“Chapter 5: My Final Thoughts on Divergent”
Introduction
Do you have any final thoughts on the sci-fi novel Divergent? After reading Divergent by Veronica Roth, I found that I had a lot of thoughts and opinions regarding what happened throughout the book. This chapter will be divided into three sub-chapters, ending with a conclusion.
Left-out Loose Ends
Have you ever felt that there are many loose ends left from Divergent? In my opinion, the ending of Divergent left a few loose ends hanging.
Christina’s reaction to Will’s death is never mentioned anywhere in Divergent. At the end of the book, Tris kills her friend, Will. She does this out of panic, when he is mindlessly shooting at her. She tells the reader; “In an instant, I see his [Will’s] finger poised over the chamber and hear the bullet slide into the chamber, and I fire. My eyes squeezed shut. Can’t breathe. The bullet hit him in the head, (446).” This quick choice is something that Beatrice always regrets. Will was one of Beatrice’s friends. Beatrice’s best friend, Christina was falling in love with him towards the end of Divergent. Beatrice worries about Christina’s reaction to Will’s death. Unfortunately, Christina’s reaction is never mentioned anywhere in Divergent. In the middle of the sequel, Insurgent, Christina’s reaction is briefly mentioned. In my opinion, Veronica Roth should have elaborated Christina’s reaction more in Insurgent. I say this because, in Insurgent, Will’s death takes a toll on Christina and Beatrice’s friendship for a while. Christina’s reaction could have revealed a lot about her. It could have shown how much she loved Will, and if she really cared about Beatrice early on. If Christina had reacted by hurting Beatrice in some way, the reader would know that their friendship was never made to last. If Christina’s reaction was neutral, it would show that she didn’t really love Will that much, after all.
Another major loose end that was never fully mentioned anywhere in the series, is the overall reaction of the Dauntless soldiers after they awoke from the attack simulation. Their reaction would have shown if they really cared about the Abnegation. It would have showed their opinion on how their government should be run. The only thing mentioned was where the Dauntless went, after waking up from the simulations. In my opinion, I dislike that the attack happened at the end of Divergent. I say this because there were many loose ends left hanging because of this choice. If I had written Divergent, I would have ended the book with the new Dauntless members choosing their jobs in Dauntless, and moving into their apartments.
Sub-chapter 2: A Rushed Relationship
Another thing that I noticed in this book was how fast Tobias and Beatrice became girlfriend and boyfriend. I don’t dislike this choice, but I would have elaborated their relationship a little more. At times, their relationship seemed rushed. I understand why it was sped up, though. The book is already four-hundred eighty-seven pages long. However, I think that there is some room to expand on their relationship. In fact, I calculated how long it took them to become girlfriend and boyfriend. Beatrice met Tobias after she jumped from the building, then landed into the net. The physical part of Dauntless training was about two weeks long. Tobias and Beatrice became boyfriend and girlfriend two or three days into the mental stage of training. This is a little after Tobias figures out that Beatrice is Divergent. That means that they became girlfriend and boyfriend about two and a half weeks after they met. I wish that Veronica Roth had made their relationship start slowly, over a long period of time. I would have lengthened each stage of training.
Sub-chapter 3: Caleb Prior- A Traitor
Something that really surprised me in this book was Caleb’s choice of Erudite. The book did hint at it, when Caleb was talking to Beatrice. This was when they were going into their rooms to think about their choice. Caleb says to her: “Beatrice.’ he says, looking sternly into my eyes. ‘We should think of our family.’ There is a slight edge to his voice. ‘But. But we must also think of ourselves, (36).” This part of the story hints at who Caleb really is, behind his fake act of being selfless. Veronica Roth builds this character who seems to be purely selfless. At the beginning of Divergent, before the choosing ceremony, Caleb seems to be naturally selfless. He seems to easily do ordinary acts of selflessness. For example, Caleb gives up his seat on the bus to a Candor man. (3) At the Choosing ceremony, it finally transpires to the reader, that Caleb is a traitor to his parents. He shows this by choosing Erudite, the faction that tries to vilify his father. Caleb barely hints at his choice, or tells his parents what he is going to choose. He leaves them feeling sad and confused at the end of the choosing ceremony. Caleb finally shows that he is really a power-hungry Erudite, who is willing to attack his old faction.
In conclusion....
In conclusion, I really liked Divergent. The idea of dividing your city into factions is very interesting. However, if I had written this book, I would have done some things differently. I would have left the attack on Abnegation for Insurgent. I would have done this to prevent leaving some loose ends hanging. Another thing that I would have done is added more time and important moments into Tobias and Beatrice’s relationship. Overall, this book as a whole is very thought-provoking. I say this because Divergent makes you really think about what life would be like, in a society divided by factions. There would always be problems like tensions between factions. This is because their beliefs clash in some ways. Something else that I often think about, is how customs like holidays would be divided among the factions. Lastly, I wonder what faction my friends would be born into, and what faction they would choose.
The Divergent Symbol