Divergent is a thrill ride for the geeks; philosophical movements rage against each other in this classic dystopian novel. Veronica Roth, the esteemed author of the Divergent trilogy, actually comments, "Divergent was my utopian world... I never set out to write dystopian fiction, that's just what I had when I was finished." Kind of sounds like a familiar experience that I had with another book I've read and digested recently: Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley! Brave New World, an intriguing novel that tests the possibilities of utopian society, is very similar to Divergent in many different aspects. However, to understand how these novels compare, we must outline the structure of the government and society found in Roth's ingenious novel.
Roth's society is split into five "factions," each based on a different human virtue. The factions are, in fact: Abnegation (The Selfless), Amity (The Peaceful), Candor (The Honest), Erudite (The Intelligent), and Dauntless (The Brave). Essentially, the idea is for a young man or woman (at 16 years of age) to choose their destiny on "Choosing Day" by choosing one of the five factions he or she believe fits his or her ideals best. This is an enormous task, as the teenager in question must decide on the course of his or her life in one crucial moment. And this is where another interesting kick comes in: once a faction is chosen, the man or woman must succeed in an initiation if he or she wishes to stay in the faction. If they fail initiation, they join the factionless. Being factionless means that they become impoverished and homeless, which is, of course, something that no sane person wants in this situation. Below is a slideshow of the faction titles and definitions; note that these are the definitions that are provided by the book, and not by any specific dictionary or website.
Roth's society is split into five "factions," each based on a different human virtue. The factions are, in fact: Abnegation (The Selfless), Amity (The Peaceful), Candor (The Honest), Erudite (The Intelligent), and Dauntless (The Brave). Essentially, the idea is for a young man or woman (at 16 years of age) to choose their destiny on "Choosing Day" by choosing one of the five factions he or she believe fits his or her ideals best. This is an enormous task, as the teenager in question must decide on the course of his or her life in one crucial moment. And this is where another interesting kick comes in: once a faction is chosen, the man or woman must succeed in an initiation if he or she wishes to stay in the faction. If they fail initiation, they join the factionless. Being factionless means that they become impoverished and homeless, which is, of course, something that no sane person wants in this situation. Below is a slideshow of the faction titles and definitions; note that these are the definitions that are provided by the book, and not by any specific dictionary or website.
Given the social and governmental structure in Roth's novel, we can now take a closer look at one of the factions that shares an exclusive link with the so-called utopia of Huxley's design. Both are, on the surface, perfect utopias. Happiness resides on this surface. Roth describes her initial intentions for creating a perfect society and her subsequent failure to do so; she quickly realized that the utopia had turned into a dystopia, prone to oppression and rebellion. In a different sort of way, Huxley proves that the BNW is a very real possibility of a calamitous future that may await humans. Though the BNW promotes happiness, and is thus definitively a utopian society, it also diverts from disparity. Diversity, in and of itself, has its good and its bad, of course, but common sense and human nature decides that the goodness that comes with diversity outweighs the bad. And from this assumption, it can be drawn that the BNW is a dystopia in disguise (shocker!).
In the BNW, control is employed by the government upon the people through this forced happiness and strictly designated purpose for life. Every citizen has his or her part in life; at the same time, each citizen has no power, let alone ability, to rise through the ranks and achieve a goal of his or her design and desire. Everyone has the same desire in the BNW and diversity is highly discouraged. In Roth's society, however, there is a rigid definition for diversity, and this scrupulous society maintains a disunited diversity through its factions. Though austerity is present in many different aspects of the government within Divergent, each citizen is presented with a choice, his or her very own choice, of which faction he or she would like to choose. Though there is a huge disproportionate amount of weight placed on this choice, it is still better than what the BNW entails. Another difference between the two is that within the BNW, happiness is forced upon the citizens, who have no ability to feel any resentment to this policy; within Roth's world, most citizens are allowed to feel however which way they like. Of course there is one small exception: Amity. Within Amity, all citizens are characterized specifically by their strictly pacific demeanors; similarly, in the BNW, all citizens are characterized by a mindless happiness, a blissful daze and utter conformity. One might venture to point out that BNW citizens are forced to be happy, whilst Amity citizens are characterized by their happiness, as in they are happy by choice. However, reading forward in the series, it can be found that Amity citizens are restrained and mentally manipulated by adulterated foods, just as BNW citizens are mentally manipulated by drugs.
Stay tuned for my next blog entry where we'll discuss ink and identity!
In the BNW, control is employed by the government upon the people through this forced happiness and strictly designated purpose for life. Every citizen has his or her part in life; at the same time, each citizen has no power, let alone ability, to rise through the ranks and achieve a goal of his or her design and desire. Everyone has the same desire in the BNW and diversity is highly discouraged. In Roth's society, however, there is a rigid definition for diversity, and this scrupulous society maintains a disunited diversity through its factions. Though austerity is present in many different aspects of the government within Divergent, each citizen is presented with a choice, his or her very own choice, of which faction he or she would like to choose. Though there is a huge disproportionate amount of weight placed on this choice, it is still better than what the BNW entails. Another difference between the two is that within the BNW, happiness is forced upon the citizens, who have no ability to feel any resentment to this policy; within Roth's world, most citizens are allowed to feel however which way they like. Of course there is one small exception: Amity. Within Amity, all citizens are characterized specifically by their strictly pacific demeanors; similarly, in the BNW, all citizens are characterized by a mindless happiness, a blissful daze and utter conformity. One might venture to point out that BNW citizens are forced to be happy, whilst Amity citizens are characterized by their happiness, as in they are happy by choice. However, reading forward in the series, it can be found that Amity citizens are restrained and mentally manipulated by adulterated foods, just as BNW citizens are mentally manipulated by drugs.
Stay tuned for my next blog entry where we'll discuss ink and identity!