Essay Questions

Why did Tris choose to become a dauntless?

It is not explicitly explained why Tris chose to become dauntless, in nearly seems like it just slipped out of her mouth. She knew from the simulations that she fit into more than one of the factions, and she knew that dauntless was one of those she fit in most with. Therefore, even though the choice was somewhat surprising, it was not wholly unexpected.

Why did Tris’ mother know how to use a gun if she one of the abnegations, and why was this revealed so late in the story?

It is revealed in the book that Tris’ mother was once a Dauntless. This is a shocking reveal as Tris all her life had believed that her mother always had been one of the abnegations, as that was the way she acted. It was taboo to ask anyone about their past, as their past was not their own, because they had didn’t have the choice of where and how they would grow up. Therefore, Tris knew very little about her parents’ upbringing, which is why the fact is revealed so late in the book.

What does it mean that Tris is a divergent?

The world Roth has built is centered around Tris and they are living in a closed off place in the future-Chicago. The civilization is built on factions, placing people into where they fit the most according to what is the most valuable to them. They believed that that is something that people are born with, and it is supposed to be only one of the five factions that they have. The fact that Tris is a divergent means that she fits into more than one faction, as well as that she doesn’t fully fit into any one of them, which is why she and others like her is looked upon as bad, because they go against the very core of their societies' beliefs.