Divergent by Veronica Roth Review

Your decision in life all comes down to you and the path you choose, but one choice can transform you. In relation, those who recognize devices and factors used in dystopian novels will acknowledge that the existence of a compartmentalized society, misfit protagonist, dangerous secrets, as well as suspense creates Roth’s themes of identity and fear. Divergent’s factions are indications of traits that promote peace and eradicate personal conflicts. The creation of Amity is meant to showcase individuals who blame aggression; Candor represents individuals who blame redundancy; while Erudite represents the need to eradicate ignorance. More to that, Dauntless represents accusation of cowardice, while Abnegation represents the necessity to reduce selfishness. In a compelling fictional story, Roth intended readers to understand that fear is an attribute of bravery, while identity is influenced by the decisions one makes while choosing a given path in life.

The creation of Abnegation is a representation of dramatic irony. Abnegation advocates for attributes, such as selflessness and self-sacrifice above other qualities. As such, individuals that fall in the Abnegation group are meant to run the Faction government. By contrasting Roth’s stance to the existing political systems and governments, politicians self-aggrandize and self-promote. In such a manner, modern readers of Roth’s novel would think that it is ironic that “selfless” individuals in the Faction world are the self-proclaimed leaders and politicians.

At the time the Dauntless are taken to the fence, they also visit the gate of the city. They find the gate open and realize that some members of Amity throw apples out of the city. Upon clearing the gate of Amity members, members of the Dauntless group closed and locked the city gate from the outside, a stance only noticed by Tris. As a result, she wonders why the door was locked not from the inside, but the outside. Thus, it is explained by her musings that they want individuals to be kept in the interior (Roth 219). Interestingly, her inability to accept that an evil occurrence may be developing in the Faction world happens to be an example of dramatic irony, considering the events that occurred after her realization. Such activities include the Erudite revolution and Abnegation genocide.

Symbolism is another crucial literary device employed by Roth. Symbols are encountered in the early sections of the plot. Beatrice stands close to the mirror, transfixed, captivated at the first sight of her appearance. She is also perplexed at the amount of change she had undergone with time. The mirror scenes, therefore, symbolize knowledge of an individual’s physical manifestation. On imagery, however, flight scenes are created and described using sensory imagery, figures of speech, and action verbs. For Peter and Tris, for instance, it is a match. When Peter “darts” around his counterpart – Tris, the air leaves her body. Tris describes her pains using similes, such as “less like a stab and more like a cackle” (Roth 191). Such scenic actions, alongside the applied point of view enhance the closeness of the reader to Tris’s personal experiences.

While choices can transform an individual, fear can affect the decisions made towards such a transformation. In relation, devices and factors used in dystopian novels, Divergent’s compartmentalized society among others, create the themes of identity and fear.