Four: A Divergent Collection
“First Jumper—Tris!”
by Roth, VeronicaThe chapter opens with the narrator, Four, awaiting the first initiate’s jump on Choosing Day, reminiscing about his own terrifying experience leaping from the building. The net below is ready, and tension builds as he and Lauren, a fellow Dauntless member, exchange casual banter about recruitment and Zeke’s talkative nature. Their conversation reveals the Dauntless preference for compatibility over skill, while Four reflects on the advantage Dauntless-born initiates have—familiarity with the compound and a cultivated boldness. The scene sets the stage for the arrival of the first jumper, with Lauren confidently betting it will be a Dauntless-born.
To everyone’s surprise, the first jumper is not a Dauntless-born but a transfer from Abnegation, clad in gray. Four is struck by her fragile appearance yet steady demeanor as he helps her from the net. Lauren mockingly dubs her a “Stiff,” highlighting the rarity of Abnegation transfers joining Dauntless. Four, feeling a strange connection to the girl, defends her, recognizing her courage in leaving her former faction. The moment is charged with significance as Four realizes she, like him, is seeking a new identity in Dauntless.
When asked for her name, the girl hesitates, mirroring Four’s own past uncertainty. He encourages her to choose carefully, offering her a fresh start. She confidently declares her name as “Tris,” and Four, claiming her as his initiate, announces her to the gathered Dauntless crowd. This act ensures she’ll be remembered for her bravery rather than her origins. The chapter underscores the Dauntless values of boldness and reinvention, as well as the societal divisions between factions.
As the crowd cheers, another initiate—a Candor transfer—plunges into the net, screaming. Lauren assists her while Four guides Tris toward the stairs, welcoming her to Dauntless. The chapter closes with a reflection on how bravery and insanity often overlap in Dauntless culture, leaving Tris’s future in the faction open to possibility. The scene captures the intensity of initiation and the transformative power of choice.
FAQs
1. What makes Tris’s jump significant in the context of Dauntless traditions?
Answer:
Tris’s jump is significant because she is an Abnegation transfer (referred to as a “Stiff”) who jumps first—an unprecedented event in Dauntless culture. Typically, Dauntless-born initiates jump first due to their familiarity with the initiation process and their cultivated boldness. The narrator notes that Dauntless-born initiates have an “unfair advantage” from growing up in the faction, making Tris’s courage (or recklessness) remarkable. Her action defies expectations, marking her as someone who might redefine what it means to be Dauntless. The narrator emphasizes this by announcing her name loudly, ensuring she’s remembered for her bravery rather than her former faction.2. How does the narrator’s perspective reveal the differences between Dauntless-born initiates and transfers?
Answer:
The narrator highlights key differences through their observations. Dauntless-born initiates are raised to embrace bold actions and often know what to expect from initiation (like the net at the bottom of the jump). Transfers, however, lack this cultural conditioning and must overcome instinctive terror. The narrator reflects on their own experience as a transfer, recalling the “awful drop” and “helpless flailing,” contrasting it with Lauren’s confidence in betting on a Dauntless-born jumper. This divide underscores the faction’s internal hierarchy: Dauntless-born are presumed superior, while transfers must prove themselves through extraordinary acts, as Tris does.3. Analyze the significance of the narrator giving Tris a new name. What might this symbolize?
Answer:
The naming moment symbolizes rebirth into Dauntless identity. When Tris hesitates to share her name, the narrator recognizes her struggle—mirroring their own past dissatisfaction with their Abnegation identity. By encouraging Tris to choose “Tris,” the narrator offers her an escape from her old self, much like their initiation instructor did for them. This act reinforces Dauntless’s emphasis on self-reinvention and shedding faction ties. Lauren’s prompt to “make the announcement” solidifies this transformation, ensuring Tris is celebrated as Dauntless rather than defined by her gray Abnegation clothing.4. How does the chapter portray the relationship between bravery and insanity in Dauntless culture?
Answer:
The narrator ambiguously frames Tris’s jump as both bravery and insanity, noting that in Dauntless, “sometimes they’re the same thing.” This reflects the faction’s glorification of extreme actions: jumping first is celebrated, but it also borders on recklessness. The Candor initiate’s “blood-curdling scream” later underscores how Dauntless rituals test mental limits. The narrator’s own memory of terror during their jump suggests that Dauntless values actions that override instinctual fear—whether those actions are courageous or foolish depends on perspective. Tris’s calm demeanor afterward, however, hints at genuine courage.5. What role does Lauren play in highlighting the narrator’s connection to Tris?
Answer:
Lauren acts as a foil, emphasizing the narrator’s unique empathy for Tris. While Lauren dismisses Tris as just a “Stiff,” the narrator defends her (“There’s a reason she left them”) and guides her gently. Lauren’s focus on faction stereotypes contrasts with the narrator’s recognition of Tris’s deeper struggle with identity—a struggle they share. When Lauren insists on announcing Tris’s name, she unwittingly reinforces the narrator’s role as Tris’s mentor, setting up their future dynamic. Their exchange also reveals the narrator’s protective instinct toward transfers, having been one themselves.
Quotes
1. “They have an unfair advantage, the Dauntless-born. They usually know what’s at the bottom of the jump, though we try to keep it from them as much as possible… They also grow up cultivating in themselves the desire to make bold moves, to take drastic action, to commit themselves fully to whatever they decide to do.”
This quote highlights the systemic advantage Dauntless-born initiates have over transfers, emphasizing how their upbringing shapes their fearless mentality. It introduces a key theme of inequality in initiation and the cultural conditioning of bravery.
2. “Not a black streak like I was expecting, but gray, tumbling through the air… ‘A Stiff, the first to jump? Unheard of.’”
This pivotal moment captures Tris’s unexpected defiance of norms as an Abnegation transfer. The shock of a “Stiff” jumping first challenges stereotypes and marks the beginning of her transformative journey in Dauntless.
3. “I feel, for a strange, brief moment, like I know her… her eyes and her mouth searching for a name, dissatisfied with the one she finds, just like I was.”
Four’s recognition of a kindred spirit in Tris reveals the deeper theme of identity transformation that defines both characters. This moment foreshadows their connection through shared experiences of reinvention.
4. “This way, they’ll remember her, not for the gray she wears but for her first act of bravery. Or insanity. Sometimes they’re the same thing.”
This insightful conclusion reframes Tris’s jump as a defining moment that transcends faction stereotypes. It encapsulates the book’s central exploration of how bravery and recklessness often blur in Dauntless culture.