Divergent Chapter 7 Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
(Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 1
"The chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy!" Four shouts. "A daredevil jump off this ledge will end your life. It has happened before and it will happen again. You've been warned." (7.30)
You might think that the Dauntless are totally fearless, but that's not necessarily a good thing. Fear can be useful. If you think it's a good idea to walk into a lion's cage, your fear might tell you to get a sandwich instead. As Four notes, the Dauntless jump on trains, but it's not brave to jump to your death. Which becomes an issue when Al commits suicide.
Quote 2
Maybe my problem isn't that I can't go home. I will miss my mother and father and Caleb and evening firelight and the clack of my mother's knitting needles, but that is not the only reason for this hollow feeling in my stomach.
My problem might be that even if I did go home, I wouldn't belong there, among people who give without thinking and care without trying. (7.122-3)
See how family and "identity" overlap: Tris may miss her family, but she feels that she doesn't belong there. In other words, her identity doesn't match up with her family. But check out how vividly she describes the pleasures of her old home—"evening firelight," the sound of knitting needles. She may not belong in that family (she thinks), but she sure misses it.
Quote 3
His feet are just inches from my head. I should comfort him—I should want to comfort him, because I was raised that way. Instead I feel disgust. Someone who looks so strong shouldn't act so weak. Why can't he just keep his crying quiet like the rest of us? (7.117)
We admit, this is kind of a weird quote to start talking about friendship. Here's Tris on the first night, and she's disgusted that Al can't keep it together. But Al is only expressing out loud what everyone ("the rest of us") is feeling. So maybe this quote shows a reason for strong friendships to form here: everyone here is going through the same feelings. They already have something in common.
Quote 4
Maybe Eric perceives Four as a potential threat to his position. My father says that those who want power and get it live in terror of losing it. That's why we have to give power to those who do not want it. (7.62)
In Abnegation, power seems to go to those who don't want it. But in Dauntless, power seems to go to whoever wants it most, like Peter, who wants it so bad he stabs a guy in the eye. What's funny about this situation is that Four doesn't want power in Dauntless, which makes him a good Abnegation, but not such a great Dauntless.
Quote 5
"Your ranking serves two purposes," he says. "The first is that it determines the order in which you will select a job after initiation. There are only a few desirable positions available."
My stomach tightens. I know by looking at his smile, like I knew the second I entered the aptitude test room, that something bad is about to happen.
"The second purpose," he says, "is that only the top ten initiates are made members." (7.93-5)
We only get to hear a little bit about how other factions handle initiation. (In Candor, they have a truth-off, but in Amity do they have a friendly-off?) In Dauntless, it's all competition all the time. And it's not just about initiation. It also influences what kind of life these Dauntless will have, since the winners get to pick their jobs first.