5 Divergent Factions that Didn’t Make the Final Cut
Fans of the Divergent trilogy can easily list the five factions of Veronica Roth’s futuristic dystopian society, which individuals are required to choose between at the tender age of sixteen. For the uninitiated, they are: Dauntless (the brave), Erudite (the intelligent), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), and Abnegation (the selfless). Although those do cover a wide range of different personality types, did you know that Roth’s story originally included a handful of additional factions?* (*Not actually true.) See if you can tell why these other 5 weren’t included in the final story:
Boastful: The Braggarts
“I saw you checking out my sweet watch—yep, it’s a Rolex. I’ve actually been listening to that band since before they were signed. Can you run a five-minute mile? I can—without even breaking a sweat. Watch me!” It’s no wonder Boastful wound up on the chopping block. Who wants to read about a bunch of strutting peacocks who can’t stop trying to impress each other? This doomed faction was like Dauntless meets Erudite meets a 6-year-old who won’t stop yelling at her mom to watch her cannonball dive into the swimming pool. Good riddance.
Clumsy: The Ungraceful
It was just one party-foul after another for the poor saps in Clumsy. Since a great many of those who tried to join ended up tripping over their shoelaces during the Choosing Ceremony and knocking themselves unconscious, it should not be surprising that this poorly coordinated faction was not to last. Still, since everyone who managed to get into Clumsy wore knee and elbow pads and spent their days caroming off walls, they did offer some enjoyable comic relief. Ah, well.
Fickle: The Unreliable
They’re always at least fifteen minutes late to everything—that is, when they bother to show up at all. They also frequently change friends, hobbies, even hairstyles. If that sounds like you, doubtless you would have found yourself at home in Fickle, the faction for unreliable souls who could never make up their minds about anything for long. Sadly, Fickle ultimately never made it as a faction, probably because most of its members were too flaky to pick one identity and stick with it.
Dramatic: The Overly-Theatrical
Just imagine an entire faction of people who are all like that one friend you have who makes a big deal out of everything and can never just let it go. Although Dramatic was intended to offer a safe haven for overly expressive individuals who needed an outlet for their deep feelings of huffiness and constant outrage, eventually Roth must have realized she’d created a monster (faction). Give it a rest, Dramatic! It’s not all about you.
Sarcastic: The Eye-Rollers
“Oh, obviously let’s get rid of Sarcastic. Why on earth would anyone want to keep that useless faction around?” Yep, you got it—those folks were the worst. A cross between Erudite and Eeyore, with a bit of the darker side of Daria thrown in, none of the other factions stood a chance when anyone from Sarcastic was around. Candor couldn’t handle their veiled barbs; Dauntless couldn’t stop giving them wedgies. Clearly, this was not a match made in heaven for anyone.
What other failed factions did we leave out?