Divergent Dystopian Theme

Despite Roth’s commentary on social stratification, Divergent feels less like a dystopian allegory and more like teenage angst with a bit of romance and lots of violence thrown in. There is little reference to social or political strife (Erudite seems to want control simply for the sake of being in power, not because of misgovernment by Abnegation), and no real exposition to show how greatly the dystopian society of the future is different than the society of today. The novel neglects to explore the causes of the Great War (an important factor to the birth of a factionalized society) and fails to plausibly convey how such a political and social system could exist 100 years without confrontation and uprising. Why would each faction cede power to one other faction (effectively silencing their own voices) rather than opt for a government run by a council of equal number of

Novelists create science fiction novels that represents what today’s society could possibly look like if the government has too much power. Today’s society would fall into a state of corruption, where nothing belongs to a single person and everything is owned by the government. It would be a place where people cannot openly voice their thoughts or opinions without getting in trouble with the powerful government. Ayn Rand’s science fiction novel, Anthem, depicts a dark vision of the future world where individuality is not permitted to exist. The main character, Equality, sets himself aside from the other people living in society. He knows that he is different, but with a sense of naivety, he finds his independence wrong, but he cannot help it. Liberty, the female character in which Equality has feelings for, also finds herself to be different from others and follows Equality’s path. In conveying the insidious corruption of the collectivist society of Anthem, Ayn Rand uses dramatic and situational irony.

The Erudite faction is known for their knowledge and they think ignorance was the cause of the war that divided them into factions. There are symbols through the story like that fact that people from Erudite wear blue because it is a color that supposedly stimulates the brain that show how much they value knowledge. As a result they eliminate everyone who is considered ignorant for disobeying their orders. This is a way to control the society and population. In Divergent an important oppressive character is Jeanine Matthews. Jeanine Matthews is the leader of the Erudite which continuously oppresses the society. In the book Jeanine Matthews says the line “Amazing, isn't it? Everything we think of that makes up a person - thoughts, emotions, history - all wiped away by chemistry.” that supports the fact that she values knowledge and more important erases those things that makes us humans. Another way that Erudite uses control to oppress the others is that Jeanine Matthews writes articles about Abnegation that are based on lies to make them look bad and be disliked by the

Thomas started from a person who was scared, confused, and curious, into the one who led them out of the maze and one of the most important Gladers. On the other hand, Tris was a quiet Abnegation girl who was struggling to fit into Dauntless. Eventually though she became one of the bravest people in the story, fending off multiple Dauntless soldiers and stopping the Erudite. There were also, quite obviously, going through very different situations. While, Tris had to fight her way to the top ten, hide her Divergence, and save an entire faction, Thomas was trying to figure out what his flashbacks meant, how he could get out of the maze, and why he had so much responsibility. Based on all of this information, I believe that dystopian fiction really seems to focus on themes of sacrifice, friendship, and most important of all, overthrowing “the system”. For example, another dystopian fiction novel that has all three of these themes is The Hunger Games. In the Hunger Games, Katniss, the protagonist, risks her life for her sister’s wellbeing, makes alliances with other tributes and rebels, and attempts to overthrow the Capitol. The main plot point of Divergent was to stop the Erudite, the most power-hungry of all five factions. Finally, Thomas stops WICKED, a group of scientists that experimented on the Gladers. During all three of these dystopian fiction novels the protagonists and their friends

Ceaseless collectivism is not something that can be forced upon a community. Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem conveys this through the writings of Equality 7-2125, a man willing to stand up to the collectivism of the society he is confined to. Anthem not only shows how dull and lifeless a society can be with a lack of individuality in its people, but also reveals how one person can significantly impact a community. This novel displays the importance of individualism through Equality’s thoughts and actions. This includes when he reinvents electricity in the tunnel, falls in love with Liberty, and when he completely separates himself from society.

In the book Anthem by Ayn Rand the story takes place in a setting where the main character and supposably the entire world for all they know lives in a city full of rules and controls. The book is about a society in where people don’t have their own names and where they go by numbers like the main character who’s name is Equality 7-2521. The book is also about the main character Equality 7-2521 and how he goes about finding essentially a battery that he has created and brings it to the world council where he is turned down and from that point on he realizes how bad their society really is and how he reacts to it. The reasons the society full of rules and controls exists and what the purpose is for them is because of a government trying to make a utopia, to forget the past, and to forget about a singular world as a whole.

I look to the right of my bed and it’s there; crouching beside me. Its face is pure white and doesn’t resemble skin at all, but a shining porcelain. The monster doesn’t have a mouth - there is just skin running down from the bottom of its nose to its chin. Shielding it’s beady eyes are a pair of raven-black goggles strapped to its bald head. It wears what resembles a completely circular helmet the colour of a neon orange and its hands are covered in tactical gloves, dark as a jet-black night. It wears an amber jumpsuit and stare into my soul. Its wretched face is about five centimetres away from mine and I can feel an ice cold breath creep onto my forehead.The creatures body is hunched over and strange

Roth’s, Divergent has elements of a dystopian setting, and it is a possible warning for our society. Though the novel primary reveals to be dystopian, there were originally good intentions of a utopian society. Harmon describes a utopian society as, “a perfect political state that is an imaginary ideal world,” (Harmon 492). No society is created to become the epitome of destruction. The Abnegation government created the factions to act as each working part of a successful society. They must have had a utopian mindset before the society shifted by elements that led to dystopia. Harmon also examines a dystopian society as a, “bad place.” He continues by describing, “Imaginary worlds, usually in the future, in which present tendencies are carried out

The classroom was full of children, and they were all the same except for their age and gender. They didn’t have a choice for anything that they did, it was the government that was forcing them to be what they were. They weren’t allowed to know anything more than what they were taught. There was one little girl who was a touch different. She was starting to realize that life could be different than what she had always known. She had decided to make a change for herself and not be the same anymore. Just like this little girl, Equality 7-2521 was longing for a change. He realized that there was another way of living, and that was what he wanted. Equality went about doing everything differently from what he had learned from the beginning. He took a stand and ended up being a different person overall, he wasn’t going to let anyone else control him anymore. The characterization and setting techniques employed in Ayn Rand’s dystopian novel Anthem and Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron” illustrate the theme of how those who are under authority do not change who they are on the inside just because they are controlled, resulting in rebellion and dishonesty toward those who are in charge.

Power and leadership is crucial with generalizations in any Utopian/Dystopian society. Without power there would be anarchy and with anarchy comes corruption. In the dystopian literature; “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., House of Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, and It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis, power is an important factor to explain how each Utopia evolves. Each story has unique political directors that want to create their own societal Utopia, and they can all compare and contrast to each other.

Thomas More’s Utopia is a work of ambiguous dualities that forces the reader to question More’s real view on the concept of a utopian society. However, evidence throughout the novel suggests that More did intend Utopia to be the “best state of the commonwealth.” The detailed description of Utopia acts as Mores mode of expressing his humanistic views, commenting on the fundamentals of human nature and the importance of reason and natural law while gracefully combining the two seemingly conflicting ideals of communism and liberalism.

“The floor drops off at a sharp angle, and several stories below us is a river. Gushing water strikes the wall beneath me and sprays upward. To my left, the water is calmer, but to my right, it is white, battling with rock” (Roth 64-65). In the book Divergent, there are five factions and when children turn 16 they must choose which faction they want to belong. Each faction is known for a different thing. Beatrice, the main character chooses Dauntless, fearless, over abnegation, putting others before themselves. Tris transforms into Dauntless lifestyle and then the government crumbles. Veronica Roth author of Divergent, uses images of water to demonstrate various levels of control from complete control through total lack of it. There are three

“The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history,” these wise words were written by George Orwell and expressed in the novel 1984. Throughout the novel, Orwell elaborated on government ruling through a totalitarian state of being and a power of its abominations. The chapters inhale a sense of distrust within the government and exhale rebellion. The “negative utopia” lacks trust in every single aspect and keys in with today’s society through the party leader’s role in government and the family aspect.

Everyone has a set of distinguishing characteristics, ways of thinking, feeling, and acting, known as human nature that identifies them. What if they were forced to choose only one characteristic? In Divergent, a society that is divided into classes, or “factions”, each based on a different characteristic of human nature is created. Each member of the society must choose a faction that they feel most closely fits their personality, where they will remain for the rest of their lives. This system heavily relies on conformity to a single faction in order ensure the continuation of the faction system.

It is also the goal of a dystopian society to create a sense of conformity under oppressive and totalitarian conditions. This is attempted by the government in Divergent, striving for that “perfect” and regulated society to where freedom and individuality are restricted, in which everyone is divided among a faction system. Each faction is to meet the expectations of its virtue and is determined by a test. A similar concept is depicted in “1984” in which an intelligence test by the government dictates whether you belong to the Inner Party, Outer Party, or the Proles. In Divergent, if someone’s results are inconclusive, it goes against the conformity of the government so they are immediately thought of as a threat. Just because they are different they are seen as something to get rid of, as a dystopian society strictly want citizens to conform to uniform expectations. In “1984”, there are limited things you can do in the society, such as having close friends, being in love, dating, and sex. All your emotional energy is directly saved for the party so that you can watch its government programming on TV, its news, exercises, and pep rallies such as the Two Minutes Hate. Obrien says in “1984”, “Progress in our world will be progress towards pain,” proving towards the notion that in this world there will be no emotions such as love but only for fear and rage. There is an absence of time for your own thoughts because your mind is constantly being filled with