Hey guys, a couple of weeks ago, I came across a popular series, Divergent, written by author Veronica Roth. I finished the first book a while back, and I’ll be sure to post the link to the book review for that in the comments. I just finished the second book, Insurgent, and I am completely hooked onto the series. The point of the book is this: The five factions, Abnegation, known for its selflessness, Candor for its honesty, Amity for its kindness, Dauntless, known for its courage and Erudite, for its knowledge, now turn against one another and start a war. The whole reason this violence began was because of the Divergent, a group of people who have abnormal aptitudes from more than one faction. Erudite starts to wreak havoc on the whole city, demanding the surrender of the Divergent. Honestly, I’m not even surprised that the world couldn’t live in peace- their entire city was just divided based on personalities!
Okay, SPOILER ALERT caution from this point. If you haven't finished the book, please read it first before you continue my book talk. If you've already read this amazing book, continue down!!!
At first, I thought Insurgent was just just a dystopian fantasy, but having finished the book, I realize it essentially refers to survival and the qualities one needs to survive that are relevant even in our reality. Using her story as a way to uncover both the light and dark in life, Roth explains the importance of having a strong will and dependable support. The ultimate point is that to survive the fear and danger roaming the world, people first need to place value in their lives, and they need the support of others because the belief people place in one motivates them to keep fighting. The main problem in the book is the internal struggle Tris has within her- the decision needed to make on whether sending a person to their death is justified if it saves many other lives. Most people would probably prefer not to be a human sacrifice. Since Tris wants to keep proving to us that she isn’t normal, like her identity as a Divergent already doesn’t do that, she turns herself in and accepts she “will probably die” and that she “doesn’t really care;” she actually looks forward to it (Roth, 184). Tris looks at death as a symbol of freedom- freedom for her from her loss, tiredness, and constant pressure to be a leader and freedom for her friends and family because she believes that sacrificing herself, one of the strongest Divergent, will satisfy the antagonist and end the violence. She believes that simply dying will solve life’s problems. She fails to value her life and is ready to sacrifice herself for anything. Tris just repeatedly throws herself onto risk and danger like they’re her besties, but when she actually lies on her execution table, she finds that there is a “burning” inside her, a “desire to live” and a fire lights inside her again as she escapes. (Roth, 351). We all have to understand that having grit or just putting in the effort can at least delay the inevitable, but simply letting go fails to make an everlasting impact or fix any problems. This is pretty serious- there are so many people out there, killing and harming themselves because of depression, guilt, or regret. This isn’t only in books. I really hope that from reading this book and this book review, y’all understand that having the will to survive is the first step to look fear in the face and say you’ve had enough.
Moving away from all this seriousness, having friendship is another quality that really helps a person survive through situations big and small. In Tris’ view, when she is with Dauntless, her home, they don’t act “like individuals anymore... [they] are all part of the same mind,” able to have someone to lean on and to give reassurance during times with bleak hope( Roth, 246). This opposing idea emphasizes how friends and family can make a big difference, going from a separate individual to a united group. The support she gets from her friends is what eventually brings her out of suicidal thoughts and pushes her toward hope for a future. Being a loner and chilling by yourself is totally cool too, but having someone to open up to and talk with loosens the stress on a person, motivates them, and in Tris’s case, knocks some sense in to choose the wiser path, not always the easier path.
Overall, this book goes over many lessons on survival. Though I strongly disagree with Tris when she believes that her death will be advantageous, especially when she has so many people depending on her, we can learn from that mistake too. At the end, even Tris realized that human instinct, that urge to get away and live another day with the people she loves. Ultimately, I recommend y’all read this book at least for the sake of the wonderful writing and the thrilling events that make this book a page-turner. We can also use Tris’s mistakes in our lives to learn that having a soul of fire to have the power and will to keep surviving and a heart of love to have friends who motivate you and give you support can be the difference between not just survival, but living and death.
That's all for today's post guys! I love getting your comments and reading them so please comment down below! Stay tuned for next week's post!
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