How did the conflict unfold?

The major conflict in Divergent is difficult to recognize and identify because it is obscured by secrets, mystery, and other minor conflicts. For example, early in the novel it seems as if the major conflict is Tris’s acceptance and assimilation into Dauntless. Will she be able to successfully pass through Dauntless initiation while keeping her Divergence a secret? At first, that is the novel’s pressing problem. After a time, however, we begin to realize that the major conflict goes beyond Tris and her personal affairs. There is a larger issue in the form of Erudite’s revolution and their vendetta against Abnegation, which ultimately takes center stage. Furthermore, as more secrets come to light we realize that Tris’s Divergence isn’t unique to her, and that there is a Faction-wide conspiracy to suppress and eradicate Divergence. Thus, Divergent’s major conflict is only revealed to the reader as it is revealed to Tris.