Search Jump: Comments
    Chapter Index
    Back to Story
    Cover of Allegiant
    Adventure FictionScience FictionYoung Adult

    Allegiant

    by Roth, Veronica
    “Allegiant” by Veronica Roth is the final installment in the dystopian Divergent trilogy. The story follows Tris Prior and Tobias Eaton as they venture beyond the confines of their fractured city, uncovering a shocking truth: their society is an experiment designed to repair damaged genetic traits. The novel explores themes of identity, sacrifice, and the consequences of rebellion as Tris and Tobias confront a new conflict between the genetically “pure” (Divergent) and “damaged” individuals. The dual-perspective narrative deepens character development, culminating in a tragic yet thematically resonant conclusion that challenges notions of freedom and human nature. Roth’s world-building expands significantly, revealing the broader scope of the series’ dystopian setting.
    PreviousNext
    Allegiant

    Chapter Thirty-Seven

    by Roth, Veronica

    Tris arrives at David’s office for her first coun­cil meet­ing, not­ing his exhaust­ed appear­ance with dark cir­cles under his eyes and raw, chewed fin­ger­nails. Despite her own lin­ger­ing heav­i­ness from a truth serum test ear­li­er, she offers to help push his wheel­chair. As they nav­i­gate the dim, win­dow­less halls of Ter­mi­nal 5, Tris observes David’s evi­dent stress and para­noia, though she remains focused on her hid­den agen­da. The atmos­phere is tense, with David hint­ing at a recent cri­sis he dealt with overnight, but refus­ing to elab­o­rate fur­ther.

    The coun­cil meet­ing begins with David announc­ing a crit­i­cal sit­u­a­tion in Chica­go: the Alle­giant, a group of fac­tion loy­al­ists, are rebelling against the fac­tion­less gov­ern­ment. Eve­lyn John­son has dis­cov­ered hid­den stores of dead­ly serum, esca­lat­ing the poten­tial for cat­a­stroph­ic vio­lence. David empha­sizes that anoth­er rev­o­lu­tion could jeop­ar­dize the entire exper­i­ment, risk­ing shut­down by their supe­ri­ors. His deter­mi­na­tion to pre­vent this out­come is clear, as he views the exper­i­ment as vital to com­bat­ing genet­ic dam­age, reveal­ing his unwa­ver­ing com­mit­ment to the cause.

    David pro­pos­es a dras­tic solu­tion: using a mem­o­ry serum virus to “reset” all four exper­i­ments, eras­ing the mem­o­ries of those involved to quell the upris­ing. Tris, shocked, inter­rupts to ques­tion the moral­i­ty of this plan, prompt­ing David to explain that resets have been used before to main­tain con­trol. He reveals that the phys­i­cal dev­as­ta­tion in the fac­tion­less sec­tor was the result of a past upris­ing and sub­se­quent mem­o­ry era­sure. This rev­e­la­tion stuns Tris, who had nev­er con­nect­ed the destruc­tion to such delib­er­ate, large-scale manip­u­la­tion.

    Tris is over­whelmed by anger at the coun­cil’s cold cal­cu­la­tion, real­iz­ing they see the peo­ple of Chica­go as mere genet­ic con­tain­ers rather than indi­vid­u­als with auton­o­my. The chap­ter ends with Tris grap­pling with the eth­i­cal impli­ca­tions of the reset plan, while the coun­cil moves for­ward with dis­cus­sions on tim­ing. The ten­sion between the coun­cil’s util­i­tar­i­an goals and Tris’s grow­ing moral out­rage sets the stage for fur­ther con­flict, high­light­ing the dehu­man­iz­ing nature of their exper­i­ments and Tris’s resolve to resist.

    Down­load PDF Sum­ma­ry

    FAQs

    • 1. What is the “crisis” that David reveals to the council, and why is it significant?

      Answer:
      The crisis involves the Allegiant (faction loyalists) rebelling against Evelyn Johnson’s factionless government in Chicago, attacking weapons safe houses. Evelyn has discovered hidden stores of death serum in Erudite headquarters, which could lead to catastrophic casualties if used in retaliation. This is significant because another revolution could jeopardize the Bureau’s genetic experiments, potentially leading their superiors to shut down the entire project. David emphasizes they must prevent this to continue fighting genetic damage, showing the Bureau prioritizes their experiment over human lives (Chapter Thirty-Seven).

      2. How does Tris react to David’s plan for a “mass reset,” and what does this reveal about the Bureau’s view of the experiments’ participants?

      Answer:
      Tris is stunned and sick with anger when David proposes using memory serum virus for a mass reset of all four experiments. She realizes the Bureau sees people in the experiments merely as “containers of genetic material” (GDs), valuing them only for their corrected genes rather than as individuals with identities and memories. This moment highlights the dehumanizing perspective of the Bureau, who view memory erasure as a convenient tool to maintain control, not considering its ethical implications or impact on people’s lives (Chapter Thirty-Seven).

      3. What clues suggest David is under significant stress, and how might this connect to broader themes in the chapter?

      Answer:
      David appears physically drained—pale, with dark circles under his eyes “like bruises,” and raw, chewed fingernails. These details mirror Tris’s own past stress during fear simulations, hinting at his guilt or fear. His stress ties to the chapter’s themes of control and consequences: he’s desperate to maintain the experiment (even through unethical means like mass memory erasure), yet his deteriorating state suggests the unsustainable nature of the Bureau’s manipulation (Chapter Thirty-Seven).

      4. Analyze the symbolism of Terminal 5’s environment and how it reflects the Bureau’s ideology.

      Answer:
      Terminal 5 is described as windowless, with “dim hallways” and a paranoid atmosphere (“terrified of unfamiliar eyes”). This mirrors the Bureau’s secretive, controlling nature—they operate in shadows, fearing scrutiny. The lack of connection to the outside world symbolizes their isolation from the humanity they claim to “fix.” Tris’s observation that the terminal itself seems paranoid underscores the Bureau’s fear of losing control, reinforcing their authoritarian approach to genetic “perfection” (Chapter Thirty-Seven).

      5. Why is the revelation about the factionless sector’s destruction significant to Tris, and how does it change her understanding of Chicago’s history?

      Answer:
      Tris learns the factionless sector’s physical devastation resulted from a past uprising and subsequent “reset” (memory erasure). She’d previously assumed the decay was due to lack of community, but this revelation exposes the Bureau’s active role in violently suppressing dissent. It reshapes her understanding of Chicago as a manipulated experiment, not an organic society, and underscores the Bureau’s willingness to erase identities to maintain control—a realization that fuels her anger and moral defiance (Chapter Thirty-Seven).

    Quotes

    • 1. “I can almost feel the paranoia emanating from the walls, like the terminal itself is terrified of unfamiliar eyes. If only they knew what my eyes were searching for.”

      This quote captures Tris’s internal tension and the atmosphere of secrecy in the Bureau. It highlights her dual role as both observer and infiltrator while emphasizing the institutional fear of outsiders.

      2. “If the Allegiant attack the factionless government, and Evelyn Johnson retaliates, the casualties will obviously be catastrophic.”

      A pivotal revelation about the escalating conflict in Chicago. This quote demonstrates the Bureau’s detached perspective on human lives, framing the crisis as an experiment management problem rather than a humanitarian disaster.

      3. “Another revolution in Chicago would only cement their belief that this endeavor has outlived its usefulness—something we cannot allow to happen if we want to continue to fight genetic damage.”

      This exposes the Bureau’s true priority - preserving their eugenics project. The quote is significant for showing how they value their experiment over human autonomy or lives.

      4. “‘Resetting’ is our word for widespread memory erasure… Why did you think there was so much physical devastation in the factionless sector? There was an uprising, and we had to quell it as cleanly as possible.”

      A chilling explanation of the Bureau’s authoritarian methods. This quote reveals their history of mass manipulation and introduces the disturbing concept of “resetting” populations against their will.

      5. “To them, the people in our city are just containers of genetic material—just GDs, valuable for the corrected genes they pass on, and not for the brains in their heads or the hearts in their chests.”

      Tris’s powerful realization about the Bureau’s dehumanizing ideology. This concise statement encapsulates the core moral conflict of the chapter and series - the reduction of people to their genetic makeup.

    Quotes

    1. “I can almost feel the paranoia emanating from the walls, like the terminal itself is terrified of unfamiliar eyes. If only they knew what my eyes were searching for.”

    This quote captures Tris’s internal tension and the atmosphere of secrecy in the Bureau. It highlights her dual role as both observer and infiltrator while emphasizing the institutional fear of outsiders.

    2. “If the Allegiant attack the factionless government, and Evelyn Johnson retaliates, the casualties will obviously be catastrophic.”

    A pivotal revelation about the escalating conflict in Chicago. This quote demonstrates the Bureau’s detached perspective on human lives, framing the crisis as an experiment management problem rather than a humanitarian disaster.

    3. “Another revolution in Chicago would only cement their belief that this endeavor has outlived its usefulness—something we cannot allow to happen if we want to continue to fight genetic damage.”

    This exposes the Bureau’s true priority - preserving their eugenics project. The quote is significant for showing how they value their experiment over human autonomy or lives.

    4. “‘Resetting’ is our word for widespread memory erasure… Why did you think there was so much physical devastation in the factionless sector? There was an uprising, and we had to quell it as cleanly as possible.”

    A chilling explanation of the Bureau’s authoritarian methods. This quote reveals their history of mass manipulation and introduces the disturbing concept of “resetting” populations against their will.

    5. “To them, the people in our city are just containers of genetic material—just GDs, valuable for the corrected genes they pass on, and not for the brains in their heads or the hearts in their chests.”

    Tris’s powerful realization about the Bureau’s dehumanizing ideology. This concise statement encapsulates the core moral conflict of the chapter and series - the reduction of people to their genetic makeup.

    FAQs

    1. What is the “crisis” that David reveals to the council, and why is it significant?

    Answer:
    The crisis involves the Allegiant (faction loyalists) rebelling against Evelyn Johnson’s factionless government in Chicago, attacking weapons safe houses. Evelyn has discovered hidden stores of death serum in Erudite headquarters, which could lead to catastrophic casualties if used in retaliation. This is significant because another revolution could jeopardize the Bureau’s genetic experiments, potentially leading their superiors to shut down the entire project. David emphasizes they must prevent this to continue fighting genetic damage, showing the Bureau prioritizes their experiment over human lives (Chapter Thirty-Seven).

    2. How does Tris react to David’s plan for a “mass reset,” and what does this reveal about the Bureau’s view of the experiments’ participants?

    Answer:
    Tris is stunned and sick with anger when David proposes using memory serum virus for a mass reset of all four experiments. She realizes the Bureau sees people in the experiments merely as “containers of genetic material” (GDs), valuing them only for their corrected genes rather than as individuals with identities and memories. This moment highlights the dehumanizing perspective of the Bureau, who view memory erasure as a convenient tool to maintain control, not considering its ethical implications or impact on people’s lives (Chapter Thirty-Seven).

    3. What clues suggest David is under significant stress, and how might this connect to broader themes in the chapter?

    Answer:
    David appears physically drained—pale, with dark circles under his eyes “like bruises,” and raw, chewed fingernails. These details mirror Tris’s own past stress during fear simulations, hinting at his guilt or fear. His stress ties to the chapter’s themes of control and consequences: he’s desperate to maintain the experiment (even through unethical means like mass memory erasure), yet his deteriorating state suggests the unsustainable nature of the Bureau’s manipulation (Chapter Thirty-Seven).

    4. Analyze the symbolism of Terminal 5’s environment and how it reflects the Bureau’s ideology.

    Answer:
    Terminal 5 is described as windowless, with “dim hallways” and a paranoid atmosphere (“terrified of unfamiliar eyes”). This mirrors the Bureau’s secretive, controlling nature—they operate in shadows, fearing scrutiny. The lack of connection to the outside world symbolizes their isolation from the humanity they claim to “fix.” Tris’s observation that the terminal itself seems paranoid underscores the Bureau’s fear of losing control, reinforcing their authoritarian approach to genetic “perfection” (Chapter Thirty-Seven).

    5. Why is the revelation about the factionless sector’s destruction significant to Tris, and how does it change her understanding of Chicago’s history?

    Answer:
    Tris learns the factionless sector’s physical devastation resulted from a past uprising and subsequent “reset” (memory erasure). She’d previously assumed the decay was due to lack of community, but this revelation exposes the Bureau’s active role in violently suppressing dissent. It reshapes her understanding of Chicago as a manipulated experiment, not an organic society, and underscores the Bureau’s willingness to erase identities to maintain control—a realization that fuels her anger and moral defiance (Chapter Thirty-Seven).

    Note