The People Segregation By Society In Divergent
It is clear that the society in Divergent places unrealistic limits on its members identities from the beginning of the book. Segregating different personality types into different factions not only has consequences on society but on the individual. Each faction has its own set of values; kindness, honesty, bravery, selflessness, and intelligence and they all add to society, although there is a slight chance of a divergent. An unusual breed, who fit into every category and are forced to either confine their identity to one trait or become hunted and factionless. But although the factions are meant to complement and work with one another they tend to turn into competing forces.
Beatrice, the protagonist, faces a hardship of not being able to express her feelings when she finds out she is a divergent. In the annual faction testing, teenagers find out which faction they are suited to. ''People who get this kind of result are...' She looks over her shoulder like she expects someone to appear behind her. '...are called...Divergent.' She says the last word so quietly that I almost don't hear it, and her tense, worried look returns.' A tense tone is created here, when Tori, the tester, discovers Beatrice is a divergent. The use of stammering speech emphasises the feeling towards a divergent, dangerous and unspoken of. Her soft tone, adds fear because when something is dangerous it is usually hunted down. Immediately after, Beatrice was ushered out of the room and left stunned and confused. The testing system was unable to identify Beatrice leaving her unidentifiable.
As time progressed, Beatrice still needed to choose which faction she was going to end up at. Without the help and opinions for others, her identity was going to be locked in at the young age of sixteen, because once you make your decision you are not allowed to change it. Beatrice's parents, who are at the ceremony, kiss her and say, “See you soon.” Beatrice knows, she may never see her parents again. This is a poignant moment, because not only is Beatrice leaving her parents forever, but she is having to conform her identity into one single trait, which forces her to act a certain way for the rest of her life. Due to the faction laws, Beatrice after this choice, will never be allowed to switch factions. Hence, Beatrice’s many traits will not be allowed to be used and therefore, her identity is only showcased as a small portion.
The laws and systems placed on this dystopian world, force those to choose based on yourself rather than what you have been taught. When Beatrice is about to make her decision to choose a faction she challenges a quote she has read, “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?” “Faction before blood,” the motto from Tris' textbook, clarifies that individuals in this general society will to be faithful to the factions who offer their qualities, not the ones who have raised them. When Beatrice starts questioning why someone must be conformed to just their faction their whole life, it brings up problems with restraining identity, and not being able to change and grow as a person. Through this it is clear that she is struggling with the idea of leaving her family behind to join Dauntless.
In conclusion, the idea of identity, is too complex to be distinguished into only five groups. It is clear that this is not possible when Beatrice finds out the testing system could not place her into a category and she is told she is a divergent. This dystopian community has attempted to segregate people although, identity was too complex and could not group everyone easily.
