65 pages • 2 hours read
Tris and her friends discuss who will sacrifice themself to get into the Weapons Lab. Caleb says he knows everyone wants it to be him. Part of Tris thinks it should be Caleb who goes into the lab, but she also doesn’t want to lose her only family member. Caleb asks Tris if she’ll forgive him if he volunteers, and she says yes. Tris and Tobias talk about Caleb volunteering, and in that conversation, Tobias thanks Tris for never thinking he was damaged.
The next day, Tobias teaches Caleb how to use a gun, and Tris and Christina help. Tris helps Caleb stay calm, telling him that working under pressure is a big part of the mission. After the training, Tris and Christina get the explosives from Reggie and teach Caleb how to use them. The group also finalizes the details for each part of the mission. When Tobias says goodbye to Uriah, Matthew approaches. Tobias asks Matthew why he’s willing to help them take down the Bureau when he has no stake in it. Matthew explains that he had a GD girlfriend whom a group of GPs attacked. She died a year later during surgery to correct some of the damage caused by the attack, but the Bureau only sentenced the attackers to community service. Matthew says he may not show it, but he hates the Bureau and wants to see them suffer the way they make others suffer.
Tris attends an emergency council meeting and learns details about the memory serum drop on Chicago. She then spends time with Tobias in the atrium until he has to leave for the city. They kiss goodbye, and Tris goes to be with Caleb.
In the control room, Tobias checks the Chicago cameras a final time. Evelyn is in her headquarters looking at a map, and Marcus is in a meeting with Johana. Tobias only has time to give the memory serum to one of his parents, and he hopes they’ll be in the same place when he comes looking for them.
The group going to Chicago gets in the truck and drives through the falling snow. They cross the city boundary, and Christina says she must go to the bathroom. Tobias can feel her slash the truck’s back tires, but no one else notices. They continue driving, but after a couple of minutes, the truck begins to bounce and shudder. Amar stops, and Tobias volunteers to check the truck and reports that the tires are flat. He says he’ll find a new vehicle while they walk toward the city, and Peter says he’ll go with Tobias. Christina and Amar continue toward downtown, and Tobias and Peter go in a different direction.
Caleb looks at the simulation serum in the microscope in Matthew’s lab and knows he’s doing the right thing by helping to stop the Bureau. Matthew leaves Tris and Caleb alone in the lab. They recall childhood memories and realize they don’t know much about each other. Caleb asks if Tris sincerely forgives him for betraying her, and she says she has. Tris then asks Caleb why he’s willing to die to stop the Bureau, and he says he wants to escape the guilt of all he’s done wrong. Suddenly, a voice over the intercom says an emergency lockdown is in place. Matthew returns to the lab and says they must get into the Weapons Lab before security becomes tighter.
The novel’s action increases in intensity as it nears the climax, as illustrated by the shorter chapters of this section. These chapters also contain mostly action with little exposition about that action. This lack of explanation and description further increases the tension for the readers and lets readers know that the plot is nearing its zenith. Most of the remaining chapters in the novel will follow this format.
The tension building between Tris and Caleb finally comes to a peaceful resolution. The siblings are very different in personality and values, yet they find peace in their differences when faced with death. Tris finally forgives Caleb for betraying her to Jeanine because Caleb is willing to sacrifice his life to help stop the Bureau. Some readers might question Tris’s motives in this, but as Tris tells Caleb, she has a strong desire to forgive him, which is essentially the same as forgiving him. Tris moves past her hurt and betrayal to see the brother she loves, regardless of his mistakes. Likewise, Caleb recognizes the Bureau’s hand in the chaos in Chicago and knows he will help stop them. He feels guilt and remorse for helping Jeanine, so he thinks sacrificing himself for the sake of others will bring him redemption. Tris and Caleb heal their relationship and find peace in all that’s happened between them.
Tris and Tobias face difficult choices in this section. Tris must decide if she will allow Caleb to sacrifice himself to stop the Bureau. Abnegation taught Tris that someone should only allow another person to sacrifice themselves if it is the best way to show that person they love them. Unfortunately, this is not why Caleb wants to sacrifice himself. He wants to rid himself of guilt, not prove his love to Tris. Thus, Tris debates whether or not to let Caleb go into the Weapons Lab to face the death serum. Likewise, Tobias must choose which of his parents he will reset. He knows peace in Chicago is impossible so long as his parents continue to fight each other, so he thinks resetting one of them will help solve the conflict. Choosing which parent to reset is difficult because of his continuous need for acceptance from them.
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By Veronica Roth