Divergent

by Veronica Roth

Reviewed by Mandy Mok

Fall 2016

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth.

ISBN number: 978-0062024039

THE STORY:

After turning sixteen, Tris, the main character had to pick a faction to go live and work in as a career. Although she came from Abnegation, she decided to transfer to Dauntless because she has always admired them. While being in their initiation process she makes many friends and finds out the truth about herself. Her best friends were Al, Christine, and Uriah. Sadly Al had to suicide due to the stress of
the initiation process.When Tris took an aperture test, which is a test to show which faction would be the best choice, the tester discovered that she was a Divergent. Meaning that she can fit equally well into all the factions. She later finds out that her mentor, Four, was also a Divergent. However, they soon find themselves in the middle of a war. The Erudite were waging a war against Abnegation because they found out that most of the Divergent people came from Abnegation. The Erudite captured Tris and tried to drown her, but her mother came and saved her. She showed Tris to a place where some Abnegation people were hiding, including her brother and father. Sadly, Tris’s mother died while getting there. She lead her father and brother to the Erudite headquarters so they can get the data of the solution controlling everyone. They successfully transferred the data  onto a flash drive, but a group of Divergent spotted them. Tris’s dad made a commotion to attract them to him, so that Tris had a chance of surviving. (251)

MY OPINION:

After reading the book for awhile, I realized that it was much easier to read then I first thought it would be. This book has many interesting and original ideas incorporated into it. The dystopian feel of the book was something that I never really experienced before. I thought that this book was going to be a bit difficult to read and understand since I do not read much. However, it was much easier to understand than I originally thought. The characters in the story, besides the main character, were developed nicely through other people's opinions and their actions. That was one of the best parts of the story. The author was very good at telling you other people’s thoughts through their actions. Even though this book was aimed more toward for the teens, I feel like the author could  use some more advanced vocabulary and a more complex story. The story was still very nice, it was very original so maybe that is why it was not that complex. When I was reading it, it felt like the author was not letting us figure anything out, but rather tells you everything that is going on. I would rate this book an eight out of ten stars, I would choose this book to read in the future, but it will not be very likely. (224)

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

FIRST SECTION

1.Why does Tori have a tattoo of a hawk on her neck?

1a.She was afraid of the dark before. Since a hawk symbolizes the sun, she feels as though she has the sun with her wherever she goes. (13)

2.What was the first sign that indicates Caleb belonging in Erudite?

2a. When Beatrice peeked into his room, she saw large stacks of books.(37)

3. Who was the transfer student that continuously made fun of Tris and beat her up during training?

3a. Peter was the person that beat her up and kept making fun of her. (77)

4.What was the first test the initiation students had to take?

4a.They had to jump off moving trains.

5. Why did Christina look at Tris as if she was a different person that she originally thought?

5a. Tris had come up with a clever strategized plan that no one even thought of before.

1. Exodus (7)
2. Concentric (31)
3. Conceded (93)
4. Dilapidated (122)
5. Sadistic (165)

MIDDLE SECTION

1. Why didn’t Tris’s father visit her on visiting day?

1a. Tris’s mother said that he was work, but Tris suspects that he is mad at her for transferring. (179)

2. What did Tris, Uriah, and other initiates do when they snuck out of the building at night?

2a. They went ziplining on a cable. (218)

3. How did Tris complete the first simulation?

3a. She had a hard time calming down, and in the end she gave up and let the pain happen. (235)

4. What happened to Tori’s brother?

4a. He was murdered because he was Divergent. However the Erudite and the Dauntless said that he suicided to hide the fact that they killed him and that he was a Divergent. (258)

5.Why does Tris feel responsible for Al’s death?

5a. Tris thinks that if she forgave him, he wouldn’t be mad at himself. Which most likely caused him to suicide. (307)

1. pang (180)

2. Manifests (206)

3. Amygdala (231)

4. Scalped (275)

5. Twinge (309)

LAST SECTION

1.What was Tris armed with going into the simulation?

1a.  She had mental preparedness with her. She knew how everyone before her did, and she remembered all the advice Tobias gave her. (380)

2.What did Eric do to trick the Dauntless into becoming mindless soldiers?

2a. He said that it was a tracking device, so if anyone went missing they could find that person. (398)

3. What tattoo did both Tobias and Tris have?

3a.They both had an Abnegation tattoo. They didn’t want to forget the home that they left.(405)

4. Who rescues Tris when she was about to drown?

4a. Her mom broke the door so she could escape. (253)

5.How did Tris’s father pass away?

5a. He attracted the enemy's attention so that he could save Tris’s life. (470)

1. reprimand (357)

2. Contempt (395)

3.pallet (449)

4.falter (475)

5. Unyielding (483)