Post by kait on Mar 19, 2012 23:41:57 GMT -5
Let's dive right in to our next chunk of Divergent! Presently, Tris is starting off her Dauntless training and things are gettin' crazy!
CHAPTER NINE
The first day of fighting is upon us! However, there's an odd number of competitors, so Tris sits out of round one.
Christina is up against Molly, whom along with Peter and Drew, she has feuded with since childhood. Coming from the faction that loves to tell the truth, Christina has told the others just how much she hates them.
"'I like to think I'm helping them by hating them,' she says. 'I'm reminding them that they aren't God's gift to humankind.'"
Al and Will fight first. They expect that Eric will eventually chose a winner and stop them, until he clarifies that he intends for everyone to fight until one opponent gets knocked out. Four insists that one of them can concede, but Eric won't allow it.
"'A brave man acknowledges the strength of others'
'A brave man never surrenders.'
Four and Eric stare at each other for a few seconds. I feel like I am looking at two different kinds of Dauntless-- the honorable kind, and the ruthless kind."
Will gets knocked out, which leaves Al mostly devastated. It only gets worse when Christina and Molly get in the ring. It turns out to be an incredibly unfair fight. Molly has a brute strength that Christina can't avoid and the outcome is much worse than anything between Will and Al.
"Blood runs down the side of Christina's face and splattered on the ground next to her cheek. This is the first time I have ever prayed for someone to fall unconscious."
Covered in blood and shame, Christina tries to concede. But Eric don't play that! He drags her out to the chasm and tells her that the only way he won't kick her into the streets to live factionless is if she hangs over the watery pit of death for five minutes.
Christina hangs from the railing, sobbing; her back beaten by vicious waves that threaten to suck her in. Tris thinks about helping her, but continuously comes up with excuses why she may not be able to. It's a constant internal struggle as the seconds tick by.
Human reason can excuse any evil; that is why it's so important that we don't rely on it.
After a pulse-pounding five minutes, Christina hangs on. Eric tries to make her climb up on her own, but Al won't stand for it. He and Tris pull her up and together, the three of them catch their breath.
Dauntless initiation just got a whole lot more dangerous...
CHAPTER TEN
As if simply completing initiation isn't bad enough, Tris now has a big ol' bully working against her: Peter. He's sabotaging her bed, using anti-Abnegation curses against her, insinuating that she'll never make it through training, and oh.. beating the crap out of her.
Yup. When it's Tris' turn to fight, her first opponent is PETER. How does that make sense?! The matches presented the day before were at least somewhat fair, but our fearless but tiny narrator gets put against the biggest guy in the class?! We blame Four.
It also doesn't help that nobody thinks she stands a chance.
"'Maybe you can just take a few hits and pretend to go unconscious," suggests Al. "No one would blame you.'"
But Tris DOES try to fight, which doesn't turn out so well for her. Perhaps the only thing more disturbing than watching her lose is seeing just how much Peter enjoys smacking the living daylights out of her.
"'Stop playing with her,' snaps Eric. 'I don't have all day.'"
More reasons to hate Eric! Not only does he know from the second the match is made that Tris will lose, he has no reservations about watching her get smothered. Four, however, walks out. For what reasons exactly, we're not sure.
When all is said and done, Tris wakes up in the Dauntless hospital surrounded by Christina, Will, and Al.
"'Well, I already know what happened to my face,' I say. 'I was there. Sort of.'
'Did you just make a joke, Tris?' Will says, grinning. 'We should get you on painkillers more often if you're going to start cracking jokes.'
I love the interactions between Tris and these three because you can see the friendship rooting itself and hopefully, we'll get more little exchanges like the one above that keep us smiling in the midst of Tris' hardships.
When Christina and Will get up to leave, Al says behind. Not only does he want to tell her about their field trip tomorrow, but he also throws in this gem:
"'And don't pay attention to Christina. Your face doesn't look that bad.' He smiles a little. 'I mean, it looks good. It always looks good. I mean--you look brave. Dauntless.'"
CANNOT. COMPUTE. Al is sweet and this feels like a line that could be a ship set-up, but Tris isn't attracted to Al and neither are we, as readers, because he's presented as somewhat fragile and annoying by Tris. Oh, awkward moments!
Al also announces that he's begun to purposely lose fights because he doesn't want to be a bully. However, he's not that noble about it, more wimpy. We just can't see that turning out well!
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The next morning, Christina helps a very sore and weak Tris dress before they head off the catch the train to the fence.
"'Feeling okay there?' Peter says, giving me a look of mock sympathy-- his lips turned down, his arched eyebrows pulled in. 'Or are you feeling a little.. Stiff?'"
Did he mention that we want to gouge out Peter's eyeballs?
Thankfully, Tris now has friends who are willing to defend her against the big bad wolf until they get to the fence. Nobody knows exactly WHAT the Dauntless are guarding just outside the fences enclosing the city, though we expect it'll be a doozy when we eventually find out!
It's there that Tris sees another old face in new faction clothing: Her ex-Abnegation friend, Robert, who is now in Amity.
"Who else transferred? Did Susan? Are there any Abnegation initiates this year? If Abnegation is fizzling, it's our fault-- Robert's and Caleb's and mine. Mine."
Naturally, Robert is concerned about Tris' face and just what exactly the Dauntless may be doing to her. No matter what the specifics, he knows she shouldn't have to go through what she has.
"'This is what I chose. This is it ... Besides Robert, The goal of my life isn't just... to be happy.'
'Wouldn't it be easier if it was, though?' he says."
As quick as the interaction is with Robert, it catches the attention of Four, He worries that Tris has "a knack for making unwise decisions", but he too seems pretty concerned about her well-being.
"He furrows his eyebrows and touches the corner my bruise eye with his fingertips ... 'You know, if you could just learn to attack first, you might do better.'"
Hmmmm.. we're starting to get the impression that Four ISN'T as evil as we originally thought.
CHAPTER TWELVE
After a long day of training and a winning fight against Myra (!!!), Tris doesn't get the break she was hoping for.
"The second I touch my head to the pillow, the door to the dormitory opens, and people stream into the room with flashlights."
Time for another field trip! This time, everyone is gearing up with some paintball guns and playing Capture the Flag. It's a Dauntless tradition, one that's taken very seriously. The Dauntless-born and faction transfer initiates are split up evenly to create two mixed teams, which leaves Tris' stomach in a knot because she's sure she'll be chosen last.
Except she isn't. In fact, Four choses her first! BAM!
Tris' team decides to hide their flag on the carousel at the pier, but once they get there, they can't decide on any sort of strategy. Rather than listen to them argue, Tris comes up with a plan of her own: Find the other team.
The best way to do that? CLIMB THE FERRIS WHEEL. Excuse us while vertigo sets in...
The only person who isn't too busy to notice Tris' departure is Four, who isn't part of the strategy debate either. Four starts climbing with her, all the while trying to make conversation. Tris feels frightened and dizzy, even though she's not afraid of heights.
"Then I realize what it is. It's him. Something about him makes me feel like I am about to fall. Or turn into liquid. Or burst into flames."
Four, on the other hand, is straight up afraid of heights. He just above dies when Tris realizes the platform at the end of the ladder isn't height enough and begins to climb the scaffolding.
Finally, they find the other team in the middle of an open park area at the end of the field, simply waiting for them to attack. On the way back down to find the other team, the million year-old ferris wheel snaps under Tris' feet and leaves her dangling.
To get Tris down without falling, Four does the quickest thing he can think of: He turns on the ferris wheel.
Tris spins down and rolls to safety, just narrowly missing being crushed by a car.
"He starts to laugh. And after a second, I laugh too ... I am aware of how little space there is between us-- six inches at most. That space feels charged with electricity. I feel like it should be smaller."
Shipping hints?! We LIKE these possible ship hints!
With the other team spotted, Tris' team develops a strategy and gets moving. It doesn't take long before they tricked the other team and captured their flag!
Tris and her team celebrate on the train back to the Dauntless compound, so much so that Tris begins to make friends with two Dauntless-born initiates: Marlene and Uriah.
"If my entire life is like this, loud laughter and bold action and the kind of exhaustion you feel after a hard but satisfying day, I will be content ... I realize all I have to do is make it through initiation, and that life will be mine."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
After little sleep, what better way to start the day than knife throwing?
Learning isn't the easiest of processes, but Tris is the first to hit the target. When all is said and done, only one initiate can't manage that feat: Al.
Unfortunately for Al, Eric decides that Al has to pay for his lack of skill. He stands Al in front of the target and tells him to stand there unflinching as Four throws knives at him.
Tris' Abnegation instincts take over and before she can stop herself, she's standing up to Eric.
"'Any idiot can stand in front of a target,' I say. 'It's doesn't prove anything except that you're bullying us. Which, as I recall, is a sign of cowardice.'
'Then it should be easy for you,' Eric says. 'If you're willing to take his place.'"
WELL, THAT BACKFIRED.
Four ends up throwing knives at Tris instead of Al, all the while goading her. Twice the knives miss her by inches, then..
"This time, when it hits the board, my ear stings, and and blood tickles my skin. I touch my ear. He nicked it.
And judging by the look he gives me, he did it on purpose."
Eric turns out to be impressed by Tris' gall, which is the only thing that makes her feel bad about sticking up for Al. At the end of the session, she says behind to confront Four one-on-one.
Four admits that he cut her ear upon on purpose, then insists she should be thanking him for it. HUH?
"You know, I'm getting a little tired of waiting for you to catch on!"
Catch on to what, Four? HELP A READER OUT!
"If I wanted to hurt you, don't you think I would have already?"
Does stabbing someone in the ear NOT constitute hurt in Four's world?!
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The good news? TRIS IS STRONGER!
The bad news? Her muscles are so big that she no longer fits into her pants.
Of course, when she goes to get something else to wear, Peter, Drew, and Molly are waiting to harass her in the dorm. They laugh at her body, then do one of the most embarrassing things we can think of:
"I duck under Peter's arm and dart toward the door. Something pinches and pulls at my towel as I walk away and then yanks sharply-- Peter's hand, gathering the fabric into his fist. The towel slips from my hand and the air is cold on my naked body..."
OH NO YOU DID NOT, PETER CANDORJERKFACE! That's his official last name, in case you were ever wondering!
Needless to say, Tris is a little tense by the time she finds new clothes and get ready for her last fight in stage one of training.
"The name written next to mine is Molly. Not Peter, but good enough."
Oh boy. Tris is about to face down one of her bullies! Then again, this same bully also beat the hell out of Christina, who seems to be stronger than Tris.
When they actually start fighting, Molly comes at Tris like a bull, but she's not able to get her the way she did Christina. Tris has learned Molly's combative flaws. What happens next is an outpouring of PENT UP RAGING ANGST that ends in Four literally having to yank Tris away from the bloody heap that is Molly.
Tris feels better, but we're not sure we do...
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Visiting Day... DUN DUN DUNNNNN!
Everyone is feeling the pressure. Will their relative show up? Will the Dauntless think them to be too attached? How will they explain their training?
Lucky for Tris, her mother is there! She's happy to see her and even admits that Tris' father is being extremely selfish for NOT coming along. We kind of love Tris' mom.
There's also a great exchange between Tris' mom and Four when she insists upon introducing herself to him.
"'Four,' my mother repeats, smiling. 'Is that a nickname?'
'Yes.' He doesn't elaborate."
Don't ask why that cracks us up.. it just does.
Unfortunately, Tris' brother Caleb won't be getting a visit from their parents, as the Erudite have forbidden the Abnegation from entering their compound. Apparently, hate between the two factions has escalated to an unhealthy level in Tris' short absence.
The tensions are never more evident than when Will's Erudite sister, Cara, straight up accuses the Abnegation of withholding food from the other factions. The sad part is that she really, truly believes it.
However, Tris' mom has more pressing matters to attend to. She pulls Tris into a corridor she's never explored before, asks her about specific details of her rank and initiation, and perhaps the most eerily, about her aptitude results.
"This is my mother.
I can trust her.
'They were inconclusive,' I say softly.
'I thought as much.' She sighs."
Apparently, Tris' mom is familiar with the concept of being Divergent. She says it's fairly common amongst the Abnegation, but she agrees with Tori that it is super freaking dangerous.
Then she gives Tris a mission: Finish Dauntless initiation, then visit Caleb in the Erudite compound. Tell him to research simulation serum. AKA Stuff that makes no sense to the reader at this point in the story. Then she rushes before it looks like Tris is too attached.
"I stand alone in the blue light coming from the lamp above me, and I understand: ...
My mother was Dauntless."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
It's time for ranks! Unfortunately they come at the end of the day, so everyone gets to spend the rest of the time being sick to their stomachs as they wait.
Discussion strays while they wait and in one instance, Tris almost gives herself away. The others discuss killing the dog in their aptitude test when Christina catches on to the fact that Tris didn't. Apparently, Candors are taught how to detect the signs of lying.
"'How did you get Dauntless without using the knife?' says Will, narrowing his eyes at me.
I look him in the eye and say evenly, 'I didn't. I got Abnegation.'"
FINALLY the end of the day is upon us and ranks are out! Much to Tris' surprise and our delight, she respectably ranks SIXTH! Edward, a little discussed Erudite transfer, comes in first with Peter in a very bitter second place. However, Al is ranked ninth and almost guaranteed to be cut.
That night, it all goes to hell.
"I hear shuffling and a squeak of a shoe. A heavy thud.
And then a wail that curdles my blood and makes my hair stand on end...
Edward lies on the floor next to his bed, clutching at his face. Surrounding his head is a halo of blood, and jutting between his clawing fingers is a silver knife blade."
Someone stabbed Edward in the eye with a butter knife. SOMEONE STABBED EDWARD. IN THE EYE. WITH A BUTTER KNIFE. Effing OW!
Does anyone else feel the urge to rub their eyes and make sure they're both in tact?
Tris goes into Abnegation mode and tries to help Edward until a nurse arrives, but there's nothing she can do. After this, Edward and his girlfriend, Myra will both quit Dauntless initiation and go factionless.
"When I look around, I see that only two faces are missing.
Drew.
And Peter."
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!!!!!!!!!!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Tris says human reason will excuse any evil. Name some "evils" that are often excused by reason.
- Who's side did you take in Eric and Four's fighting debate? Does a brave man acknowledge strength or never surrender?
- Is it right for all the initiates to fight each other despite many of them NOT being evenly matched?
- What do you think the Dauntless are guarding against at the fences? Is there any real threat at all?
- When climbing the ferris wheel, Four says that he has to ignore his fear of heights to overcome it. What fears have you learned to ignore in your day-to-day life?
- What strategy would you use in a game of Capture the Flag?
- Would you be willing to take Al's place in front of the target? Could you do it without flinching?
- Did Tris do the right thing by responding to Molly and Peter's bullying with uncontrolled violence? Was there a smarter way for her to deal with it?
- Knowing what you do about the Dauntless, would you have tried to report Peter and Drew for attacking Edward?
CHAPTER NINE
The first day of fighting is upon us! However, there's an odd number of competitors, so Tris sits out of round one.
Christina is up against Molly, whom along with Peter and Drew, she has feuded with since childhood. Coming from the faction that loves to tell the truth, Christina has told the others just how much she hates them.
"'I like to think I'm helping them by hating them,' she says. 'I'm reminding them that they aren't God's gift to humankind.'"
Al and Will fight first. They expect that Eric will eventually chose a winner and stop them, until he clarifies that he intends for everyone to fight until one opponent gets knocked out. Four insists that one of them can concede, but Eric won't allow it.
"'A brave man acknowledges the strength of others'
'A brave man never surrenders.'
Four and Eric stare at each other for a few seconds. I feel like I am looking at two different kinds of Dauntless-- the honorable kind, and the ruthless kind."
Will gets knocked out, which leaves Al mostly devastated. It only gets worse when Christina and Molly get in the ring. It turns out to be an incredibly unfair fight. Molly has a brute strength that Christina can't avoid and the outcome is much worse than anything between Will and Al.
"Blood runs down the side of Christina's face and splattered on the ground next to her cheek. This is the first time I have ever prayed for someone to fall unconscious."
Covered in blood and shame, Christina tries to concede. But Eric don't play that! He drags her out to the chasm and tells her that the only way he won't kick her into the streets to live factionless is if she hangs over the watery pit of death for five minutes.
Christina hangs from the railing, sobbing; her back beaten by vicious waves that threaten to suck her in. Tris thinks about helping her, but continuously comes up with excuses why she may not be able to. It's a constant internal struggle as the seconds tick by.
Human reason can excuse any evil; that is why it's so important that we don't rely on it.
After a pulse-pounding five minutes, Christina hangs on. Eric tries to make her climb up on her own, but Al won't stand for it. He and Tris pull her up and together, the three of them catch their breath.
Dauntless initiation just got a whole lot more dangerous...
CHAPTER TEN
As if simply completing initiation isn't bad enough, Tris now has a big ol' bully working against her: Peter. He's sabotaging her bed, using anti-Abnegation curses against her, insinuating that she'll never make it through training, and oh.. beating the crap out of her.
Yup. When it's Tris' turn to fight, her first opponent is PETER. How does that make sense?! The matches presented the day before were at least somewhat fair, but our fearless but tiny narrator gets put against the biggest guy in the class?! We blame Four.
It also doesn't help that nobody thinks she stands a chance.
"'Maybe you can just take a few hits and pretend to go unconscious," suggests Al. "No one would blame you.'"
But Tris DOES try to fight, which doesn't turn out so well for her. Perhaps the only thing more disturbing than watching her lose is seeing just how much Peter enjoys smacking the living daylights out of her.
"'Stop playing with her,' snaps Eric. 'I don't have all day.'"
More reasons to hate Eric! Not only does he know from the second the match is made that Tris will lose, he has no reservations about watching her get smothered. Four, however, walks out. For what reasons exactly, we're not sure.
When all is said and done, Tris wakes up in the Dauntless hospital surrounded by Christina, Will, and Al.
"'Well, I already know what happened to my face,' I say. 'I was there. Sort of.'
'Did you just make a joke, Tris?' Will says, grinning. 'We should get you on painkillers more often if you're going to start cracking jokes.'
I love the interactions between Tris and these three because you can see the friendship rooting itself and hopefully, we'll get more little exchanges like the one above that keep us smiling in the midst of Tris' hardships.
When Christina and Will get up to leave, Al says behind. Not only does he want to tell her about their field trip tomorrow, but he also throws in this gem:
"'And don't pay attention to Christina. Your face doesn't look that bad.' He smiles a little. 'I mean, it looks good. It always looks good. I mean--you look brave. Dauntless.'"
CANNOT. COMPUTE. Al is sweet and this feels like a line that could be a ship set-up, but Tris isn't attracted to Al and neither are we, as readers, because he's presented as somewhat fragile and annoying by Tris. Oh, awkward moments!
Al also announces that he's begun to purposely lose fights because he doesn't want to be a bully. However, he's not that noble about it, more wimpy. We just can't see that turning out well!
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The next morning, Christina helps a very sore and weak Tris dress before they head off the catch the train to the fence.
"'Feeling okay there?' Peter says, giving me a look of mock sympathy-- his lips turned down, his arched eyebrows pulled in. 'Or are you feeling a little.. Stiff?'"
Did he mention that we want to gouge out Peter's eyeballs?
Thankfully, Tris now has friends who are willing to defend her against the big bad wolf until they get to the fence. Nobody knows exactly WHAT the Dauntless are guarding just outside the fences enclosing the city, though we expect it'll be a doozy when we eventually find out!
It's there that Tris sees another old face in new faction clothing: Her ex-Abnegation friend, Robert, who is now in Amity.
"Who else transferred? Did Susan? Are there any Abnegation initiates this year? If Abnegation is fizzling, it's our fault-- Robert's and Caleb's and mine. Mine."
Naturally, Robert is concerned about Tris' face and just what exactly the Dauntless may be doing to her. No matter what the specifics, he knows she shouldn't have to go through what she has.
"'This is what I chose. This is it ... Besides Robert, The goal of my life isn't just... to be happy.'
'Wouldn't it be easier if it was, though?' he says."
As quick as the interaction is with Robert, it catches the attention of Four, He worries that Tris has "a knack for making unwise decisions", but he too seems pretty concerned about her well-being.
"He furrows his eyebrows and touches the corner my bruise eye with his fingertips ... 'You know, if you could just learn to attack first, you might do better.'"
Hmmmm.. we're starting to get the impression that Four ISN'T as evil as we originally thought.
CHAPTER TWELVE
After a long day of training and a winning fight against Myra (!!!), Tris doesn't get the break she was hoping for.
"The second I touch my head to the pillow, the door to the dormitory opens, and people stream into the room with flashlights."
Time for another field trip! This time, everyone is gearing up with some paintball guns and playing Capture the Flag. It's a Dauntless tradition, one that's taken very seriously. The Dauntless-born and faction transfer initiates are split up evenly to create two mixed teams, which leaves Tris' stomach in a knot because she's sure she'll be chosen last.
Except she isn't. In fact, Four choses her first! BAM!
Tris' team decides to hide their flag on the carousel at the pier, but once they get there, they can't decide on any sort of strategy. Rather than listen to them argue, Tris comes up with a plan of her own: Find the other team.
The best way to do that? CLIMB THE FERRIS WHEEL. Excuse us while vertigo sets in...
The only person who isn't too busy to notice Tris' departure is Four, who isn't part of the strategy debate either. Four starts climbing with her, all the while trying to make conversation. Tris feels frightened and dizzy, even though she's not afraid of heights.
"Then I realize what it is. It's him. Something about him makes me feel like I am about to fall. Or turn into liquid. Or burst into flames."
Four, on the other hand, is straight up afraid of heights. He just above dies when Tris realizes the platform at the end of the ladder isn't height enough and begins to climb the scaffolding.
Finally, they find the other team in the middle of an open park area at the end of the field, simply waiting for them to attack. On the way back down to find the other team, the million year-old ferris wheel snaps under Tris' feet and leaves her dangling.
To get Tris down without falling, Four does the quickest thing he can think of: He turns on the ferris wheel.
Tris spins down and rolls to safety, just narrowly missing being crushed by a car.
"He starts to laugh. And after a second, I laugh too ... I am aware of how little space there is between us-- six inches at most. That space feels charged with electricity. I feel like it should be smaller."
Shipping hints?! We LIKE these possible ship hints!
With the other team spotted, Tris' team develops a strategy and gets moving. It doesn't take long before they tricked the other team and captured their flag!
Tris and her team celebrate on the train back to the Dauntless compound, so much so that Tris begins to make friends with two Dauntless-born initiates: Marlene and Uriah.
"If my entire life is like this, loud laughter and bold action and the kind of exhaustion you feel after a hard but satisfying day, I will be content ... I realize all I have to do is make it through initiation, and that life will be mine."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
After little sleep, what better way to start the day than knife throwing?
Learning isn't the easiest of processes, but Tris is the first to hit the target. When all is said and done, only one initiate can't manage that feat: Al.
Unfortunately for Al, Eric decides that Al has to pay for his lack of skill. He stands Al in front of the target and tells him to stand there unflinching as Four throws knives at him.
Tris' Abnegation instincts take over and before she can stop herself, she's standing up to Eric.
"'Any idiot can stand in front of a target,' I say. 'It's doesn't prove anything except that you're bullying us. Which, as I recall, is a sign of cowardice.'
'Then it should be easy for you,' Eric says. 'If you're willing to take his place.'"
WELL, THAT BACKFIRED.
Four ends up throwing knives at Tris instead of Al, all the while goading her. Twice the knives miss her by inches, then..
"This time, when it hits the board, my ear stings, and and blood tickles my skin. I touch my ear. He nicked it.
And judging by the look he gives me, he did it on purpose."
Eric turns out to be impressed by Tris' gall, which is the only thing that makes her feel bad about sticking up for Al. At the end of the session, she says behind to confront Four one-on-one.
Four admits that he cut her ear upon on purpose, then insists she should be thanking him for it. HUH?
"You know, I'm getting a little tired of waiting for you to catch on!"
Catch on to what, Four? HELP A READER OUT!
"If I wanted to hurt you, don't you think I would have already?"
Does stabbing someone in the ear NOT constitute hurt in Four's world?!
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The good news? TRIS IS STRONGER!
The bad news? Her muscles are so big that she no longer fits into her pants.
Of course, when she goes to get something else to wear, Peter, Drew, and Molly are waiting to harass her in the dorm. They laugh at her body, then do one of the most embarrassing things we can think of:
"I duck under Peter's arm and dart toward the door. Something pinches and pulls at my towel as I walk away and then yanks sharply-- Peter's hand, gathering the fabric into his fist. The towel slips from my hand and the air is cold on my naked body..."
OH NO YOU DID NOT, PETER CANDORJERKFACE! That's his official last name, in case you were ever wondering!
Needless to say, Tris is a little tense by the time she finds new clothes and get ready for her last fight in stage one of training.
"The name written next to mine is Molly. Not Peter, but good enough."
Oh boy. Tris is about to face down one of her bullies! Then again, this same bully also beat the hell out of Christina, who seems to be stronger than Tris.
When they actually start fighting, Molly comes at Tris like a bull, but she's not able to get her the way she did Christina. Tris has learned Molly's combative flaws. What happens next is an outpouring of PENT UP RAGING ANGST that ends in Four literally having to yank Tris away from the bloody heap that is Molly.
Tris feels better, but we're not sure we do...
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Visiting Day... DUN DUN DUNNNNN!
Everyone is feeling the pressure. Will their relative show up? Will the Dauntless think them to be too attached? How will they explain their training?
Lucky for Tris, her mother is there! She's happy to see her and even admits that Tris' father is being extremely selfish for NOT coming along. We kind of love Tris' mom.
There's also a great exchange between Tris' mom and Four when she insists upon introducing herself to him.
"'Four,' my mother repeats, smiling. 'Is that a nickname?'
'Yes.' He doesn't elaborate."
Don't ask why that cracks us up.. it just does.
Unfortunately, Tris' brother Caleb won't be getting a visit from their parents, as the Erudite have forbidden the Abnegation from entering their compound. Apparently, hate between the two factions has escalated to an unhealthy level in Tris' short absence.
The tensions are never more evident than when Will's Erudite sister, Cara, straight up accuses the Abnegation of withholding food from the other factions. The sad part is that she really, truly believes it.
However, Tris' mom has more pressing matters to attend to. She pulls Tris into a corridor she's never explored before, asks her about specific details of her rank and initiation, and perhaps the most eerily, about her aptitude results.
"This is my mother.
I can trust her.
'They were inconclusive,' I say softly.
'I thought as much.' She sighs."
Apparently, Tris' mom is familiar with the concept of being Divergent. She says it's fairly common amongst the Abnegation, but she agrees with Tori that it is super freaking dangerous.
Then she gives Tris a mission: Finish Dauntless initiation, then visit Caleb in the Erudite compound. Tell him to research simulation serum. AKA Stuff that makes no sense to the reader at this point in the story. Then she rushes before it looks like Tris is too attached.
"I stand alone in the blue light coming from the lamp above me, and I understand: ...
My mother was Dauntless."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
It's time for ranks! Unfortunately they come at the end of the day, so everyone gets to spend the rest of the time being sick to their stomachs as they wait.
Discussion strays while they wait and in one instance, Tris almost gives herself away. The others discuss killing the dog in their aptitude test when Christina catches on to the fact that Tris didn't. Apparently, Candors are taught how to detect the signs of lying.
"'How did you get Dauntless without using the knife?' says Will, narrowing his eyes at me.
I look him in the eye and say evenly, 'I didn't. I got Abnegation.'"
FINALLY the end of the day is upon us and ranks are out! Much to Tris' surprise and our delight, she respectably ranks SIXTH! Edward, a little discussed Erudite transfer, comes in first with Peter in a very bitter second place. However, Al is ranked ninth and almost guaranteed to be cut.
That night, it all goes to hell.
"I hear shuffling and a squeak of a shoe. A heavy thud.
And then a wail that curdles my blood and makes my hair stand on end...
Edward lies on the floor next to his bed, clutching at his face. Surrounding his head is a halo of blood, and jutting between his clawing fingers is a silver knife blade."
Someone stabbed Edward in the eye with a butter knife. SOMEONE STABBED EDWARD. IN THE EYE. WITH A BUTTER KNIFE. Effing OW!
Does anyone else feel the urge to rub their eyes and make sure they're both in tact?
Tris goes into Abnegation mode and tries to help Edward until a nurse arrives, but there's nothing she can do. After this, Edward and his girlfriend, Myra will both quit Dauntless initiation and go factionless.
"When I look around, I see that only two faces are missing.
Drew.
And Peter."
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!!!!!!!!!!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Tris says human reason will excuse any evil. Name some "evils" that are often excused by reason.
- Who's side did you take in Eric and Four's fighting debate? Does a brave man acknowledge strength or never surrender?
- Is it right for all the initiates to fight each other despite many of them NOT being evenly matched?
- What do you think the Dauntless are guarding against at the fences? Is there any real threat at all?
- When climbing the ferris wheel, Four says that he has to ignore his fear of heights to overcome it. What fears have you learned to ignore in your day-to-day life?
- What strategy would you use in a game of Capture the Flag?
- Would you be willing to take Al's place in front of the target? Could you do it without flinching?
- Did Tris do the right thing by responding to Molly and Peter's bullying with uncontrolled violence? Was there a smarter way for her to deal with it?
- Knowing what you do about the Dauntless, would you have tried to report Peter and Drew for attacking Edward?
