Applying Young Adult Fiction to Political Issues: An Examination of Veronica Roth’s “Divergent”

Diana Lalata

By Diana Lalata, Class of 2017

Veronica Roth’s “Divergent” trilogy calls for the urgent re-evaluation of the career-driven and productivity-focused democratic society of the United States of America. Although the series appeals mainly to young adult readers (with the incorporation of two predictable star-crossed lovers in the midst of a twisted plot), Roth addresses political concerns, exposing the threats to democracy produced by a faction-based society. For instance, individuals are obligated to be “civically engaged” by enlisting with one of the five established factions: Dauntless (the brave and fearless), Erudite (the intellectual and curious), Abnegation (the selfless and democratic), Candor (the honest and impulsive), and Amity (the kind and hardworking). The faction placements are determined by a comprehensive aptitude test that analyzes the reasoning behind individual reactions in various challenging scenes. After receiving the test results, each individual chooses a faction to stay with for life, possibly causing some individuals to permanently abandon their family and faction of birth to embrace a more fitting faction in which the individual can provide a greater benefit for the “common good.” As in all human-made inventions, there is a flaw in the system. Rare individuals receive an undetermined test result - a tie between two or more factions; such results are classified as Divergent (an equal tie between Dauntless, Erudite, and Abnegation). Divergent individuals threaten the order of society by fostering a sense of freedom and individual pursuit.

I found the idea of this faction-based society interesting, even exciting, as I hurried to take the latest Buzzfeed quiz on which faction I would belong. I placed into the Abnegation faction, and was upset as I hoped to receive the special result of Divergent. I concluded that my reason for being upset was that the "test" took away my individual liberty of choosing what I wanted to be and simply restricted me to one fate.

I immediately questioned the classification of factions in today’s society: Do factions serve as the most effective means of exercising individual liberty or do they instead take away the uniqueness of individuals, ultimately ridding society of human nature? In an attempt to answer my own question, I applied relevant parts of Roth’s “Divergent” to the question of democracy.

My observations are as follows:

• The focus on standardizing all individuals can be detrimental to a democratic society.

In “Divergent,” individuals who do not exactly fit in with the order of factions are viewed as having an advantage over others, ultimately obstructing the peace in society. In fact, Divergent individuals are the targets of the ordered community because they are envisioned as unmanageable and therefore, prone to human vices such as lying, cheating, or stealing. In “Divergent,” Jeanine Matthews, a Erudite who believes in the management of all individuals and an antagonist to the idea of individual liberty, states, “Human reason can excuse any evil; that is why it's so important that we don't rely on it.” (Roth 157). However, it is this elimination of human nature and instead the emphasis of an extreme case of equality that causes an uprising among the people, ultimately upsetting the perfect idea of a peaceful society and destroying democracy.

• The complete riddance of social classes can impair family structure and the sense of obligation to helping other human beings.

In a perfectly equal society with repressed individuals who do not see the need to achieve more to help others in need (because of the nonexistent idea of a human possibly needing assistance), the importance of family and altruism is lost. Once individuals choose their faction, they are brainwashed to believe the ideal of “Faction before blood” (Roth 53). This is to rid human beings of their natural inclination to help others because of “love,” therefore creating a society supposedly focused on one goal: a productive and peaceful community. However, this ideal also fails, leading to the deterioration of the structured factions and the revolution to achieve a true democratic society where individual liberties can be exercised.

Although these are only two observations from the book, there are many more in the plot (which I do not want to spoil) that can answer other questions pertaining threats to democracy. Veronica Roth may have written “Divergent” more for entertainment than political examination, but I found resonance in her words that spoke to the study of democracy that the McConnell Center is currently pursuing with Alexis de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America.” I highly recommend the “Divergent” series for readers of all ages and, of course, the related Buzzfeed quiz: “Which Divergent Faction Do You Actually Belong In?”

Diana Lalata, of Louisville, Ky., is a freshman McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She is studying English and political science.