Divergent Thinking (13 page)

By celebrating bravery that we know Al didn't have, Dauntless exposes a flaw in its definition of the concept. They're striving for “freedom from fear,” but fearlessness is not always the same as bravery. Al's suicide might have indirectly proved that he didn't fear the ultimate unknown—death—but it was still an act of cowardice. For Al, the chasm was easier than facing the cutthroat aspects of Dauntless life and the shame he felt for his actions.

Fear isn't an enemy of bravery. Driving people to free themselves completely from fear doesn't necessarily mean their actions will be brave. Fear is what makes people brave—feeling afraid, yet acting in spite of that fear.

STANDING UP FOR ONE ANOTHER

When I first started thinking about the meaning of bravery in the world of Divergent, I had a hard time with Amity. I knew what I believed and what I wanted to prove—true bravery can be found in kindness—but even to my own ears that didn't sound like something other people would easily swallow. It was when I began to reread
Divergent
and
Insurgent
to prepare myself for
Allegiant
's release that I realized that the connection between Amity and bravery is obvious. The decision to be kind even when faced with cruelty is brave.

The line from the Dauntless manifesto, “We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another,” is not actually practiced in Dauntless anymore, something that Will and Tris realize during initiation after Edward is stabbed in the eye (
Divergent
). In any other faction, it would be brave for them to report what had happened to Edward, to come forward and stand up for him by telling the truth, but in Dauntless coming forward will make them seem afraid. The bravery to stand up for another person is rooted in the virtue of Amity.

It isn't the absence of fear that makes Tris stand up for Al in
Divergent,
it's her kindness. She cares for Al, and she doesn't enjoy seeing him berated, first because he's struggling to throw a knife and hit the target and then because he's honest enough to admit that he's afraid of getting hit. Then when Eric orders Al to stand in front of the target, it's Tris' kindness that drives her to stand up to Eric and say, “Stop!”

Tris' kindness is often intertwined with her selflessness (more on this later, trust me), and her decision to take Al's place in front of the target can be attributed to both virtues. Eric makes the offer, and her instinct to accept it is selfless. She knows she can prevent Al from experiencing more pain and embarrassment by taking that on herself. But protecting him also makes Tris feel strong and brave—she feels like she belongs in Dauntless. As a result, it's not completely unselfish. But it's still kind. Tris is able to stand at the target and keep from flinching because she knows that it's the right thing to do—be kind and stand up for Al, who isn't as strong as she is. That's what makes her brave.

It is the same mix of kindness and selflessness that ultimately saves Tris' life in
Insurgent.
She saves Peter's life at the Amity compound. It's an instinct rather than a presence of mind that pushes her to dive into the Erudite woman pointing a gun. Tris acts without knowing the intended target because to her that doesn't matter. She knows she can stop someone from getting shot without any danger to herself, and she steps up to protect anyone she can. As a result the shot goes wide, hitting the wall instead of hitting Peter. He and Tris have never been friends. In fact, between his disparaging comments, threats of violence, and physical attacks, he's been cruel to her countless times. Their relationship is so strained, he doesn't thank her and she doesn't acknowledge him. Yet, Tris knows she saved his life and she doesn't regret it. She's capable of being kind to him despite his cruelty. Again, this instinct is both kind and selfless.

Later, when Peter is one of her captors, Tris further demonstrates her innate kindness. She admits she probably would have forgiven him for everything that happened during initiation. That Tris has the power to offer him forgiveness, even if that forgiveness is incomplete, makes her incredibly brave. She is almost completely at his mercy, and it wouldn't be out of character for Peter to respond to her kindness with more cruelty. But her admission prompts a shift in their relationship; it's more apparent on her end, but Peter's attitude toward Tris subtly changes as well.

Peter must have already planned to switch the serum so that she is just paralyzed instead of being killed, but on the way to her execution, he takes her past the window to Tobias' cell, allowing her one last look at him. He also offers her two words right before she is supposed to die: “Be brave” (
Insurgent
). These two words are significant in Dauntless and could have multiple meanings. Perhaps it's the way Peter says them that makes them kind. Something about them makes her think of Tobias and the fact that he told her the same thing before her first simulation. This makes her believe Peter is trying to ease her fear. These words are a clue that she isn't going to die, that she'll need to be brave for what's next. They're kind words said by someone from whom Tris has come to expect only cruelty. By saving her and then helping Tobias and Tris escape, Peter claims that this makes them even—that after she saved his life at Amity, he owed her, and now he doesn't anymore. Even though his reasons are selfish and warped, he is capable of kindness, and this is just the beginning of the change that we eventually see in Peter when he admits to not taking the memory inoculation because he's sick of being cruel.

Both Tris and Tobias claim to struggle with kindness more than any other virtue. Tobias tells Tris early on in
Divergent
that he doesn't want to put down the virtues of the other factions in order to be brave. He wants to be “brave and selfless,
and
smart,
and
kind,
and
honest” but he struggles with kindness the most. I don't believe he struggles with it as much as he thinks he does because I see so much evidence of his kindness throughout the series. Despite his plans to leave and become factionless, he stays in Dauntless to help Tris, and in
Allegiant,
he goes back to the city to tell Uriah's family what has happened to him. His efforts to stand up for others and to do what is right by them are often colored with kindness. The fact that he
believes
he struggles with kindness proves that he's thinking about it and that he values it. It doesn't surprise me that either he or Tris find the act of kindness is hard. They're forced to interact with people who are cruel on a daily basis, and it's exceptionally hard to be kind to people who have caused you pain in some way.

But that's what bravery is. It's not about hurting people or wishing pain on people who have hurt you. It's the realization that violence only begets more violence. It takes a truly brave person to break the cycle of cruelty and violence and use kindness in order to make peace.

THE NEED FOR TRUTH

It's not easy to look at Erudite and find an example of bravery, especially since Jeanine is Erudite's leader and it's the thirst for knowledge—to discover what Abnegation is hiding—that drives Caleb to betray Tris. During much of the series, the Erudite are cast as villains, but that's because, like Dauntless, they have strayed from the tenets of their faction, pursuing knowledge the way the Dauntless pursue a life free from fear. They've become arrogant, choosing to disregard the potential repercussions of their actions. This reckless pursuit of knowledge is what leads Jeanine to torture Tris, in order to develop a better understanding of her Divergence.

But the pursuit of knowledge can also be brave. When Tris and Tobias agree to go outside the compound in
Allegiant,
they are facing the unknown. Unlike during Dauntless initiation, neither of them is motivated by overcoming their innate fear of the unknown. This time is different—there's something out there, beyond the city limits, and though it's scary, they need to know what it is. There are countless dangers that could arise, but after seeing Edith Prior's video, Tris knows that they have a responsibility to do something with the truth about the city rather than just sit on the news as Evelyn wants. It's possible that what Tris learns about the world outside the fences will not be something she wants to know, but she knows she needs to seek the truth no matter the cost, and that is brave.

On a personal level, the knowledge she finds doesn't come without consequences. Tris learns exactly what it means to be “Divergent,” which it turns out is a lot less special than she'd previously been led to believe. It's not the superpower she'd thought, and it's no longer armor that Tris can hide behind when she's afraid. She also learns that her mom knew David and knew about the Bureau and the experiments, and this knowledge about her mother, uncovering the secrets that she had, changes Tris' impression both of her mother and of her own identity.

It would have been easier, in many ways, for Tris to stay inside the walls, comfortable with her knowledge and understanding of the world. She still would have faced conflict inside the city, but she could have done that without having to change her perception of herself, her mother, or her world. She knows, though, that wouldn't be the brave choice. After escaping from her near-execution in
Insurgent,
she values her own life. She's realized that she wants to live, despite the guilt and the loss she's experienced, and with that realization, she wants to solve problems without violence and she wants to find the truth about who she is and about what happened to their society.

BEING HONEST ALL THE TIME

Similar to knowledge, honesty also costs something. Tris is good at holding on to her own secrets and not quite as good at trusting other people with the truth, something that often puts a strain on her relationships with the people she cares about, particularly Tobias. That's because it takes a certain kind of bravery to be honest and admit a truth that might influence how you're perceived by other people, especially those you care about.

When Tris and Tobias are arrested at Candor in
Insurgent
and given the truth serum, they both must admit secrets that they've kept from everyone else, including a few they've kept from each other. Tobias must admit the truth about the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, that he chose Dauntless rather than Abnegation in order to get away from his father, and that the decision was actually born out of cowardice rather than bravery. Later, after beating his father to prove he isn't a coward, Tobias eventually begins to come to terms with this truth. By being forced to be honest with everyone, he can finally begin to be honest with himself about how his father's abuse has affected him. Although he initially intends to reset his mother's memories at the end of
Allegiant,
he chooses to confront her honestly instead, admitting that he betrayed her because he's as afraid of her as he was of his father. He risks a great deal of emotional pain if she chooses the factionless and her crusade over him. He knows she might not make the choice that he wants—that she doesn't want to hear that she is becoming like Marcus, the man who caused both of them so much pain—but he also holds out hope that they can reconcile and that he can reestablish his relationship with her. He's honest and he gives her a choice, and his bravery is rewarded when she chooses him.

As a true Divergent, Tris is in a different situation. She has the power to resist the truth serum, and she does. She struggles against it, trying to keep herself from telling everyone what happened to Will, but holding the information inside only intensifies the guilt that she feels for her actions. When asked about her regrets, she feels she can't hide anymore. She looks at Tobias and Christina and realizes she has to tell them the truth. She must admit that she shot Will during the attack on Abnegation. This admission is exceptionally hard for her, but not because she is feeling guilty and mourning Will's death. In fact, only by being honest and giving voice to what happened will she be able to move past her guilt and accept what she did. Instead, being honest about what happened is hard because, once the truth is out, Tris will feel bare. Everyone will be able to see Tris as she really is, not just as she wants them to see her, and she worries that her friends, especially Christina, will not be able to forgive her.

People are defined by their actions. Tobias has worked hard to appear strong and to keep the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father a secret so people will not think he is a coward, just as Tris has worked hard to prove not only to others but to herself that she is strong and brave, and to keep from focusing on the fact that she was willing to die for Tobias but never considered it when it came to Will. They both hold on to their secrets, wearing them like armor. Being honest and admitting these parts of themselves in front of people they know (and people they don't know) helps them be honest with themselves, confront their fears of rejection and inadequacy, and move on.

SELFLESSNESS AND BRAVERY AREN'T ALL THAT DIFFERENT

In the beginning of the series, Tris rejects her parents' values and beliefs. It's clear in the very beginning of
Divergent,
in the way Tris talks about Abnegation, that she doesn't believe in the ideals the faction represents. She finds selflessness stifling. Those feelings of rebellion are made tangible, and as a result more permanent, when she chooses to leave Abnegation and become Dauntless at the Choosing Ceremony. Once a member of Dauntless, Tris tells Tobias that she feels selfish
and
brave, linking the two together. But she's wrong. Self
less
ness and bravery are entwined, something she gradually comes to understand over the course of the series.

For Tris, her mother's death in
Divergent
is the ultimate act of selfless bravery. Natalie Prior saves Tris from drowning, intending to get them both to safety and to join Tris' father and brother. However, when they are cornered by two groups of Dauntless, Natalie makes a split-second decision. She tells Tris to run and to meet up with her brother and father, and she tells her to be brave. Then she fires at the Dauntless in order to keep their focus on her, allowing Tris to escape. Natalie Prior knows that she is going to die. She knows that in order for Tris to escape she must sacrifice herself. But unlike Al's suicide earlier in the novel, Natalie's death is brave. She's calm and determined, and she sacrifices herself without expecting praise. She dies for Tris without hesitation because she loves her daughter no matter what and because she knows this is the only option that ensures Tris will live.