Why I totally want to be in Dauntless IRL
Have you seen the new Divergent: Insurgent trailer? It’s only a minute long, but it’s pretty epic. It’s got heroine Tris literally leaping through the air, to barely catch onto a floating shard of a house that is on fire. Her mom’s trapped inside, so she’s got good reason to go airborne to try and save her, and she does so without a single ounce of hesitation in her body. She simply jumps. I, meanwhile, would probably spend 10 to 15 minutes contemplating the fall to the ground below, and how fast I’d fall, and if I’d even realize I was falling because I totally would have passed out the second my feet left solid ground. If I did jump, I’d jump with fear racing through me. Tris jumps not even understanding the meaning of the word “fear.” It’s just yet another piece of evidence why Dauntless is the best, and why if I had to chose a faction to join in the world of Divergent, Dauntless would sure as heck be it.
Let’s look at our options. For those not in the Divergent know, Veronica Roth’s seriously rad books (and of course the awesome movies) take place in a dystopian world (yay YA) where everyone belongs to a certain faction determined by their values and strengths. There’s Amity (the peaceful), Erudite (the intelligent), Abnegation (the selfless), Candor (the rulers), and then there’s Dauntless (the brave).
Even though I live my every day life according to an undercurrent of fear, I (and I know there are many others like me) do not want that fear to be a part of my life. I want to look fear in the face and laugh at it, whether it be fear stirred up from my worst nightmare or a surprise spider on my desk. It’s really hard to find one’s roar, especially if you don’t know where to look. But that little spark is inside me, it’s inside all of us, I just have to hone in on it. If I signed up for Dauntless, I bet they’d help me do just that.
The Dauntless manifest perfectly wraps up all the reasons why we should all strive to take a little piece of the Dauntless life and insert it into our own. Sure, the faction often gets a bad rap, they’re definitely the most pugnacious of the factions, but they have good reason to be. As their manifest says, the members of Dauntless, “believe in shouting for those who can only whisper, in defending those who cannot defend themselves.”
I might be terrified of some things, but there’s nothing that’s going to stop me from helping someone else in need — that’s a perfectly good reason to be a little feisty. There’s something so inherently good about standing up for others, especially if they can’t find the courage to stand up for themselves. One little act like that can go a long way; for Dauntless those moments are simply, “ordinary acts of bravery.” If we could get those going on a daily basis, the world would be a better place.
But it’s not all about being brave for others, it’s being brave for yourself, which is something that Tris has down to a science. Anytime she’s fearful, she’s determined to beat that feeling. I’d want to join Dauntless just so I can identify the spider in the corner of my room, figure out why I’m scared of the tiny little creature, and then overcome that irrational fear. Is it as extreme as jumping off a building? No, but it’s a start.
Also, let’s be a smidge materialistic for a second, their wardrobe is entirely black. And when is an all black wardrobe anything but sleek and chic, even when staring down danger.
Would I be better suited for a faction like Amity? Probably. But I want that tough, afraid-of-nothing feeling. For me, that’s mythical. That’s the girl I’d love to be, even if it means physically (or just metaphorically) taking huge leaps. I want to overcome my fears, just like Tris. It’s decided, then. I’m transferring to Dauntless.
Check out the trailer below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ql1T41Jw5U
