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Samantha Gross
Mrs. Cramer
College Comp. I Pd. 6
4 November 2016
The Conquering of Fear
What would you do if your society were shaped into separate factions? What if at sixteen
you must chose one trait to focus on for the rest of your life? For those in future Chicago world
of, Divergent, this was reality. You were born into a faction and brought up by the rules and
morals enforced in that faction. When you reached the age of sixteen, you were forced to take an
aptitude test and choose what faction you would belong to for the rest of your life. However, the
main character, Tris, was different. She was what you would call Divergent, meaning she is in
danger. Despite the thrilling plot, the true reason for Divergent being a best-selling novel is due
to the theme of fear, which is greatly influenced by the setting.
Throughout Divergent, a clear theme appears, fear. Beatrice (Tris) is a member of
Abnegation, a faction known for selfless values. Once she turns sixteen, Beatrice takes the
aptitude test, which shows she belongs to three different factions, Abnegation, Erudite, and
Dauntless. Since she did not test in one specific faction, she is considered Divergent. She is
warned to never tell anyone of her results, because those in control consider Divergent
dangerous. She is afraid to leave her family; however, she is also afraid to join Dauntless. After
considering her options, she decides to switch to Dauntless. After her decision, Tris has to go
through a series of tests to be initiated into her new faction, such as jumping off a building,
training as a fighter, and undergoing strenuous scenarios. Tris constantly has to overcome fear in

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order to be accepted into Dauntless. If she does not pass the tests, Dauntless will kick her out and
she will become factionless. Therefore, she has to overcome any uncertainty and fight for her
spot in the faction. Meanwhile, Tris is constantly curious, yet afraid to discover what it truly
means to be Divergent. She was afraid to discover what would happen if she were to be caught.
Would she be kicked out of Dauntless? Would she be isolated? Would she be killed? These were
all constant questions Tris and the readers contemplated throughout the novel. Another example
of the theme fear is on page 145 during the game of capture the flag when Tris and Four climb
the Ferris wheel. The book said:
Four however, crouches and presses his back to the metal support, breathing heavily.
"Youre afraid of heights, I say. How do you survive in the dauntless compound?
I ignore my fear," he says. When I make decisions, I pretend like it doesnt exist.
This quote expresses how members of Dauntless work to overcome their fears. Another place in
the story which reinforces this theme is in chapter twenty-one when Tris said she didnt know
what fear was until she faced some fears during her simulations. In one, she was tied to a stake
and Peter set fire beneath her feet. In the second, she was drowning in the middle of an ocean. In
the third, Tris had to watch her family slowly bleed to death. Lastly in the fourth, she had to hold
her family at gunpoint and she was forced to shoot them. The simulations that she was required
to partake in forced Tris to overcome her fears.Tris overcame them because she realizes that they
aren't real.
Not only was Divergents theme fear, but it was also supported by the dark, chaotic
setting, which occurred in many place throughout the whole story. An obvious example that
shows this setting during the story is the point in Divergent when Tris has to go through her
simulations to show that she truly is Dauntless. It's dark and chaotic because it's a time of fear for
Tris and she has to think fast to get out of the situations. The setting in the story takes place in a

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futuristic Chicago which is split into five sections for each of five factions, in hopes of making a
better world than before. Each situation in the book took place in a faction; however, the
majority of the settings were found in the Dauntless faction. The setting in this book is
mysterious and disorganized because it tells of a brutal process to become and maintain being a
member of this disorderly group. This hidden, confined, disarray setting displays how difficult it
is for Tris to go fight for her spot. Tris has to face her fears of being confined in a small space,
killing, intimacy, being trapped, to name a few. Throughout the book, the factions are set under
strict rules and regulations. This security and intensity greatly influences how the characters,
including Tris, behave and react. Readers are always reminded the city is full of armed guards
that keep everyone from leaving the city and from disobeying the rules. Tris is constantly afraid
of being caught or accused of being Divergent, adding to the stress and fear she has every day.
Not only are the characters affected however, readers also begin to feel trapped and afraid.
Clearly, fear is one of the main themes of Divergent, and it is influenced by the setting of
a dark and chaotic futuristic Chicago. The whole meaning of the Dauntless world is to be brave
and decisive and Tris, is not considered brave if she shows all of her fears. Even if the dark,
controlling atmosphere surrounds her, she has to learn to control, and mask her fears. In this
faction it is important to act as if she does not have any fear, because if she didnt her life may
have depended on it.