Divergent (novel)

Divergent is a young adult science fiction novel by Veronica Roth. It was first published in 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books. It is the first novel in a trilogy of the same name, followed by Insurgent. It has been made into a movie, which was released on March 21, 2014.

Divergent is narrated by Beatrice Prior, a sixteen-year old girl who lives in a dystopian society where the people are split into five factions according to certain characteristics: Abnegation the selfless, Amity the peaceful, Candor the honest, Dauntless the brave, and Erudite the intelligent. Beatrice has an aptitude for multiple factions, a trait called Divergence.

Quotes from Divergent

Chapter Two

• Faction customs dictate even idle behavior and supersede individual preference. I doubt all the Erudite want to study all the time, or that every Candor enjoys a lively debate, but they can't defy the norms of their factions any more than I can.
  • p. 9

Chapter Five

• The uniform pounding of feet in my ears and the homogeneity of the people around me makes me believe that I could choose this. I could be subsumed into Abnegation's hive mind, projecting always outward.
  • p. 39

Chapter Sixteen

dog turds

Chapter Seventeen

• The Dauntless-born initiates are like a pack of dogs. If I act the wrong way, they won't let me run with them.
  • p. 211
• My heart beats so hard it hurts, and I can't scream and I can't breathe, but I also feel everything, every vein and every fiber, every bone and every nerve, all awake and buzzing in my body as if charged with electricity. I am pure adrenaline.
  • p. 221

Chapter Eighteen

• I used to think the Dauntless were fearless. That is how they seemed, anyway. But maybe what I saw as fearless was actually fear under control.
  • p. 239
• I sniff, wipe my face one more time, and smooth down my hair.
  "Do I look like I've been crying?" I say.
  "Hmm." He leans in close, narrowing his eyes like he's inspecting my face. A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. Even closer, so we would be breathing the same air—if I could remember how to breathe.
  "No, Tris," he says. A more serious look replaces his smile as he adds, "You look tough as nails."
  • p. 241

Chapter Twenty-Two

• His straight eyebrows are drawn low over his eyes. My stomach writhes, partly because I know he makes a good point but I don't want to admit it, and partly because I want something I don't know how to express; I want to press against the space between us until it disappears.
  I nod.
  "But please, when you see an opportunity…" He presses his hand to my cheek, cold and strong, and tilts my head up so I have to look at him. His eyes glint. They look almost predatory. "Ruin them."
  I laugh shakily. "You're a little scary, Four."
  "Do me a favor," he says, "and don't call me that."
  "What should I call you, then?"
  "Nothing." He takes his hand from my face. "Yet."
  • p. 287

Chapter Twenty-Three

• Somewhere inside me is a merciful, forgiving person. Somewhere there is a girl who tries to understand what people are going through, who accepts that people do evil things and that desperation leads them to darker places than they ever imagined, I swear she exists, and she hurts for the repentant boy I see in front of me.

But if I saw her, I wouldn't recognize her.

• p. 299-300

Chapter Twenty-Four

• Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up.
  • p. 313, spoken by Four

Bonus Materials

• I will be my undoing
  If I become my obsession.
  • p. 35, Abnegation faction manifesto
• Dishonesty is a veil that shields one person from another.
  • p. 40, Candor faction manifesto
• Intelligence is a gift, not a right. It must be wielded not as a weapon but as a tool for the betterment of others.
  • p. 46, Erudite faction manifesto
• We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.
  • p. 47, Dauntless faction manifesto
  • quoted by Will on p. 206 of main text

Quotes about Divergent

• “Divergent” clearly has thrills, but it also movingly explores a more common adolescent anxiety — the painful realization that coming into one’s own sometimes means leaving family behind, both ideologically and physically.
  • Dominus, Susan (May 12, 2011). In This Dystopia, Teens Must Choose Wisely. The New York Times. Retrieved on October 27, 2013.
• Tris is not your usual Mary Sue. She’s selfish. She’s manipulative. She’s vindictive as hell – and I LOVED that about this book.
  • James, Thea (June 15, 2011). Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth. The Book Smugglers. Retrieved on October 26, 2013.

References

• Roth, Veronica (2011). Divergent (First paperback ed.). Katherine Tegen Books. ISBN 978-0-06-202403-9. 

External links

Divergent series by Veronica Roth
Divergent	book	film
Insurgent	book	film
Allegiant	book