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Sam Sollecito
Mrs. Lucarelli
Honors Modern World Perspectives
15 January 2016
Divergent Movie Analysis
Divergent is a movie with a lingering theme of revolution. Its revolutionary storyline
centers around the main characters, mainly Tris Prior, but also Tobias Eaton. Their actions and
morals go against the utopian society their world is made up of. This society is comprised of five
factions, and each faction is home to people with similar virtue. These divided groups of people
and their traits include Erudite: intelligence, Abnegation: selflessness, Candor: honesty,
Dauntless: bravery, and Amity: peacefulness. These set divisions are meant to maintain order
and obedience throughout the city of Chicago. However, there is no stopping one of the only
flaws in the system, the Divergent. People are expected to conform to the beliefs and ideals of
society, but the Divergent are people that have characteristics of more than one faction. This, in
turn, does not allow them to fit into one specific place in society, and they cannot be as obedient
as the leaders of the factions want. Growing up apart of the Abnegation faction, Tris never really
felt herself fitting into the selfless ways the people living there possessed. When she finds out
she is Divergent and what a threat that is to society, she comes to realizations. One of them being
that she opposes the faction system and the leaders ways of keeping order among the people.
When she discovers Erudites plan to take over the government, she cannot help but feel the need
to put an end to it and their actions allowing them to do so. Tris, along with the allies she meets
during this journey towards a new life, create a revolution, bring this issue to light, and challenge
the set ways of the society she and these people live in.

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Divergent is an example of a societal revolution and how that impacts the characters

involved and society as a whole. One of the reasons being that it depicts a gender and social
status revolution. Rather than keeping to herself and abiding by the rules, which she had
previously done most of her life, Tris fights for what she believes in. When it is time to choose
which faction Tris would want to belong in for the rest of her life, she chooses Dauntless instead
of Abnegation. Tris starts standing up and carrying out her beliefs during her Dauntless initiation
and training. Due to Abnegations characteristics, Tris originally being apart of that faction, and
the fact that she is a girl, no one thinks that she, a conservative and weak female, could ever top
the rest of the Dauntless initiates or go far enough to make it into the Dauntless faction officially.
Tris sees this as a challenge, accepts it, and makes it her mission to conquer it and prove her
worthiness of being apart of Dauntless. She comes across many obstacles as people begin to see
her as a threat to their performance. Peter, for instance, tries many times to sabotage, hurt, and
even kill Tris as he realizes how much she can overcome and what lengths she would go to in
order to succeed. Through her perseverance, Tris qualifies for Dauntless, defeats her
underestimations, and even finishes at the top of her initiate class, proving everyone wrong. This,
therefore, changes how many people in Dauntless view females and Abnegation.
Additionally, this movies theme of revolution is revealed when Tris, Tobias, and their
friends uncover Erudites real intentions, and alter the way the faction system works forever.
Divergents are individuals that fit into too many factions, while the factionless are others that do
not fit into any. Since both groups of people do not adapt to the perfect society, they are taken
out of it, either being completely kicked out or even killed. It is clear violence is used to get the
job done and to meet societys needs. Tris rebels against the abuses of power going on as
Dauntless and Erudite leaders team up to overthrow Abnegation and kill the members of that

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faction. Their cruel intentions lead Tris, Tobias, and Triss family and friends from Abnegation
to stop the attack. They also escape from the viciousness and people now looking to murder
them. Tris and Tobias halt a mass murder and the stimulation Erudite and Dauntless had citizens
under to control them. As a result of everyone now knowing what the Erudite and Dauntless
leaders did, the faction system changes forever. As individuals in the factions involved and even
in the other factions not involved find out the truth of the matter, they learn the corruptness of the
faction system as well. Tris revolts against the people in power to get what she wants and to earn
even the slightest bit of justice not only for the innocent people, but also for the Divergent and
the factionless with the same abuses against them.
Lastly, this revolution transforms the characters by exposing an aspect of themselves they
do not know exists. In the beginning of the movie, Tris is a shy, weak, and outspoken girl that
hides among the others in her selfless faction of Abnegation. Later on, going against traditional
beliefs and leaving her faction to join one with morals that are practically the opposite, she
changes as a person. It reveals the brave and determined side of her. As well as this, early on in
the movie, Tobias, a member of Dauntless, ironically has a sense of fear in terms of opening up
to others and speaking his mind. All the while, he hides behind a tough guy image. Meeting Tris
provokes a change in and inspires him to bring out another side of himself, the sweet and driven
part. He even helps her bring justice to the factions stuck in a mess the society has created.
Clearly, the revolution that this movie builds itself upon truly impacts the characters and society
in general.