris. She is a transfer into Dauntless from Candor and has a bit of a big (yet honest!) mouth.
  • Will: An Erudite transfer initiate. A friend of Tris and Christina.
  • Max: Add a description of this character.
  • Tori: A Dauntless. She administered Tris's placement testing and told her she was Divergent - and that she must not tell anyone her Divergent results. Works in the Dauntless tattoo parlor. Tori is struggling to keep hidden a few secrets of her own- her brother was also Divergent and, choosing Dauntless, got through stage 2 easily and bragged about it. He was later found dead, killed by the Dauntless leaders whose job it was to find and get rid of Divergents. Knowing the dangers of being Divergent, she manually enters Abnegation as Tris' official result.
  • Uriah: A Dauntless-born initiate who becomes friends with Tris. Zeke's younger brother. Scores very high on majority of the stages of initiation.
  • Marcus Eaton: Tris' father's coworker and a leader of Abnegation. Apparently devastated because his son transferred from Abnegation to Dauntless.
  • Molly Atwood: A Candor transfer. Friends with Peter and Drew. Also known as "The Tank." Quite rude to Tris. Not very smart, but makes up for it with size and sheer brute strength. At the end of the initiation she ranks 11
  • Drew: A Candor transfer initiate in Dauntless. Friends with Peter and Molly.
  • Zeke: Uriah's older brother, a popular Dauntless in the faction. Zeke is fun loving and smiling all the time.
  • Marlene: A happy-go-lucky Dauntless-born initiate. Friends with Uriah and Lynn.
  • Susan Black: Tris' neighbor and friend from Abnegation. Robert's sister.
  • Myra: An Erudite transfer initiate. Edward's girlfriend. Very weak compared to the other transfers.
  • Lynn: One of the Dauntless-born initiates. Friends with Uriah and Marlene.
  • Edward: An Erudite transfer initiate. Myra's boyfriend.
  • Robert Black: A neighbor and friend from Abnegation. Susan's brother.
  • Shauna: An older Dauntless who was an initiate with Four. Lynn and Hector's older sister.
  • Rita: A Dauntless-born initiate who loses her sister when her sister does not make the jump over the roof. Her sister's death is the reader's first glimpse into the Dauntless mindset.
  • Lauren
  • Albert: Al. Dauntless initiate who is very large and very friendly. Kind of like a teddy bear, except smarter and more prone to nightmares. He struggles with the Dauntless initiation training, emotionally and psychologically.
  • Cara: Cara is Will's (Tris friends) sister.
Show all 28 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Abnegation is what I am. It is what I am when I'm not thinking about what I'm doing. It is what I am when I am put to the test. It is what I am even when I appear to be brave. Am I in the wrong faction?”
    Tris
  • “Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again.”
    Natalie Prior
  • “Somewhere inside me is a merciful, forgiving person. Somewhere there is a girl who tries to understand what people are going through, who accepts that people do evil things and that desperation leads them to darker places than they ever imagined. I swear she exists, and she hurts for the repentant boy I see in front of me. But if I saw her, I wouldn't recognize her.”
    Beatrice (Tris) Prior
  • “Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up. I've seen it. It's fascinating. Sometimes I just...want to see it again. Want to see you awake.”
    Four
  • “We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.”
  • “Mom used to say that politeness is deception in pretty packaging.”
    Christina
  • “I like to think I’m helping them by hating them,” she says. “I’m reminding them that they aren’t God’s gift to humankind.”
    Christina
  • “I ignore my fear,” he says. “When I make decisions, I pretend it doesn’t exist.”
    Four
  • “I believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.”
    Will, quoting the Dauntless' manifesto
  • “But becoming fearless isn’t the point. That’s impossible. It’s learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it, that’s the point.”
    Four
  • “....it’s when you’re acting selflessly that you are at your bravest.”
    Four
  • “....sometimes it isn’t fighting that’s brave, it’s facing the death you know is coming.”
    Tris
  • “I might be in love with you. I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though.”
    Four
  • “Can you be a girl for a few seconds?" "I am always a girl.”
    Christina and Tris
  • “And then time will pass, and the hole will be gone, like when an organ is removed and the body's fluids flow into the space it leaves. Humans can't tolerate emptiness for long.”
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • I believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.
    Highlighted by 440 Kindle customers
  • “But becoming fearless isn’t the point. That’s impossible. It’s learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it, that’s the point.”
    Highlighted by 371 Kindle customers
  • Human reason can excuse any evil; that is why it’s so important that we don’t rely on it.
    Highlighted by 282 Kindle customers
  • Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again.”
    Highlighted by 278 Kindle customers
  • Those who seek peace above all else, they say, will always deceive to keep the water calm.
    Highlighted by 267 Kindle customers
  • “I like to think I’m helping them by hating them,” she says. “I’m reminding them that they aren’t God’s gift to humankind.”
    Highlighted by 267 Kindle customers
  • Mom used to say that politeness is deception in pretty packaging.”
    Highlighted by 241 Kindle customers
  • That is death—shifting from “is” to “was.”
    Highlighted by 239 Kindle customers
  • ‘We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.’”
    Highlighted by 234 Kindle customers
  • I have never been carried around by a large boy, or laughed until my stomach hurt at the dinner table, or listened to the clamor of a hundred people all talking at once. Peace is restrained; this is free.
    Highlighted by 152 Kindle customers
Show all 25 quotes from this book

Organizations edit see section history

  • Abnegation: The Selfless; Color: Grey, Choosing ceremony symbol: grey stones. Symbol: Joined Hands
  • Dauntless: The Brave; Color: Black, Choosing ceremony symbol: hot coals. Symbol: Fire
  • Erudite: The Intellectual/Knowledgeable; Color: Blue, Choosing Ceremony symbol: Water Symbol: Eye
  • Candor: The Honest; Color: Black and White, Choosing Ceremony symbol: Glass. Symbol: Scales
  • Amity: The Peaceful; Color: Red and Yellow, Choosing Ceremony symbol: earth. Symbol: Tree

First Sentence edit see section history

There is one mirror in my house.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Chapters 1-39

Glossary edit see section history

  • Divergent: Someone who doesn't fit any specific group. They have qualities of multiple factions.
  • Abnegation: Faction defined by selflessness.
  • Dauntless: Faction defined by bravery.
  • Erudite: Faction defined by knowledge.
  • Candor: Faction defined by honesty.
  • Amity: Faction defined by kindness.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 4 in Divergent. (standard series)

Followed by Insurgent.

This book is in Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2011. (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Veronica Roth (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Anne Delcourt (Author)
  2. Emma Galvin (Narrator)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Country: USA
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
ISBN: 9780062024022
Page Count: 487

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PZ7.R7375 Di 2011 FT MEADE
  • Dewey: FIC ROT

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

There is some romance (references to intimacy), some drinking, and a fair amount of violence. No language above the word "hell."

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

Movie Connections edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
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  • The Hunger Games
  • Catching Fire
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  • The Roar
  • Birthmarked
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  • Inside Out
  • Feed
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  • Article 5
  • Partials
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  • Prized

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