Brave, and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest...

Discuss the June 2014 book of the month Divergent by Veronica Roth. While only Divergent--the first book of the series--is the book of the month, feel free to use this subforum to discuss the rest of the series or to talk about the movies, but make sure not to post spoilers unless noted in the topic title.
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AmySmiles
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Re: Brave, and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest...

Post by AmySmiles »

Wouldn't it be great if we lived in a world where everyone at least tried to have all of these qualities? Great yes, but realistic? No.
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Post by sush_destiny »

It is good to think that you want to be all that, but, it is definitely not practical to actually try it.
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Post by Dragonsend »

I think that every human has the potential to have all four of those qualities and the book truly illustrates that it isn't healthy to concentrate on just one trait.
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Post by Julie Petitbon »

I think the society in which Four lives tries to squelch the desire to have and display all of these qualities. That is why he is such a threat to the people in power - he does not fit into their cookie-cutter molds.
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Post by dorebri2020 »

I do think that this ambition is possible, but only through his actions and not necessarily through his words. He could not blatantly state that he is practicing to be all traits, but through his actions of kindness towards new initiates or his intelligence in battle, he would be able to demonstrate all sides of his character.
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Post by racelaine »

It definitely goes against the faction system, and he could get in a lot of trouble for daring to think, much less live that way. That being said, it's very realistic to both the character and people in general. Everyday people push past boundaries to find new ways to better themselves and people around them. Overlapping values and choices, finding new ways to think and feel, is exactly why the factions system could never work.
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Post by rumik »

I think it's realistic enough for anyone living in any society. It might be dangerous for him in the world he lives in, but it makes him a better person than most others.
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Post by kelso9326 »

I don't think it's practical in the society we live in right now. There are some choices that just need to be made, and some people may be hurt along the way, even the people we love the most.
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Post by Halima Lawan »

I don't think those traits are possible in the world of the fraction system he lived in. It would have been very difficult for him to show those traits. But in reality it would be great to have those traits.
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Post by Atara Miles »

Four's desire wasn't realistic for his world but I admire his idealism. For our world, too often you hear the 'dog-eat-dog' expression and you think there's logically no need to employ these ideals, as most other people wouldn't dream of it. The fact that Four could look past his world's situation and still strive for that made him one of my favourite characters.
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Post by Barbara Larkin »

It's never a crime to aspire to be something that everyone else sees as impossible. Four maintained this optimism despite the harshness of his reality, and that's spectacular.
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Post by Janet Kimetto »

The factions forced everyone into one personality trait for better control. It didn't mean that they had just the one trait associated with their faction though. Look at Tori helping Tris in the aptitude test, for example. In our modern society, it's crucial (for survival) to be more than just one of those. A person who's "brave , and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest" though, that's a special kind of person.
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Post by kirthana_shivakumar »

I believe this is possible if one does not use the Divergent world's strict standard for each of these values. Bravery need not mean doing terrifying things to show you can, but rather facing the things you need to. Honesty need not mean always saying the truth, but rather being true to yourself and speaking with good intentions. And so on.
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Post by Shridhar Suryawanshi »

It's not totally realistic, I admit, but I admire him for wanting to be all those things. In a world where people are only forced to choose one, it was brave and rebellious for him to claim to do so.
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Post by jimmy02 »

Four is in a way a misfit amongst the Dauntless with such ideals. However, I think they're very much viable.
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