Flashcards for Divergent

Al

Al is a large, soft-hearted initiate from Candor who transfers to Dauntless with Tris, Will, and Christina, quickly becoming part of their core friend group during training.

character

Andrew Prior

Andrew Prior is the father of Beatrice (Tris) and Caleb Prior, and husband to Natalie.

character

Beatrice 'Tris' Prior

Beatrice "Tris" Prior is the sixteen-year-old main character and narrator of Divergent.

character

Caleb Prior

Caleb Prior is Tris's older brother and a significant secondary character in Divergent.

character

Christina

Christina is a former Candor transfer who decides to undergo Dauntless initiation alongside Tris Prior, quickly establishing herself as one of the most dynamic and morally centered supporting characters in the novel.

character

Drew

Drew is a minor yet notably menacing antagonist in Divergent, acting as one of Peter Hayes's main lackeys within the Dauntless initiate cohort.

character

Eric

Eric is a senior leader in Dauntless and one of the main antagonists in Divergent.

character

Jeanine Matthews

Jeanine Matthews is the main antagonist of Divergent — the cold, calculating leader of Erudite who uses her intellect to support authoritarian goals.

character

Marcus Eaton

Marcus Eaton is a senior Dauntless-born Abnegation leader and one of the five faction representatives on the governing council in Veronica Roth's Divergent.

character

Max

Max is a senior leader in Dauntless and one of its top commanders in Veronica Roth's Divergent.

character

Molly

Molly is a Dauntless initiate and one of the main antagonists among the transfer recruits in Divergent.

character

Natalie Prior

Natalie Prior is Tris's mother and one of Divergent's quietly pivotal characters.

character

Peter Hayes

Peter Hayes is one of the main antagonists among the Dauntless initiates in Divergent, standing out as the most dangerous and calculating rival to Tris Prior during the harsh initiation process.

character

Tobias 'Four' Eaton

Tobias "Four" Eaton is a nineteen-year-old Dauntless instructor and one of the main characters in Divergent.

character

Will

Will is a Dauntless initiate who transferred from Erudite and becomes one of Tris Prior's closest friends during the grueling initiation at Dauntless headquarters.

character

“I don't want to be just one thing. I can't be. I want to be brave, and I want to be selfless, intelligent, and honest and kind.”

This line is delivered by Four (Tobias Eaton) in Veronica Roth's Divergent (2011), during a crucial moment in his conversation with the protagonist Tris Prior.

Four (Tobias Eaton)

“I have a theory that selflessness and bravery aren't all that different.”

This line is spoken by Tris Prior, the sixteen-year-old main character of Veronica Roth's Divergent (2011), during her initiation into the Dauntless faction.

Tris Prior · Chapter 25

“Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again.”

This line is delivered by Jeanine Matthews, the cold and calculating leader of the Erudite faction, in Veronica Roth's Divergent.

Jeanine Matthews

“We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.”

This quote is from Veronica Roth's Divergent (2011), the first book in her dystopian young adult trilogy.

Dauntless faction manifesto / narrative voice · Early Dauntless initiation chapters

“Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up.”

This line is spoken by Four (Tobias Eaton) to Tris Prior during her initiation training in the Dauntless faction.

Four (Tobias Eaton)

“Becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it.”

This line is delivered by Four (Tobias Eaton) to Tris Prior in Veronica Roth's Divergent (2011), during his time training the Dauntless initiates and guiding Tris through her fear simulations.

Four (Tobias Eaton)

“Faction before blood.”

This chilling maxim serves as the foundational motto of the faction-based society in Veronica Roth's Divergent (2011).

Societal decree / multiple characters · Choosing Ceremony (early chapters)

“A brave man acknowledges the strength of others.”

This line is spoken by Dauntless leader Four (Tobias Eaton) to Tris Prior during her initiation training in the Dauntless compound.

Four (Tobias Eaton) · Early-to-middle initiation arc (approx. Ch. 15–20)

“Politeness is deception in pretty packaging.”

This sharp saying comes from Peter Hayes, a Dauntless initiate and one of the main antagonists in Veronica Roth's Divergent (2011).

Peter Hayes · Initiation arc (Part Two)

“I am selfish. I am brave.”

This line is delivered by Beatrice "Tris" Prior, the sixteen-year-old main character of Veronica Roth's Divergent (2011), during the crucial Choosing Ceremony in Chapter 6.

Beatrice "Tris" Prior (internal monologue) · Chapter 6 (The Choosing Ceremony)

The Chasm

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, the Chasm—a roaring underground ravine beneath Dauntless headquarters—illustrates the delicate line between courage and recklessness, life and death, and moral clarity and corruption.

The Ferris Wheel

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, the Ferris wheel at the Navy Pier ruins symbolizes courage, self-discovery, and the willingness to embrace fear.

The Five Factions

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, the five factions—Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite, Amity, and Candor—illustrate the risk of defining human identity by a single characteristic.

The Mirror

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, mirrors represent self-awareness, identity, and the risks of self-perception in a controlling society.

The Simulation Serum

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, the Simulation Serum represents how fear can be used as a tool for social control.

Tris's Tattoos

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, Tris Prior's tattoos reflect her journey of self-discovery and the conflict between her loyalty to her roots and her dedication to her new life.

Imagery

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, imagery serves as the main force that brings the dystopian world to life.

Motif

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, fear plays a crucial role in shaping both the plot and Tris Prior's personal journey.

Irony

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, the irony is most pronounced in the disconnect between the faction system's intended goals and its real outcomes.

Simile

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, simile plays a key role in vividly portraying Tris Prior's sensory and emotional experiences, anchoring a dystopian Chicago in tangible, physical feelings.

Suspense

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, suspense is crafted through a complex web of secrets, timed threats, and irreversible choices that keep readers on edge.

Juxtaposition

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, juxtaposition drives the novel's main tension: the strict faction system compels every scene to weigh one value against another, and Tris Prior's Divergence means she represents this conflict herself.

Symbolism

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, symbolism is most compellingly expressed through the faction system and its surrounding rituals.

Metaphor

In Veronica Roth's Divergent, metaphor takes on the heavy lifting that plain exposition fails to accomplish.

Foreshadowing

In Divergent, Veronica Roth uses foreshadowing with careful subtlety, embedding details that only reveal their full significance later on.

faction

One of the five social groups in this society, each built around a single virtue; a person's faction determines where they live, work, and belong for life.

noun · Chapter 1

Abnegation

The faction that values selflessness above all else, requiring members to suppress personal desires and serve others constantly.

noun · Chapter 1

factionless

Belonging to no faction — the lowest social class, made up of people who failed initiation or left their faction and now live in poverty doing menial work.

adjective · Chapter 1

aptitude test

A simulation-based exam given to sixteen-year-olds that is supposed to reveal which faction best suits their personality, though the result is not binding.

phrase · Chapter 2

serum

A chemical injected to induce a controlled hallucination or simulation; different serums are used for aptitude tests, fear landscapes, and mind-control.

noun · Chapter 2

simulation

A drug-induced virtual reality that feels completely real to the person inside it, used both for testing and for controlling people's behavior.

noun · Chapter 2

Choosing Ceremony

The annual public ritual at which sixteen-year-olds cut their palms and let blood fall into a bowl representing their chosen faction, permanently declaring their allegiance.

noun · Chapter 3

Divergent

A rare person whose mind cannot be confined to a single faction's way of thinking and who is therefore resistant to serums and simulations — considered dangerous by those in power.

adjective · Chapter 2

initiation

The multi-stage training process new faction members must complete; those who fail are cut from the faction and become factionless.

noun · Chapter 5

transfer

A new initiate who was born in a different faction and chose to switch, as opposed to someone born into the faction they joined.

noun · Chapter 5

chasm

A deep gorge or gap; in this text, a specific ravine with rushing water below that runs through the Dauntless compound and serves as a site of danger and death.

noun · Chapter 6

rankings

The ordered list that places initiates from best to worst performer after each stage of training; those ranked at the bottom face expulsion from the faction.

noun · Chapter 7

fear landscape

A personalized simulation that forces a person to face each of their deepest fears in sequence; used in Dauntless initiation to test courage and mental control.

phrase · Chapter 8

Dauntless

The faction that prizes bravery and fearlessness, responsible for guarding the city's borders; known for physical danger, tattoos, and reckless behavior.

noun · Chapter 4

Erudite

The faction that values intelligence and knowledge above all else; in this story they are the political antagonists seeking to overthrow Abnegation's leadership.

noun · Chapter 3

manifesto

A public written declaration of beliefs or intentions; here, the inflammatory reports Erudite publishes to turn public opinion against Abnegation's leaders.

noun · Chapter 3

Candor

The faction that values absolute honesty and straightforwardness, believing that lies are the root of all conflict.

noun · Chapter 3

Amity

The faction that values peace and friendship, living and working on farms outside the city and avoiding all conflict.

noun · Chapter 3

zip line

A cable stretched between two high points that a person rides down at high speed; used by Dauntless members as a thrilling mode of travel across the city.

noun · Chapter 4

serene

Calm and untroubled in appearance or manner; used to describe the composed, emotionless expression Abnegation members are trained to maintain.

adjective · Chapter 1

compel

To force or drive someone to do something against their will; in this text often used in the context of serums or social pressure overriding personal choice.

verb · Chapter 18

allegiance

Loyalty and commitment to a group or cause; in this society, allegiance to one's faction is expected to override family ties and personal identity.

noun · Chapter 3

Dauntless-born

An initiate who was raised in Dauntless from birth, as opposed to a transfer; they compete separately in early rankings and are seen as having an inherent advantage.

adjective · Chapter 5

stiff

A slang term Dauntless members use to mock people from Abnegation, referring to their rigid, plain, self-denying way of life.

noun · Chapter 5

Divergence

The condition of being Divergent — having a mind that resists faction-based categorization and cannot be fully controlled by serums or simulations.

noun · Chapter 13