Sorting Boston into Divergent Factions
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BRYANNA CAPPADONA / CREDITS BELOW
Dystopian young adult books-turned-blockbusters are all the teenage rage right now, the latest being the second installment of Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy, Insurgent.
The Divergent series, as YA enthusiasts know, takes place in a dystopian Chicago, a post-apocalyptic time when survivors are divided into societal “factions” based on personalities and dispositions.
Though Chicago is Roth’s city of choice, this time we’re going to make it about us. Last year, we took a shot at sorting the city into the Hogwarts houses in Harry Potter. Now, we’ve placed Boston’s finest people, places, and things into the five factions in Divergent: Dauntless, Candor, Erudite, Abnegation, and Amity. And then of course, there are the Divergents.
Remember, faction over blood, folks.
Dauntless are fearless, brave, and often aggressive people. They serve as the city’s protectors.
Mark Wahlberg
Boston Marathon
Ray Donovan
Southie
Mayor Marty Walsh
Curt Schilling’s bloody sock
Rob Gronkowski
Boston Police Department
Dropkick Murphys
The Bruins
Julian Edelman
The Departed
Isaiah Thomas
MBTA Orange Line
Dorchester
Gone Girl
New Balance
Charlestown
TJ Connelly
The Celtics
Chicken and Rice Guys
The Town
Brian Concannon
Northeastern University
Boston Calling
David Ortiz
The Patriots
Candor strives to be frank, open, and sincere, even when it’s not always necessary. They avoid duplicity and deception, believing openness is ideal.
Amanda Palmer
Amy Poehler
Gillette Stadium
Boston Public Library
Boston Legal
Red Sox
WEEI
Newton
Logan Airport
Paul Revere
Tufts University
MCPHS
Jenny Johnson
Chinatown
Suffolk University
Curt Schilling’s Blog
Kirk Minihane
Paul Wahlberg
Ted
B.J. Novak
Bill Belichick
Mitt Romney
@HeyRatty
Ayanna Pressley
Heartbreak Hill
Bryanna Cappadona
John Fish
@UniversalHub
Erudite focuses on acquiring knowledge, blaming human ignorance for society’s failures.
Harvard
Cambridge
Mindy Kaling
Elizabeth Warren
Will Hunting
Chestnut Hill
The MFA
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Nantucket
Brandeis University
Boston 2024
Wellesley
The State House
The State House Time Capsule
Deval Patrick
John Kerry
Brad Stevens
State Street
South End
Bob Kraft
Lexington
Vineyard Vines
The Kennedys
Boston Globe
MIT
Drew Faust
Mark Zuckerberg
Jim Koch
Beacon Hill
Abnegation believes in selfless actions and attaining peace by eliminating acts of vain nature. By doing so, they forget themselves and help others.
Cheers
Meghan Trainor
Keytar Bear
Boston Yeti
John Krasinski
Lucky the Leprechaun
Wally the Green Monster
New Kids on the Block
Oliver Smoot
MBTA Blue Line
Boston Ballet
Donnie Wahlberg
Wicked Local
Bunker Hill Monument
Chris Evans
Wahlburgers
Taylor Schilling
Franklin Park Zoo
Casey Affleck
The Barking Crab
Elizabeth Banks
Dunkin’ Donuts
Allston/Brighton
Steve Carell
Amity is into peace, harmony, and overall chillness. They dislike work and sadness, and try to earnestly understand each other.
“Sweet Caroline”
Somerville
Gisele Bündchen
Emerson College
MBTA Red Line
Jay Leno
Berklee College
Freedom Trail
Boston Common
New England Aquarium
Steven Tyler
The Funky Bunch
Swan Boats
Pablo Sandoval
Boston Comic Con
Mr. Lif
Summit Ave.
Kiss 108
North End
Charlestown
Conan O’Brien
Dig Boston
Rene Rancourt
Louis CK
Boston Herald
Legal Sea Foods
Jamaica Plain
Divergent is not a faction, but a word used to describe those who don’t fit into one societal quality, but many. Divergence symbolizes a sort of uniqueness and liberty, and with that comes a natural state of nobility.
Tom Menino
Ted Williams
Bobby Orr
Entourage
Alma Wahlberg
One Boston Day
Malcolm Butler
Charles River
Super Bowl XLIX
New England Studios
Tom Brady
Steve Annear
Castle Island
Matt Damon
Dennis Lehane
Back Bay
UMass Amherst
Cape Cod
@BostonTweet
Fenway Park
Ben Affleck
Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island Beach House
O Ya
John Henry
Boston College
Mass. General
BONUS: The Factionless
The people who don’t fit in anywhere for obvious reasons.
MBTA Green Line
Deflategate
Barstool Sports
Dane Cook
Jacoby Ellsbury
Bill O’Reilly
Tim Tebow
Wicked Single
Southie Rules
Chasing Life
Blake Lively’s Boston Accent
Lead Illustration: Boston Skyline image by walknboston on Flickr, Good Will Hunting still via Miramax, Ted still via Universal Pictures, battered ledge cropped from Divergent promo poster via Lionsgate. Banners: Boston skyline image by Werner Kunz on Flickr.
