Previously, Marcus refused to tell Tris his Super Secret Special Secret of Secrets.
Chapter 6
If you thought not finding out what Marcus secret is was bad, wait till you get a load of the problems Tris is facing in chapter 6. Tris really wants to hook up with Tobias, but she has to go to laundry. This is by far the most interesting sub-plot to date.
Tris goes back to her room to get ready, and Peter is waiting for her. Just when we thought this day couldn’t get any worse and confrontations couldn’t be any less productive.
Peter doesn’t get why Tris is responsible for guarding the hard drive with all the important data (code) [Matthew says: lol, maybe. The novel is super inconsistent about what’s actually on this hard drive.] on it. Well, Peter, may I remind you of what a complete and utter shithead you are? Nah, Tris has got this one
“You think if you deliver it to the Erudite, they’ll forgive your indiscretion and let you back in their good graces.”
I believe it, but Peter denies this, saying he doesn’t want to be controlled by anyone. He can be an evil douchebag on his own thank you very much.
Tris quickly realizes that the bulge in Peter’s pants isn’t because this conversation is thrilling, but because he’s already swiped the hard drive. A battle immediately ensues, attracting the attention of a bunch of scandalised Amity folks. Tobias also shows up and retrieves the hard drive from Peter’s pocket.
Some of the Amity point out that Tris has violated the terms of their stay by being violent, so they lead her to a room called the CONFLICT ROOM. Um, if I recall correctly, Peter has also violated their terms by 1) stealing, and 2) fighting, but no one seems to be escorting him to the CONFLICT ROOM.
Hinges creak behind me. I look over my shoulder—the older man is fumbling with something on a counter behind me.
“What are you doing?”
“I am making tea,” he says.
“I don’t think tea is really the solution to this.”
“Then tell us,” the younger man says, drawing my attention back to the windows. He smiles at me. “What do you believe is the solution?”
Quick, Tris, now is your time to say burritos! You deserve one, girl.
Amity ask Tris what she thinks the solution is, and she starts to tell them all the evil things Peter has done and that they should kick him out. So the Amity inject Tris with a serum because that is everyone’s solution to everything in this series. [Matthew says: And you thought it was about people making choices instead of constantly being controlled.]
“How do you feel?” the younger man says.
“I feel …” Angry, I was about to say. Angry with Peter, angry with the Amity. But that’s not true, is it? I smile. “I feel good. I feel a little like… like I’m floating. Or swaying. How do you feel?”
You know, I’m not surprised that Amity is so peaceful all the time because they’re high, I’m surprised that Matt and I didn’t make a joke about this before it was revealed as fact. [Matthew says: I had Hufflepuff jokes to make.]
“Can you tell me where to find Tobias?” I say. When I imagine his face, affection for him bubbles up inside me, and all I want to do is kiss him.
“Four, I mean. He’s handsome, isn’t he? I don’t really know why he likes me so much. I’m not very nice, am I?”
“Not most of the time, no,” the man says. “But I think you could be, if you tried.”
“Thank you,” I say. “That’s nice of you to say.”
How would this man even know what Tris is like “most of the time.” Also, isn’t everyone at Amity aware that she’s just seen most of her old faction, including both of her parents, get killed? Wouldn’t that make most people a little quick to anger?
“I think you’ll find him in the orchard,” he says. “I saw him go outside after the fight.”
I laugh a little. “The fight. What a silly thing …” And it does seem like a silly thing, slamming your fist into someone else’s body. Like a caress, but too hard. A caress is much nicer. Maybe I should have run my hand along Peter’s arm instead. That would have felt better to both of us. My knuckles wouldn’t ache right now.”
I take back everything I’ve ever said about Amity. They’re the faction I would choose. They are literally just on ecstasy, playing banjos, and eating food. What a faction!
The book suddenly starts to make more sense when Tris is high. Or at least express self-awareness.
“Four!” I call out. Why am I calling out a number? Oh yes. Because that’s his name. I call out again, “Four! Where are you?”
Yes, book, yes! His name is stupid.
Tris finds Four, and he tells her she’s acting like a lunatic. He takes Tris to Johanna who realizes that Tris has been given too much of the “peace serum.”
“The peace serum,” Johanna says. “In small doses, it has a mild, calming effect and improves the mood. The only side effect is some slight dizziness. We administer it to members of our community who have trouble keeping the peace.”
Well, that’s certainly one way to keep a faction in line. [Matthew says: In a intriguingly on point and completely unintentional metaphor about the law of diminishing return behind actual drug abuse, Divergent has already gone from its plot being driven by “DRUGS” to “TOO MANY DRUGS”.]
Four argues with Johanna a bit about how the peace serum is wrong (hey, man, chill out, don’t be a square), and if she could she’d probably use it on everybody. Johanna is like, “Well, yeah, I totally would and then we’d avoid war.” It’s true, if everyone was high like Amity all the time, war would probably not be a major concern. Unless it was a war for the last Abnegation muffin, but that’s a war I’m sure anyone would be proud to fight in.
Four criticises Amity’s decision to remain peaceful, and Johanna implies that she disagrees with the decision but there’s nothing she can do (obviously she is not Divergent as fuck.) Four then tells Johanna they’ll be leaving in a couple days but that Peter isn’t coming with them, so she’ll have to kick him out separately.
Before Four and Tris leave, Johanna has a useful heads up for them:
“Four,” she says. “If you and your friends would like to remain … un-touched by our serum, you may want to avoid the bread.”
I knew there was something not-quite-right about the bread! All the signs and foreshadowing and endless mentions of bread made that pretty clear.
So what would you guys do? Would you eat the Amity bread or be a total Four about it?