Tobias, as always, discussed his opinions on the various factions during another tender moment with Tris. Tobias and Tris are both very thoughtful and smart, and I know that the two will play a big role if unrest amongst the factions breaks out. Tobias feels like "we've all started to put down the virtues of other factions in the process of bolstering our own." Like the old saying goes, "united we stand, divided we fall." The factions were formed with the purpose of being united, since no single one can stand alone on its own. Now that each faction's values are becoming more and more isolated and not interconnected with one another, it's becoming harder to get along and function as a whole. In my mind, its like a color wheel: The factions all are positioned on the circle, some of them related to one another but others near opposites. Now, the colors are becoming more defined and separated-- the circle is breaking apart.
As with most works of dystopian literature, there is a bit of triumph for our protagonists over the antagonists. With Drew and Molly knocked out, only Peter remains. Tris's reaction to this surprised me, however. She remarks: "it isn't quite the victory I wanted, but it's a victory nonetheless." I assume she was hoping for something a bit harsher than just being made Factionless, after all agony the two of them put her through. Even more unfortunate, however, Jeanine Mathews and Max have replaced Molly and Drew as antagonists. The Dauntless and Erudite leaders are even more frightening than Molly and Drew ever were. Luckily, there are several more protagonists to add to the list: Uriah, Tobias, and Caleb. The battle is mounting, and the sides appear well drawn. All that needs to happen now is something big-- something with enough magnitude to know the entire system off its balance. Perhaps that thing is already underway.
Even a few chapters ago, I thought that the tracking serum was a little shady. I mean, it's been created by manipulative Erudite leaders, and it supposedly is "tracking" Tris and the other Dauntless. How many more read flags are needed? The only question left is how Tris and Tobias are ever going to remove the device. I imagine it must be quite embedded if it is minute enough to be injected via a needle and a long needle into the neck at that.
Okay, now things are just getting weird. I knew that a Divergent was dangerous because they went against the perfect system in some way or another, but I am surprised to find this perfect system comprised of a group of Dauntless and Erudite leaders. I now see that the reason is because their brains work differently-- they work in a way that Jeanine doesn't yet know how to control.
Also as I said before, each of the factions is like a different ethnicity, each with it's own values and cultural identity. Does Jeanine expect to "ethnically cleanse" all of the Abnegation? Or only those which she defines as leaders? Will she put the children into reeducation programs, or will they die at her orders too? Jeanine already has developed a cult of personality within her own faction and the Dauntless, so whose to say she won't impose it upon the children of Abnegation?
I am also surprised that Tris found herself unable to shoot Eric in the face. Just moments earlier she had expressed a desire to kill Max, Eric and Jeanine in order to protect her home faction, and now she just freezes up. What is supposed to happen now that Four and Tris are captured? It is irrational to think that they will be allowed to live, unless that is, they manage to escape. I suppose Roth needed him to live, and that she has something planned for him later on in her books.
Finally, I am taking close note of what Eric has to say. Before he tried to murder Four, he said "too bad you didn't just take Max up on his offer". This shows that Tobias must have known at least something was going on, no matter what the offer was.
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