Divergent, written by Veronica Roth, is the first part of the dystopian novel trilogy. To summarize the plot, the world has been destroyed and splitted into factions: selfless Abgenation, harmonous Amity, intelligent Erudite, honest Candor and fearless Dauntless. The heroine of the book, Beatrice, has to decide the faction, where she will spend the rest of her life. Then Beatrice has to prove her choice right; that she is capable to adapt the faction she has chosen.
Divergent is the story of the main character’s growth. Beatrice has to leave her Abgenation family (mentally and physically) and start a new life in Dauntless. The theme of the novel is her act of becoming independent and brave. She will go through the iniation process and she has to prove that she is brave enought for her new family.
Initiates who doesn’t integrate their new factions, are discarded from the whole community. That might symbolize our pressure of uniformity in society. The book criticizes the fact that being abnormal is sometimes considered even dangerous. In the story the main character Beatrice is told to be divergent (she has features of three factions instead of only one). She has to hide her divergency if she wants to stay alive.
To be honest, the faction system of the novel is a bit naive. The fact that divergents are so unique and dangerous sound hilarious to me. Obviously, the reader should identify Beatrice and find divergence normal, but I regarded that she was so normal that it was almost boring. How could that be so dangerous that she should be killed?
The most of the other characters of the book weren’t such touching either. Their personalities felt distant and unclear. Maybe there were too many characters to identify them. Beatrices mother, though, was interensting character: too bad, that she was killed too soon to be known better.
The main character, Beatrice learns to criticize the corrupted leaders of Dauntless: is it really brave to be violent and reckless? She understands that sometimes acting selflessly is bravery. Sometimes it is braver to sacrifice your own reputation to save someone.
Even though the motto of the faction system is ”faction before blood”, one of the important themes of the novel is that we have major need for our family and friends. Despite Beatrice has left her Abgenation family physically, she can trust them when life gets rough in her new faction. Friends are important for her too.
Divergent has been compared with other dystopian novels, for example The Hunger Games, that I have also read (http://www.risingshadow.fi/artikkelit/kirja-arvostelut/551-arvostelu-veronica-roth-outolintu). I have to agree, that there were some similarities in the stories. For instance, they both have female main characters who have to grow as a person and save the corrupted and splitted world.
Of course, like other novels of dystopian genre, Divergent also has a romance. Beatrice falls in love with the initation instructor, Four. Their relationship symbolizes forbidden love: Four is important leader person for Dauntless faction and Beatrice is just young and weak initiate from Abgenation. Fortunately there wasn’t a love triangle (regular in dystopian novels) in this book though.
The language of the novel is easy to follow and fluent. The book was easily read and even though it wasn’t the best novel I have read, I probably will read the sequels of the book.
Lähteet: http://www.risingshadow.fi/artikkelit/kirja-arvostelut/551-arvostelu-veronica-roth-outolintu