Search EnFlourish:
Resources for Language Arts Classrooms
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
by Veronica Roth
DIVERGENT -- CHAPTER 18
The next part of the initiation is about to begin. The initiates, both Dauntless-born and the transfers, wait in a hallway for whatever is to come next.
As they wait, Lynn reveals that she is ranked second and Uriah is ranked first. She also makes it clear that they have been preparing for initiation for years, while the transfers are new to it. Uriah points out that there is no way to prepare for stage two of the initiation.
The transfers are called in one by one. Eventually, only Uriah, Drew, and Tris are in the hallway. Finally, after what seems like forever, Tris is brought in by Four.
Inside a room, Tris finds that she is going to enter another simulation much like that of the aptitude test. Four lets her know that within the simulation she must face her fears. He injects her with a needle that pours a powerful serum in her body. Within the serum is an electronic transmitter which will transfer her thoughts to a computer so that Four can watch her hallucinations. Later, the video that he watches will be sent to other Dauntless higher-ups to that they too can watch.
Soon, Tris finds herself within a dream world. She is in a field with high grass. She hears flapping and then a black crow perches itself on her shoulder. It refuses to leave.
Before long, a whole flock of crows appear overhead. Unable to run, Tris takes on an onslaught of pecking beaks and sharp talons. She curls up, but it is no help. They continue attacking and she even begins to inhale their feathers. She screams out for help.
Tris begins to remember that she is just in a simulation. Everything, though, feels so real. Slowly, she begins to slow down her breathing and relax her muscles. She knows that once she is calm, the simulation will end. A bloody mess, she begins to calm down. The calming works and after what has felt like days, she awakens in the chair with Four next to her.
Four offers to take Tris back to the dorms. She, at first, refuses. She doesn’t want to be seen in such a messy state of mind. After a bit, Four takes her back through a backdoor.
As they walk, Tris vents her frustrations at Four. She didn’t see how the simulation helped her overcome her fears since in real life such events would never happen. Four states that the point of the simulation is for them to think clearly while facing fear. He also mentions that she was only in the simulation for three minutes. She got out of the simulation faster than anyone. Tomorrow, they’ll be tested in the same manner again.
Tris questions Four about his own fears that he encountered in the simulation. Apparently, he faced a person that he feared within the simulation. He goes onto mention that fears may change as people conquer them, but new fears will take their place. He retorts that the purpose of the simulation isn’t to conquer fears but to know how to think when facing them.
Four admits that the initiation was once easier. A few years back, the process of initiation was altered to become more competitive and more brutal. Those initiates who ranked high were taught to be brutal leaders who would continue ranking newcomers using the same standards. Now, with Eric in charge, things are becoming even more difficult.
Tris knows that Four was in the same group of initiates as Eric, yet Four is not as cruel or brutal as Eric. She also knows that Eric seems jealous of Four. She puts two and two together and figures that Four was ranked first among his group of initiates, so that’s why Eric is jealous of him. She also assumes that Four refused a leadership position, so it must have naturally gone to the person ranked below him. That person was Eric. Tris voices these assumptions to Four and he remains quiet. His silence confirms Tris’ assumptions.
BROWSE CONTENTS
Connect with EnFlourish
Note: To purchase our products, you must have a teacherspayteachers account. These accounts are free to create and use at www.teacherspayteachers.com.
©2016, Enflourish Publishing, All Rights Reserved.
