Themes
One theme of this book is that you should not always listen to society
when making your own decisions. To explain, Tris is being seriously pushed by
society to choose a certain faction, but she pushes it all away and chooses by
her own feelings. Society can not always be right in their generalizations. Tris
felt that she knew what was good for her, and she went for it. And, to top it
off, she loved it. She felt like she belonged for the first time in her life.
She became her true self, and that was a big shove away from society’s choice.
Even so, it made her happy. According to Veronica Roth, you should act by your
heart, not by what is around you.
Another theme in this story is that you should never give up, even
through trials. Tris had very tough times in her life. She changed her life
entirely, which is more than some can handle. She changed her name, her
personality, and home. Tris had to endure beatings emotionally and physically.
Even so, she endured through it and became a better person because of it. This
shows that if you do not give up, you will be stronger because of it. Hard times
can make you a better person sometimes.