Faction Stereotypes

In the book Divergent, everyone is separated by what people think will be their finest quality. But because these people are separated, they begin to think different things about each other. Abnegation is thought of as goody two shoes, and Dauntless is thought of as crazy and cocky nut-jobs. Some people, like Jeanine try and support these wayward ways of thinking about each other. I noticed that throughout the book different faction stereotypes, or things people expect from certain factions, keep showing up.

Abnegation is all about selflessness. For people in the other factions, including Abnegation, it is unusual for a Abnegation-born to transfer to Dauntless, and that is because of Abnegation stereotypes. On page 246 when Tris is getting another tattoo, her friend Will calls her on it. People from Abnegation are called Stiff in other factions as an insult, because Abnegation have very stiff and strict ways of life. Will says, "I can't believe you got another tattoo," and Tris responds, "Why? Because I'm a Stiff?" It's hard to tell if Tris took this as an insult of not, but she still reacted to the stereotype of 'stiffs'.

On page 359 Jeanine is interrogating Tris, trying to find evidence of Divergence. Tris has to lie and become the stereotype-Dauntless person the other factions expect from them. The book quotes, "The other factions see the Dauntless a certain way. Brash, aggressive, impulsive. Cocky. I should be what she expects." Jeanine isn't the only one who expects that from Dauntless, according to Tris.

Some people seem to think being Divergent is like being diseased. You need to be contained and tested, until it is completely out of your system. On page 242 Tris' mom is telling her about being Divergent. Tris' mom says, "We can't be confined to one way of thinking, and that terrifies our leaders." Divergent people don't have many stereotypes because they don't hang around long enough for them to develop, but on page 429 it is said that Abnegation houses/ produces the most Divergent people. I think that is connected to the Abnegation stereotypes and how the Divergent work and think.
Abnegation members are the most selfless of any other faction. People who are Divergent can't be forced to think one way. Four tells Tris that when she is acting selfless, she is at her bravest. But that isn't a stereotype; that's all Tris.