Allegiant
Chapter Forty
by Roth, VeronicaIn Chapter Forty of *Allegiant*, Tobias secures Amar’s help to re-enter the city, planning to meet with Christina, Peter, and George to arrange transportation. Meanwhile, Tobias grapples with guilt over Uriah’s fate, rehearsing apologies to Zeke in his mind. His internal turmoil manifests physically as he throws a pillow in frustration, startling Cara. Their conversation shifts to forgiveness, with Cara sharing her complex feelings about Tris’s role in her brother’s death, emphasizing the importance of confession over excuses.
Tobias presses Cara for advice on seeking forgiveness, drawing parallels to his own guilt about Uriah. Cara suggests that a sincere confession—without justification—is crucial, followed by giving Zeke space. She challenges Tobias to separate grief from guilt, reminding him he didn’t directly cause Uriah’s injuries. Despite her comforting words, Tobias struggles to internalize her perspective, highlighting his emotional conflict and self-blame.
The group reconvenes for dinner, where Amar distributes syringes containing an inoculation against a memory-erasing serum. While most comply, Peter deceitfully avoids injecting himself, raising questions about his motives. Tobias reflects on the irony of willingly forgetting one’s past, hinting at deeper themes of identity and choice. The scene underscores the group’s precarious mission and the moral ambiguities they face.
Later, Christina confronts Tobias about their secret plan to stop the Bureau’s memory reset, expressing concerns about the ongoing chaos in the city. Tobias admits Amar is unaware, prioritizing loyalty to their cause over Bureau allegiance. The chapter ends on a tense note, with Christina warning of the potential consequences—violence between factions—if their intervention fails. This sets the stage for the looming conflict between personal duty and broader consequences.
FAQs
1. What internal conflict is Tobias grappling with in this chapter, and how does Cara advise him to handle it?
Answer:
Tobias is struggling with guilt over his indirect role in Uriah’s injuries, cycling through potential apologies to Zeke (Uriah’s brother). Cara provides two key pieces of advice: First, she emphasizes the importance of a full confession without excuses, drawing parallels to Tris’s honesty about killing her brother. Second, she advises giving Zeke space after the confession. Notably, Cara challenges Tobias to separate grief from guilt, stating, “You didn’t kill Uriah… It happened. It was awful. You aren’t perfect” (Chapter Forty). Her blunt yet compassionate approach helps Tobias reframe his emotions.2. Analyze the significance of Peter’s decision to fake his memory serum inoculation. What might this reveal about his character?
Answer:
Peter’s deliberate deception—pretending to inject the serum while letting it drip down his throat—suggests a willingness to risk memory loss, contrasting sharply with the others’ actions. This choice reveals his nihilistic tendencies and possible desire to escape painful memories (like his past actions in the faction wars). It also foreshadows potential future conflicts, as his wiped memories could make him a wild card. The observation that Tobias “wonder[s] what it feels like to volunteer to forget everything” underscores Peter’s psychological complexity—he may view oblivion as preferable to confronting his identity.3. How does Amar’s assistance with the mission highlight tensions between loyalty and rebellion among the characters?
Answer:
Amar’s eagerness to help access the city (“requiring little persuasion”) shows his adventurous spirit, yet Tobias deliberately withholds their true motive—stopping the memory serum reset—because Amar is “loyal to the Bureau.” This creates dramatic irony: Amar provides tools (serum inoculations) meant to preserve memories, unaware they’ll be used to undermine the Bureau’s plan. The scene underscores the moral ambiguity of rebellion, as characters like Amar operate on partial truths while others (Christina, Tobias) commit to full defiance. The syringes themselves become symbols of this divide—protection for some, a weapon against the system for others.4. Compare Christina’s and Tobias’s reactions to the memory serum inoculation. What do their differing methods reveal about their backgrounds?
Answer:
Christina injects the serum into her elbow vein with pragmatic precision, reflecting her Dauntless-trained medical experience. Tobias, however, instinctively uses his neck—a habit from his fear landscape simulations, highlighting his deep-rooted Dauntless conditioning. This contrast reveals how their faction backgrounds still influence their behaviors: Christina’s approach is functional and direct, while Tobias’s is tied to personal rituals of overcoming fear. Their shared commitment to the mission, however, transcends these differences, as both prioritize protecting their memories despite their divergent techniques.5. Why might the author have chosen to frame Tobias’s emotional struggle alongside the logistical planning for the mission?
Answer:
The parallel narratives—Tobias’s guilt and the tactical preparations—create thematic resonance between personal and collective redemption. Just as Tobias seeks to atone to Zeke, the group seeks to atone for the Bureau’s manipulations by saving the city. The cold soup (“crackers swimming in broth”) mirrors Tobias’s emotional stagnation, while the urgency of the mission (“meet that evening”) forces him to compartmentalize grief. This structure emphasizes that rebellion often requires balancing personal pain with collective action, a central tension in the novel’s climax. Cara’s advice (“Don’t confuse grief with guilt”) thus applies equally to Tobias’s interpersonal relationships and his revolutionary role.
Quotes
1. “I don’t need to be patted or consoled, like a child. I don’t need her raised eyebrows, her soft voice, to coax an emotion from me that I would prefer to contain.”
This quote reveals Tobias’s internal struggle with vulnerability and grief after Uriah’s death. It showcases his resistance to emotional displays and his desire to maintain control, reflecting a key character trait that influences his interactions throughout the chapter.
2. “There is a difference between admitting and confessing. Admitting involves softening, making excuses for things that cannot be excused; confessing just names the crime at its full severity.”
Cara’s insight about confession versus admission provides a profound philosophical distinction about accountability. This becomes crucial guidance for Tobias as he prepares to face Zeke about his role in Uriah’s fate.
3. “Don’t confuse your grief with guilt.”
This concise yet powerful advice from Cara captures a central emotional conflict in the chapter. It serves as a turning point for Tobias, helping him begin to separate his mourning from misplaced self-blame about events beyond his control.
4. “I wonder what it feels like to volunteer to forget everything.”
Tobias’s observation about Peter’s choice to potentially erase his memories raises profound questions about identity and trauma. This moment highlights the chapter’s exploration of memory’s value and the different ways characters cope with pain.
5. “If we stop the reset, the Allegiant will attack Evelyn, Evelyn will turn the death serum loose, and a l…”
This unfinished but ominous quote represents the critical dilemma facing the characters. It underscores the high-stakes consequences of their planned intervention in Chicago’s conflict, setting up major tension for subsequent chapters.