Quote 1
I am proud. It will get me into trouble someday, but today it makes me brave. I walk toward the ledge and hear snickers behind me. (6.66)
Tris has lots of "I am" moments in the book. Usually she's saying she's not selfless enough to be Abnegation or she's so brave she should be Dauntless. But check out here, when she identifies as proud. But there's no faction for pride. Or is there? Notice that the Dauntless get called proud a bunch (13.9, 24.50).
Quote 2
"Um..." I don't know why I hesitate. But "Beatrice" just doesn't sound right anymore.
"Think about it," he says, a faint smile curling his lips. "You don't get to pick again."
A new place, a new name. I can be remade here.
"Tris," I say firmly. (6.82-5)
This is a big moment, which Tris helps us recognize with that little thought in the middle: this isn't just "I can pick a new name." This is "I can be remade." That's an awful lot of work for a nickname. (And are Tris and Four the only peeps with nicknames?)
Quote 3
I look at my reflection in the small mirror on the back wall and see a stranger. She is blond like me, with a narrow face like mine, but that's where the similarities stop. I do not have a black eye, and a split lip, and a bruised jaw. I am not as pale as a sheet. She can't possibly be me, though she moves when I move. (11.9)
If you wanted to do a paper on identity and material goods, you might want to look at mirrors in this book, mostly because Tris doesn't have Facebook. After some time with the Dauntless, Tris doesn't recognize herself, probably because she's still holding on to her old self-image as meek Abnegation girl.
Quote 4
I step to the side so I stand in front of the mirror. I see muscles that I couldn't see before in my arms, legs, and stomach. I pinch my side, where a layer of fat used to hint at curves to come. Nothing. Dauntless initiation has stolen whatever softness my body had. Is that good, or bad? (14.3)
Yet another mirror scene. Notice that Tris is still a little conflicted about this new identity thing. Now she recognizes this girl as her, but she's not sure that she likes the changes. Although, when you read this, did you have any confusion about whether you thought this was a good thing or not?
Quote 5
No, I was wrong; I didn't jump off the roof because I wanted to be like the Dauntless. I jumped off because I already was like them, and I wanted to show myself to them. I wanted to acknowledge a part of myself that Abnegation demanded that I hide. (21.11)
Tris here considers the idea that the Dauntless initiation didn't change her identity; it just allowed her to bring out a part of her identity that she had to hide before. She hasn't changed, she's just been given room to show her true identity. (But if you think this issue is settled, keep reading, because things are about to get confusing.)
Quote 6
Tori was the only one in the tattoo place, so I felt safe getting the symbol of Abnegation—a pair of hands, palms up as if to help someone stand, bounded by a circle—on my right shoulder. I know it was a risk, especially after all that's happened. But that symbol is a part of my identity, and it felt important to me that I wear it on my skin. (25.2)
Oh, geez, really? After all that "I'm Dauntless now, I always was," now Tris is back to saying "well, I'm a little Abnegation, too." Also, check out that her acceptance of her Abnegation identity comes in the form of… a tattoo, which isn't very Abnegation of her.
Quote 7
I stare at my plate of food. I just grabbed what looked good to me at the time, and now that I take a closer look, I realize that I chose a plain chicken breast, a scoop of peas, and a piece of brown bread. Abnegation food.
I sigh. 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? (29.4-5)
Does it seem like the first half of the book is statements about how Dauntless Tris is; and the second half is full of quotes like this that point out how Abnegation she is? We like this quote because a) we're hungry and b) she thinks through a lot of important issues about identity: is identity what you do when you're under pressure? Does it come out in your actions? Or is it something that's true even when your actions say something else?
Quote 8
She presses her palms together. I see no vicious glee in her eyes, and not a hint of the sadism I expect. She is more machine than maniac. She sees problems and forms solutions based on the data she collects. Abnegation stood in the way of her desire for power, so she found a way to eliminate it. She didn't have an army, so she found one in Dauntless. She knew that she would need to control large groups of people in order to stay secure, so she developed a way to do it with serums and transmitters. Divergence is just another problem for her to solve, and that is what makes her so terrifying—because she is smart enough to solve anything, even the problem of our existence. (34.38)
"Enough with Tris already" (you're probably saying), "what about other people's identities?" Well, since we see everyone else through Tris's eyes, we get less info on their identities. It's possible that everyone is as conflicted as Tris and she just doesn't know it. When Tris talks about her own identity, there's lots of "maybe"s and "I am X—no, I am Y. Wait, I am Z." But when Tris is looking at Jeanine Matthews, Tris knows exactly what her identity is—evil computer lady.
Quote 9
"People tend to overestimate my character," I say quietly. "They think that because I'm small, or a girl, or a Stiff, I can't possibly be cruel. But they're wrong."
I shift the gun three inches to the left and fire at his arm.
His screams fill the hallway. Blood spurts from the wound, and he screams again, pressing his forehead to the ground. I shift the gun back to his head, ignoring the pang of guilt in my chest. (37.73-5)
To nicely tie up things, here we have Tris acting in one way and feeling another way. She says she'll be cruel but even here she feels bad about it. Notice how that comes at the end: she lets us think that her identity is "I am cruel" but then reminds us at the end that she's really not a mean person. Or is she? How many cruel things can she do before she starts being a cruel person?
Quote 10
I am selfish. I am brave. (5.61)
This is yet another time when Tris is making "I am" statements. But here she helps us to see how bravery (and fear) isn't disconnected from other feelings qualities: Tris feels selfish because she's skipping out on her parents to join the brave Dauntless. (Of course, we'll see whether or not selfishness and bravery are always associated.)
Quote 11
"You're not a coward just because you don't want to hurt people," I say, because I know it's the right thing to say, even if I'm not sure I mean it.
For a moment we are both still, looking at each other. Maybe I do mean it. If he is a coward, it isn't because he doesn't enjoy pain. It is because he refuses to act. (10.77-8)
Although the Dauntless are all about "being brave," there's some uncertainty about what it actually means to be brave. All their training is about hurting people and Al wants to protect people, so … is he a coward? Notice that Tris is super uncertain about this issue, except for one part: brave people do stuff. Which is why she's pretty active.
Quote 12
"You're afraid of heights," I say. "How do you survive in the Dauntless compound?" "I ignore my fear," he says. "When I make decisions, I pretend it doesn't exist." I stare at him for a second. I can't help it. To me there's a difference between not being afraid and acting in spite of fear, as he does. (12.122-4)
We've already seen one way to deal with fear, with Tori's explanation of her tattoo (spoiler alert: it's a symbol); and here's Four offering us another way to deal with a fear, which is to act like it doesn't bother you (and bring a change of pants). It's an important aspect of Four's character: he's not fearless, he's just fear-resistant.
Quote 13
I try to run, but my feet are firmly planted and refuse to move, like the crow on my shoulder. I scream as they surround me, feathers flapping in my ears, beaks pecking at my shoulders, talons clinging to my clothes. I scream until tears come from my eyes, my arms flailing. My hands hit solid bodies but do nothing; there are too many. I am alone. They nip at my fingertips and press against my body, wings sliding across the back of my neck, feet tearing at my hair. (18.49)
This is the first time we see Tris's fear landscape, with the bird attack, which is very nightmarish—it's got that typical "I can't run" nightmare feeling. Of course, this isn't an actual nightmare, it's something that the Dauntless training is doing to Tris. (Nice friends, eh?) But what is it that she's actually afraid of? It's not birds, is it? Is it being alone (which she mentions)? Or… what?
Quote 14
In the past four days, I faced four fears. In one I was tied to a stake and Peter set a fire beneath my feet. In another I was drowning again, this time in the middle of an ocean as the water raged around me. In the third, I watched as my family slowly bled to death. And in the fourth, I was held at gunpoint and forced to shoot them. I know what fear is now. (21.9)
The Dauntless initiation is about 1/3 fighting and 2/3 psychological torture. But note how symbolic all these fears are for Tris: she's not really afraid of fire or drowning. (There's not even a lake anymore in this "setting.") Why does she get these symbolic fears? Why isn't she just afraid of spiders like the rest of us?
Quote 15
My fear is being with him. I have been wary of affection all my life, but I didn't know how deep that wariness went.
But this obstacle doesn't feel the same as the others. It is a different kind of fear—nervous panic rather than blind terror. (30.58-9)
We talk about fear as if it's always the same, but Divergent makes a good case that there are different types of fear: there's dread, panic, terror. (Yay for thesauruses.) In this, part of Tris's fear is wrapped up with something that she wants but doesn't quite trust. Tris doesn't have the same fear when it comes to jumping off buildings, for instance.
Quote 16
Eric called Al's suicide brave, and he was wrong. My mother's death was brave. I remember how calm she was, how determined. It isn't just brave that she died for me; it is brave that she did it without announcing it, without hesitation, and without appearing to consider another option. (36.53)
Here Tris is discussing her mom's sacrifice, which was truly brave (Tris thinks) because it was totally selfless. So, this seems to show an evolution in Tris's thinking about bravery. She used to equate it with selfishness, and now she equates it with quite the opposite?
Quote 17
"Working together, these five factions have lived in peace for many years, each contributing to a different sector of society. Abnegation has fulfilled our need for selfless leaders in government; Candor has provided us with trustworthy and sound leaders in law; Erudite has supplied us with intelligent teachers and researchers; Amity has given us understanding counselors and caretakers; and Dauntless provides us with protection from threats both within and without. But the reach of each faction is not limited to these areas. We give one another far more than can be adequately summarized. In our factions, we find meaning, we find purpose, we find life."
I think of the motto I read in my Faction History textbook: Faction before blood. More than family, our factions are where we belong. Can that possibly be right? (5.35-6)
Factions aren't just groups of people who like the same stuff. In other words, they're not fan clubs. They're groups of people who share the same values, which means they're drawn to the same jobs. But note that after that long (long) explanation of how great factions are, Tris still isn't sure about the whole faction vs. family thing.
Quote 18
I hear a shout and look over my shoulder. A short Erudite boy with red hair pumps his arms as he tries to catch up to the train. An Erudite girl by the door reaches out to grab the boy's hand, straining, but he is too far behind. He falls to his knees next to the tracks as we sail away, and puts his head in his hands.
I feel uneasy. He just failed Dauntless initiation. He is factionless now. It could happen at any moment. (6.15-6)
Tris narrates just about every step of this event, which is very quick (boy fails to get on moving train) but also very serious (boy is now factionless forever and ever). It's a nice reminder of the dangers of Dauntless initiation to Tris (who really doesn't want to be factionless), like when a movie/TV show kills off a minor character so you know that the major ones are never safe. Well, at least this scary moment answers the question of where factionless come from. They're people who failed the initiations.
Quote 19
"When can I go again?" I say. My smile stretches wide enough to show teeth, and when they laugh, I laugh. I think of climbing the stairs with the Abnegation, our feet finding the same rhythm, all of us the same. This isn't like that. We are not the same. But we are, somehow, one. (17.104)
Of course, Abnegation doesn't go zip lining around the city, even if it is a fast way to travel. But what's interesting to us about this event isn't the difference in factions' ideas of fun activities. (Candor probably plays truth or dare but always picks truth.) What interests us is that Tris can a sense of community and togetherness in both actions. So some values are shared from faction to faction.
Quote 20
Abnegation and Dauntless are both broken, their members scattered. We are like the factionless now. I do not know what life will be like, separated from a faction—it feels disengaged, like a leaf divided from the tree that gives it sustenance. We are creatures of loss; we have left everything behind. I have no home, no path, and no certainty. I am no longer Tris, the selfless, or Tris, the brave.
I suppose that now, I must become more than either. (39.87-8)
The collapse of society sure sounds promising. And we're only kind of joking: notice how Tris spends a long paragraph describing how bad things are—two out of five factions seriously messed up, everything lost and left behind. But then Tris notes that she'll have to grow her identity even more than she already has. Society may be collapsing by the end of the book, but there still seems to be some hope in the individual and family and friends, right?