Insurgent
Chapter Sixteen
by Veronica, RothThe chapter opens with Tris in a tense standoff, carefully moving her hand toward a hidden knife as Dauntless traitors and Divergent prisoners gather in an elevator bank. She observes the fear of a Candor woman beside her and the bravery of a young boy, while forcing herself to focus on her breathing to stay calm. The Dauntless soldiers report their successful capture of hundreds of unconscious people, though Tris remains unaware of their motives. Her thoughts shift to Eric, an Erudite leader, as she steels herself to kill him, despite her reluctance, seeing it as her last chance to strike a meaningful blow against the enemy.
Eric arrives and coldly announces that only two Divergent will be spared for testing, while the rest will be executed. He methodically selects victims based on their age, claiming younger Divergent are less developed. When he shoots the young boy beside Tris, she barely contains her rage and grief, using her outburst to draw Eric’s attention. He taunts her, speculating about her Divergence and mocking her defiance. As he leans closer, Tris seizes her moment, stabbing him with the knife, unable to bear watching the act but driven by necessity.
Chaos erupts as Eric collapses, and the Dauntless traitors scramble for their weapons. Uriah and other loyal Dauntless launch a counterattack, turning the tide. Tris, overwhelmed and shaking, struggles to pick up Eric’s gun, her hands slick with his blood. Tobias (Four) shields her from gunfire, firing at the traitors while she watches in disbelief as their faction arrives to rescue them. The loyal Dauntless overwhelm the traitors, who flee or are subdued, though Tris feels useless in the fight, her emotions and physical exhaustion rendering her nearly helpless.
The chapter ends with the gunfire fading and the immediate threat neutralized. Tris, covered in Eric’s blood, remains in shock as she realizes he is still alive, moaning on the floor. The rescue by the loyal Dauntless leaves questions unanswered—how they awoke from the simulation, why the traitors attacked, and what comes next. The violence and tension underscore the brutal stakes of the conflict, with Tris’s actions marking a pivotal moment in her struggle against the Erudite regime.
FAQs
1. What is Tris’s plan when Eric begins executing the Divergent, and how does she execute it?
Answer:
Tris plans to kill Eric with a hidden knife as her last chance to strike against the Erudite leadership. She carefully shifts her hand toward her back pocket where the knife is concealed, waiting for Eric to come close enough. When Eric taunts her about her Divergence and leans in, she seizes the moment to lunge forward and stab him. Though she closes her eyes to avoid seeing the violence, she successfully wounds him, creating chaos that allows the loyal Dauntless to launch a rescue operation. This demonstrates Tris’s strategic thinking and willingness to take extreme action when necessary.2. How does Eric justify his selection process for which Divergent to execute versus which to take for testing?
Answer:
Eric uses pseudoscientific reasoning to justify his selections, claiming that younger Divergent (like the 11-year-old boy) are less valuable because their brains haven’t fully developed by age 25. He implies their Divergence is therefore incomplete. This arbitrary criterion reveals the Erudite faction’s manipulation of science to justify cruelty. Eric’s cold execution of the boy also showcases the ruthless efficiency of the Erudite-Dauntless alliance, where human life is disposable if it doesn’t serve their experimental purposes.3. Analyze the significance of Tris’s internal conflict about killing Eric. What does this reveal about her character development?
Answer:
Despite hating Eric, Tris hesitates to kill him “up close where I can see the life leave him,” showing her lingering moral boundaries. This contrasts with her earlier impulsive violence (e.g., shooting Will in Divergent). Her conflict reveals growing complexity: she recognizes the weight of taking life but still acts out of necessity. The moment underscores her transformation from a purely reactive fighter to someone who calculates costs—both strategic and emotional. Her ultimate action proves she prioritizes survival and resistance over personal comfort with violence.4. How does the arrival of loyal Dauntless fighters change the dynamics of the scene? What tactical advantages do they exploit?
Answer:
The loyal Dauntless capitalize on the chaos Tris creates by stabbing Eric, catching the traitorous Dauntless off-guard. The text notes the traitors weren’t prepared for an attack “from all sides” and were armed only with non-lethal weapons, forcing them to scramble for firearms. This tactical advantage allows the rescuers to overwhelm them. The scene also highlights Uriah’s quick thinking in disarming an opponent, while Four/Tobias protects Tris defensively. The coordinated attack suggests the loyal Dauntless had intelligence about the situation and planned accordingly.5. Evaluate Eric’s taunting speech to Tris about her Divergence. What psychological and factional tensions does it expose?
Answer:
Eric’s speech reveals several tensions: First, his speculation that Tris might have three aptitude results (rather than the typical one or two) hints at her unique resistance to categorization, which threatens the faction system’s rigidity. Second, his jab about her being “bullheaded” underscores the conflict between Erudite logic and Tris’s defiant individuality. Finally, his mocking of Abnegation (“selfless to the point of idiocy”) versus Dauntless (“brave to the point of idiocy”) shows how factions weaponize their ideologies against each other, with Tris embodying the tensions between them.
Quotes
1. “It’s easier to think of biology than the line of the Divergent sitting between the elevators…the heart is a powerful muscle, the strongest muscle in the body in terms of longevity.”
This quote captures Tris’s psychological defense mechanism during intense stress—focusing on biological facts to avoid confronting the horror of executions. It also foreshadows her later violent act while introducing the recurring heart metaphor that symbolizes both physical and emotional strength.
2. “Despite how much I hate him, I don’t really want to kill him, at least not with a knife, up close where I can see the life leave him. But I have one chance left to do something useful, and if I want to hit the Erudite where it hurts, I have to take one of their leaders from them.”
This reveals Tris’s moral conflict between her aversion to violence and her strategic necessity to assassinate Eric. The quote exemplifies the novel’s exploration of how war forces difficult choices, showing Tris’s transition from reluctance to resolve.
3. “‘My orders are to take only two of you back to Erudite headquarters for testing,’ says Eric. ‘The rest of you are to be executed. There are several ways to determine who among you will be least useful to us.’”
Eric’s chilling announcement demonstrates the Erudite faction’s cold utilitarianism and the high stakes of Divergence. This turning point escalates the scene’s tension and justifies Tris’s subsequent violent action against him.
4. “‘Just between you and me…I think you might have gotten three, because you’re the kind of bullheaded person who would refuse to make a simple choice just because she was told to.’”
Eric’s taunt highlights Tris’s defining character trait—defiant independence—while revealing the deeper significance of her Divergence. The quote encapsulates the core theme of resisting systemic control through individual will.
5. “My faction has come to save us. How are they awake?”
This moment of realization marks a critical turning point where hope reenters the narrative. The quote underscores the theme of faction loyalty overcoming mind control, while the unanswered question maintains suspense about the Dauntless rebellion’s methods.