Symbols
Tattoos
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“I think we’ve made a mistake,’ he says softly. ‘We’ve all started to put down the virtues of the other factions in the process of bolstering our own. I don’t want to do that I want to be brave, and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest.’” - p. 405
A major symbol in Divergent are tattoos. In the Dauntless faction it is very rare to find a member without tattoos, piercings or a unique haircut. The tattoo Four has represent the 5 different factions. In the scene shown above and that moment in the book is when Four reveals more of who he really is. Previous to showing his tattoo to Tris, Four came off as this pro-Dauntless who works for the government and corley lives to the motto “Faction before blood.” But upon revealing his tattoo, Four shows he is more than just Dauntless and that he wants more to be just brave. Also upon showing his tattoo, Tris begins to wonder if Four is also Divergent.
“I touch my collarbone, marking the path of their flight- toward my heart. One for each member of the family I left behind.” (Roth 90)
When first arriving to Dauntless headquarters, Tris feels homesick and starts to miss her family. To honor her family she decides to have three ravens tattooed on her collarbone flying toward her heart. At the time she believed tattooing the birds were the best way to honor her family that she left behind. Getting this tattoo, in a way, can be seen as one Tris’ first acts of Divergence. By honoring her family in this way she goes against the motto “Faction before blood”. But it most certainly won’t be the last time before Tris goes against this motto. |
Clothing
In Divergent the type and color of clothing that is worn represents the faction they've come from. The Abnegation's color is gray. They stick to little revealing clothing and try to look very proper. The Amity's colors are red and yellow to promote peace and joy and they are more loose on what way they can wear their colors. The Candor's colors are black and white because they believe the truth is either black and white and this faction strongly believes in honesty. The Dauntless color is black and its easiest to pick out a Dauntless member because most have piercings, tattoos and odd hairstyles. The Dauntless wear tight clothing since they are highly active. The Erudite's color is blue because they believe blue induces calm in which they believe a calm mind is a good mind for learning, a core belief.
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Themes
Freedom from Fear
“Freedom from fear”, the core belief of Dauntless and a theme that is constantly seen throughout Divergent. From Tris at the choosing ceremony to her journey through Dauntless initiation. Through initiation, the Dauntless want to eliminate and control their fears. They do so by going through a simulation called fear landscapes. Through a fear landscape one finds all of their deepest fears. Many have a number of fears and struggle to control them. But Tris and later on Four have very few fears. Four has the nickname Four because he only has four fears, which is unheard of. Tris has only six fears and since both Tris and Four are Divergent they are able to control the simulations and control their fears.
Choices
Choice’s in Divergent ultimately change lives. As said on the cover, “One choice can transform you”. Tough choices have to be made at a relatively young age, the choosing ceremony. At the choosing ceremony 16 year old teens are ask to choose a faction that they’ll remain in for the rest of their lives. Choices can be stressful for these teens and some end up factionless. The choosing ceremony being the biggest choice in a young teen’s life, isn’t the only. There are everyday choices that many characters make that change lives.
Identity
Throughout Divergent Tris is on a journey on finding who she really is. The aptitude test taken at the choosing ceremony is designed to truly find who you are and determines which faction is best. Unfortunately Tris' results come up inconclusive and is found to be Divergent. She doesn't know what her Divergence means to her and finds out more and more as the book progresses. Tris at first believes she is selfless, which is a core belief of her born faction Abnegation but when she goes through Dauntless initiation she finds that she is becoming more selfless in Dauntless then she ever was with Abnegation. At the end of the novel, Tris fully embraces her Divergence becoming who she was meant to be.