Insurgent By Veronica Roth: A Thematic Analysis

The war was terrible, the whole world was destroyed. The last city left divided themselves into five factions to keep the peace. The smart ones are classified Erudite. Amity are always kind, Candor value honesty, Dauntless are brave, and Abnegation are selfless. The system works because everyone knows where they belong; everyone except for Tris. In the novel Divergent, by Veronica Roth, Tris demonstrates perseverance; this is shown through how she is able to step out of her comfort zone, always remains undeterred, and can overcome obstacles.

Not only does the novel use the Party’s intolerance of betrayal to its ideologies as a method to facilitate the feeling of alienation and loneliness, but also that of the individual characters’ betrayal of one another. There are several examples of this throughout the novel. Some of these examples are when Charrington betrays Winston and Julia, when Parsons is betrayed by his children, when Winston and Julia betray one another, and when Winston finally betrays himself. George Orwell used these examples to demonstrate how the party was able to sever any type of loyalties between people and even one’s self. This betrayal only perpetuates the fear of relationships causing people to welcome isolation.

In the book Unstoppable by Tim Green, the theme is to not give up on your dream no matter how many obstacles are in your way.

The book Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson, begins the story with a prologue, to provide the reader some backstory before delving into the main story. The prologue did an excellent job bringing my attention when I read the words “I’ve seen Steelheart bleed” (Sanderson, 7). The prologue from David’s point of view, had plenty of detail around the bank scene, making it seem like I can visualize the entire bank. The detail given throughout the prologue gives a realistic feel to it. When they introduced Steelheart (the main antagonist) in the prologue, I felt suddenly intimidated. The way David describes Steelheart makes me feel like David is describing an all-powerful god. David’s father dies by the hands of Steelheart since he made

This quote demonstrates the book’s theme of perseverance because of its powerful motivation to overcome the pain and give it your all.

Have you ever had this feeling of being so stressed out that you would escape to hopeless dreams, causing you to withdraw yourself from others? Among many themes that J.D. Salinger expresses in his novel, The Catcher in the Rye, there is one that fits that type of feeling perfectly. That theme is: isolation is a product of the individual's reaction to the environment and often leads to downfalls and other negative consequences. This is clearly demonstrated through the influence of the allusions and symbols that Salinger uses to subtly apply the theme mentioned above.

The author portrays the message and theme of persistence, resilience, and grit throughout the entire story. We understand

The novel "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger is very interesting novel in which the main character, Holden, intrigues the reader with his unpredictable actions and upfront judgments of his surroundings. Holden alienates himself to try and help protect him from the outside world and conserve his innocence. He constantly proves this to reader many in times in the novel by, telling characters he feels different, wearing clothing that makes him stand out even though it may make him look stupid, and failing to come through in relationships with characters in the story.

“To survive, you've got to keep wheedling your way. You can't just sit there and fight against odds when it's not going to work. You have to turn a corner, dig a hole, go through a tunnel - and find a way to keep moving.” – Twyla Tharp

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

  Women were once little more than slaves to their male "betters." Some women might have been respected, but their places were limited to roles as wives and mothers. They might rule a home, but were not believed intelligent enough for any other role. This chauvinistic attitude is well reflected in the novels Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad.

This happens when she is preparing to choose her fate and move to a place that she truly belongs in. But, when she discovers that there is such thing as a “divergent”, and that she is one, she gets very confused. Tori, the girl that reveals to Tris that she is more different than she thought says “ ‘[...] under no circumstances should you share [that you are Divergent] with anyone” (Roth 21). Tris then has to change how she acts in simulations, which reveal fears by copying certain parts of someone’s mind, and go on without using her secret abilities of being able to alter her mindset and got out of simulations easily. The book even divulges that,“ ‘[...] if they discover what you are, they will kill you’ “ (Roth 257). This shows that the government is trying to rid the world of all divergent, including Tris.

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”

According to the data from the Center for American Progress and Elle Magazine, “Nearly 30 percent of women report experiencing discrimination in the workplace.” However, this report is only based on the environment in employment settings. Women experience and visually see gender roles and inequity against females in everyday surroundings, and they are often accepted and practiced without difficulty. Similarly, in the novel, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Esther experiences different societal expectations throughout her life in hometown and New York, which helps her realize that she does not fit into either of the society; moreover, she grows weary as she loses her identity and passion, in search for who she is.

One night, a very dark night, trouble was lurking in the shadows. You could just smell it in the air everywhere you go. It was like choking on a dark cloud filled with danger. Legend has it that it targets one person until they die. It fills them with dreadful thoughts, making them do bad deeds, and leading them to suicide. Today it chose to pick me...