Dystopian Culture and the Theme of Segregation on the Movie "Divergent"

Subject and Section:
Professor’s Name:
Date Submitted:
Divergent
Divergent is a fictional movie series based on Veronica Roth’s 2011 novel, created by Lucy Fisher, Pouya Shahbazian, and Douglas Wick and directed by Neil Burger (Adam). Released in three series, namely Divergent in 2014, Insurgent in 2015, and Allegiant in 2016, Divergent is a movie set in post-apocalyptic Chicago, where people are divided based on their virtues into five factions, namely, Amity for peace, Dauntless for bravery, Candor for honesty, Erudite for intellect, and Abnegation for selflessness. This system promotes organization and order among the people, and one of the priorities when choosing a faction is to be true to yourself. Beatrice Prior is the movie's main character, and she has issues with where she truly belongs. Originally from Abnegation by birth, she ends up choosing Dauntless when the time came for her to decide on which faction to join. The term “divergent” was first shockingly uttered in the movie when Beatrice takes the aptitude tests that will determine your virtue or characteristic, giving an idea of what faction an individual belongs to. The test reveals that Beatrice does not fit in one faction but three, namely Abnegation, Dauntless, and Erudite, which makes her divergent (Christy Par 5-6). Along the way, Beatrice, who will later be called Tris, will learn about why a Divergent is seen as a threat in their dystopian community. Divergent perfectly showcases significant key points regarding dystopian culture and highlights the theme of segregation. In this paper, the relationship of authorities, control, and segregation in forming a dystopian community will be discussed.
The movie, Divergent is a clear description of the Dystopian culture. Dystopia refers to a futurist imagination of a society characterized by “tyrannical societal control and the misapprehension of a perfect society sustained through bureaucratic, hi-tech, moral, and totalitarian control” (Stefanopoulou, Christos-Thomas & Konstantinos 49). The film is set 200 years into the future after the war, in an imagined controlled version of Chicago City, where the inhabitants live within the city walls and cannot leave. Chicago is presented as a constant state of depression and survival mode, very fitting to what to expect in a dystopian world. Society is organized into societal control groups known as factions based on different characteristics to which each individual must belong (Stefanopoulou et al. 49-50). In the five clans, Abnegation is selfless, thus ideal to rule, Amity is peaceful, Erudite is composed mainly of professionals, Dauntless is made up of the military and society protectors, while Condor is known for the honesty to run the courts. The clans are divided based on their virtues and the model and color of clothing, which sets them apart. Abnegation wears simplistic grey; Amity wears yellow and red; Dauntless wears black; Erudite, blue; and Candor, black and white. In dystopian culture, there is a loss of individualism which is precisely what happens in Divergent. The differences of each person are used to strategically make the people conform so that the authorities will control everyone with ease. Uniformity is promoted among the faction as the standard and the way of life to survive. It is also evident in a couple of scenes that conformity is forced by the society, like when Beatrice is controlled and bound by rules such as the diet restriction in Abnegation and the need to keep up on the train or get left behind in Dauntless. The culture of the community in Divergent also outlines a blueprint, which the citizens must follow. All teenagers must undergo a three-step process specifically the aptitude test, choosing ceremony, and the faction initiation tests in the movie. The third step really tests each one, and it forces the teens to conform to survive, or else they become factionless. This fight for survival is also one of the characteristics of a dystopian culture.
The Dystopian society in the movie utilizes various oppressive controls to govern the people. The community uses propaganda to take control of its citizens. The lifelong conformity is considered suitable for society’s survival, while those who do not conform, Divergent, are considered a threat to society’s well-being (Eldoliefy 4-7). As stated by Jeanine, one of the Erudite representatives in the film,
“The system removes the threat of anyone exercising their independent will. Divergents threaten that system. It won’t be safe until they’re removed.” (Divergent).
This point is repeatedly instilled in society throughout the movie. Such propaganda leads to the killing of Divergent individuals, while others were betrayed by their family, such as Tris by her brother, and tortured for seemingly being different from others. The government can control and manipulate the way the people in the dystopian society think. Information, independent thoughts, and freedom are curtailed in such a society. The brother of Tris also displays how he can forget about his family and adopt the thoughts of his faction. The authorities are the ones who set the norms in the society even though the effects would place the people of the society in a restricted and controlled environment, but the people still conform to this because blind obedience is what is taught by the environment that they are in. Although the movie presents a story of seemingly well-working or...