The novel Divergent is the debut work of American author Veronica Roth. The book, which is the first in a trilogy that was published in 2011, became a bestseller and was adapted into a film three years later, starring Shailene Woodley in the lead role, with Kate Winslet cast as the antagonist. It is a classic dystopian fiction set in a world divided into rigid factions. But did you know that it also depicts lucid dreaming?
The story takes place in the ruins of former Chicago. In an attempt to cope with the aftermath of destruction, people have formed five factions: Candor, Erudite, Amity, Dauntless, and Abnegation. The main protagonist, Beatrice Prior, grows up in Abnegation but discovers she is “divergent,” meaning she possesses qualities from multiple factions, and she joins Dauntless.
Indian researcher Abhirami Anand argues that Beatrice practices lucid dreaming throughout the plot. In the final test of her initiation into the Dauntless faction, she is injected with a serum that induces a dream-like state in which she faces her fears. However, being divergent, she realizes that this world is unreal and that she can manipulate it. For instance, when attacked by crows, she envisions herself holding a gun, and she immediately sees it in the grass. Then, when she fails to break a glass box in which she is trapped, she transforms the glass into fragile ice, causing it to shatter. Finally, when confronted by her long-time enemy, Peter, she summons rain through sheer willpower.
It’s worth noting that these observations primarily pertain to the book rather than the film adaptation, which doesn’t delve as deeply into Beatrice’s dream-related adventures. Nevertheless, in the movie, the character also reminds herself that the surrounding space is not real, allowing her to navigate her fears relatively freely instead of confronting them directly like other Dauntless individuals.
Do you see parallels between Beatrice’s abilities and the practice of lucid dreaming?
This report was presented at the MESMAC International Conference in 2023 and published in its proceedings.
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