Divergent Themes

Besides getting into Dauntless and stopping a war, Tris's other big adventure in Divergent is figuring out who she is. But identity isn't just about what's inside Tris (ew, organs)—it's also abou...

Courage may be what the Dauntless are known, but in reality, they're more focused on fear. for Throughout Divergent, we see the characters questioning the nature of bravery and fear: Is true courag...

In Divergent, society is organized by faction. Just about everything about this society comes down to what faction people belong to: their jobs (Erudite teach, while Amity counsel), where they live...

In Divergent, family is who you are before you get a chance to decide your identity. For Beatrice, this isn't just a case of what her parents named her (a name which she leaves behind when she join...

When you're living in Chicago after the apocalypse (or, really, Chicago even before the apocalypse), it's useful to have friends who will support you. Especially if you've just abandoned your famil...

In Divergent, power is all about making other people do what you want them to do. (It's kind of like advertising in that way.) There's the straightforward power of Dauntless, who beat people up and...

Divergent has a lot of hard choices, and some of those choices lead to some major guilt on Tris's part. Her guilt is tied to an immense sense of responsibility. Because she's Divergent, she has tie...

If Dauntless's theme weren't bravery, it would probably be competition. They've got boxing matches, paintball skirmishes, muffin shooting, and even Capture the Flag. But this isn't just fun, "let's...

Shmoopers, the tagline for this book is, "One Choice Can Transform You," so it's not like we're reaching here. In Divergent, the choice of faction is the most important choice that a person can mak...

Secrets are those pesky little things that (a) keep Tris from feeling really close to her friends and family and (b) protect Tris from her enemies, who would kill her if they knew her secrets. (Sec...