Since I can’t focus on the series as there is WAY too much to discuss, I will concentrate on Divergent- the first book.
The Divergent series was written in 2011 by Veronica Roth. She wrote four books for the collection, and turned three into a 4-part series. When the film first came out, I was extremely excited and fell in love right away. Whilst in the middle of this class, however, I’ve noticed that this young girl is quite fond of following a negative female stereotype outside of her strong woman portrayal. Beatrice Prior is presented as whiny, indecisive, and dependent.
Divergent is about a young girl who lives in a divided world. Everyone is divided into factions based on their characteristics; whether you are kind, brave, honest, smart, or selfless. The main character, Beatrice, was born into Abnegation (selfless), but has felt that she doesn’t quite fit in. When children become of age, they are able to make their own choices and a test can help them decide which faction to choose. Her results are inconclusive, stating that she fit into more than one faction which makes her a Divergent. Apparently, this is not a good thing as they are people to be feared and could end up killed or factionless. In the end, she pulls through… with help from a man.
Throughout the story, she proves herself to be strong. Unfortunately, it all seems to be in the hands of Four, one of the leaders and trainers for Dauntless (brave). He navigates her around being a Divergent and how to go about their training and tests undetected because he is Divergent as well. This plays to be a huge factor in her survival because it is played out through the entire series. The other male characters work hard to belittle Tris (new name for Beatrice) as much as possible and make her the focus of their gaze. In one scene, Tris gets jumped by three guys who are said to be intimidated by her. They attempt to throw her into a chasm when Four comes along and saves the day. He lets her spend the night in his room to be safe. He teaches her how to fight because, coming from a “weak” faction, she really doesn’t know how. Although, you never see Four attempting to correct anyone else’s fighting stances and practices. Before initiation, she takes off a jacket while Peter yells “yeah stiff, take it off… [mumbled] put it back on…” May I also mention, “stiff” is a taunting slur for the people of her faction basically stating that they don’t have fun. Tris’ faction is known for being selfless- women wear gray long-sleeved dresses to the ankle, they forbid mirrors, and eat very bland food that they also share with the factionless. Basically, they are just a step above the factionless (homeless) because they don’t use a lot.
Tris does indeed grow as a character; from choosing her faction to saving her family. She controls her fate from beginning to end along with the fate of those around her. She has moments that make me proud that she is portraying a strong woman from her shooting an egocentric trainer in the leg, to her standing up for her friends and biting the bullet for him. Unfortunately, she is mostly portrayed as a whiny child who is upset that she was put in the faction she is in, but when she chooses another faction, she doesn’t want to leave her family. Over time, she seems to grow into a young adult who can take care of herself, but is still dependent on the reassurance of her male counterpart. I believe that this is a great example of male gaze which, while they try to create equality between genders, it still kind of lacks in a sense that men are still displayed as physically stronger than all women featured. Women are mostly displayed as meek or subservient to male counterparts.
Beside the male gaze presentation, there is also a show of the well-off factions versus Abnegation. I related to Abnegation because there was a point in my life that my family didn’t make a lot of money. My mother started delivering meals on wheels and, since we couldn’t afford daycare, my sister and I would go with her. We bought our clothes from the thrift store (and believe me, 1998-2003 were rough for me). Children at my school took my gaze away and were bestowing it on me with nasty looks and judgements.
Moving forward and how this film “appeals” to women, “…it allows them [the spectator] to oscillate between passivity (watching the suffering woman) and activity (empathetically suffering along with her)” (Hollinger 43). Tris goes through a lot of suffering throughout the film. She has to move away from her family with the potential of never seeing them again, is threatened multiple times to be killed/factionless, she has to shoot one of her best friends in self-defense, both of her parents die, and she winds up factionless and being hunted down at the end with the unknown ahead.
BUT OH, LOOK…
at least she has her man.
Feminist Film Studies Fall 2018 