Divergent: Being Different

A little while ago, I posted a review of the book Divergent, and said that I was looking forward to the movie. Well, after far too much waiting, I was finally able to go and see it. So, I figured another post about Divergent was in order.

No, this isn't a movie review. I'd like to talk about the different factions and what it means to be divergent. 

Abnegation

The selfless. They wear plain grey clothes and eat bland food. They look out for everyone and even feed the factionless. They avoid anything that gives the least suggestion of greed, and they would die to show their love. 

Erudite

The intelligent. They wear blue clothes and are constantly studying. They aim to learn as much as they possibly can. However, knowledge corrupts, and they seem to think they need to be in charge, not the Abnegation. 

Candor

The honest. They wear black and white to symbolize that there are only truths and lies, with nothing inbetween. They choose to tell the truth and do what they believe is right, no matter what the consequences are. Because of their honesty and trustworthiness, their jobs are in the judicial system. 

Dauntless

The brave. They wear black and jump off of moving trains. They are daring and are often called crazy, but they don't care. They are the soldiers, brave, strong, and confident. 

Amity

The peaceful. They wear red or yellow, and they are the friendliest of all the factions. They are the farmers, the nurses, the artists, taking on the simple, relaxing, but nevertheless important jobs. Similar to abnegation, they want to help others, but their ultimate goal is simply to he happy. 

Factionless

The outcasts. They don't belong anywhere. These are the people who failed initiation. Now they have to live at the bottom of society. 

Divergent

The different. They pretend to fit in with whatever faction they choose to join, but they don't belong in any one faction. Their test results were inconclusive. They are the outliers, and they can't be controlled. 

All the factions have their different values. They all have their own advantages, problems, and sources of corruption. But, as Four says, "We've all started to put down the virtues of the other factions in the process of bolstering our own. I don't want to do that. I want to be brave, and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest." So what we really need is to be Divergent. We can't be afraid to be different. We have to be able to embrace many different sides of things. Honesty is nothing if you don't know the truth. Bravery is useless if you are selfish or stupid. Kindness is valuable, but without another virtue to complement it, it goes nowhere. We have to be willing to be different, and yet we have to work with each other in spite of our differences. If we can't agree about anything, we will never make any progress. We have to learn how to be part of all the factions. We must become Divergent.