Insurgent Chapter 34
When we last left off, Tris was making Jeanine feel really bad about herself, so Jeanine retaliates by deciding to just execute Tris tomorrow instead of waiting until she has the magical anti-Divergent serum ready. I am pleased with this turn of events because it means the villain is actually doing something villainous that I understand for a change.
“Your execution has been scheduled for tomorrow morning at eight o’clock.”
“My execution? But she … she hasn’t developed the right simulation yet; she couldn’t possibly …”
“She said that she will continue the experiments on Tobias instead of you,” he says.”
All I can say is: “Oh.”
Makes sense to me! For once, maybe the Big Bad will just kill the hero without giving a belaboured speech or finding a stupid reason to keep them alive. Evil Tris sort of admits that there isn’t much for her left to do plot-wise:
Tomorrow my life will be over. Tobias may survive long enough to escape in the factionless invasion. The Dauntless will elect a new leader.
All the loose ends I will leave will be easily tied up.
Tris, what you listed weren’t even really loose ends. If you died right now, I would not be like, “Who is going to lead the Dauntless into more train jumping?” [Matthew says: I feel like this was a writing exercise that accidentally stayed in the book. “What loose ends are there if the main character died right now? Well… uh… oh shit.”]
For some reason, Tris trying to come to terms with this new reality means reaching out to Peter?
“I could have forgiven you, you know,” I say. “For trying to kill me during initiation. I probably could have.”
Footage not found anywhere in this book. I think she mostly attacked Peter and he was mostly a dick, so when would there have been an opening for forgiveness? There was literally never even a brief moment or a glimmer of a sliver of a chance for Tris to consider a world in which she forgave Peter, so why is this…oh. Oh fuck this. I see what you’re trying to do book. PETER IS ONE OF THE SPIES INSIDE ERUDITE. I actually think this was the moment Veronica Roth decided he was the spy.
We are both quiet for a while. I don’t know why I told him that. Maybe just because it’s true, and tonight, of all nights, is the time for honesty.
Tonight I will be honest, and selfless, and brave. Divergent.
“I never asked you to,” he says, and turns to leave. But then he stops at the door frame and says, “It’s 9:24.”
Telling me the time is a small act of betrayal—and therefore an ordin-ary act of bravery. It is maybe the first time I’ve seen Peter be truly Dauntless.”
He told her the time, you guys. He has a secret heart of gold. Fangirls everywhere are weeping tears of pathetic joy. [Matthew says: I’m sure there are a billion Tumblr posts fawning over the time Peter told Tris the time. HE’S SO MISUNDERSTOOD.]
If Tris is making a big fucking deal over Peter graciously telling her the time, he must be about to save her life during the execution. I know I’m jumping ahead of myself, but there is a massive, neon sign hanging over this chapter saying, “PETER: NOT TOTALLY EVIL. VACANCIES, INQUIRE INSIDE.”
But what made me laugh the most was Tris’ train of thought in this scene. “Peter told me the time. It was the only time he was ever truly Dauntless.” Amazing. I was Dauntless like six times today.
So now that Tris knows the time, she cries herself to sleep basically and thinks her parents would be proud that she’s dying like an Abnegation would by “turning away from myself, projecting always outward, and hoping that in whatever is next, I will be better than I am now.” Which I guess is a good a way as any to go out.
Chapter 35
The next day, before her execution is scheduled, Peter shows Tris another small act of kindness – he lets her say goodbye to Fourbias. This one is a significant step up from telling the time, but Tris does not comment on how Dauntless it is.
“I want to … her!” Tobias. “I … see her!” I glance at Peter. “I can’t speak to him one last time, can I?” Peter shakes his head. “There’s a window, though. Maybe if he sees you he’ll finally shut up.”
I’m always dreaming up ways to get Fourbias to shut up, so these words are especially poignant for me. [Matthew says: This chapter is doing a surprisingly good job of making us warm up to Peter.]
“Tris!” Tobias’s voice is even clearer here. “I want to see her!” I reach up and press my palm to the glass. The shouts stop, and his face appears behind the glass. His eyes are red; his face, blotchy.
Handsome. He stares down at me for a few seconds and then presses his hand to the glass so it lines up with mine. I pretend I can feel the warmth of it through the window.
God forbid we think even distraught Tobias isn’t super handsome. What would the fangirls do besides move onto Peter? [Matthew says: HE GAVE ME THE TIME. AND I GAVE HIM MY HEART.]
I don’t know where the pounding starts, but someone drums their fists against the wall, and someone else joins in, and I walk down the aisle between solemn-but-raucous Dauntless traitors, their hands in motion at their sides. The pounding is so fast my heart races to keep up with it.
Some of the Dauntless traitors incline their heads to me—I’m not sure why. It doesn’t matter.
The thing is, it probably doesn’t matter, which makes it all the more confusing unless they’re the ones that are actually loyal Dauntless spies. Also, why are they all pounding their fists on the wall?
Okay, I’m not even going to try to draw this out. Basically, for some reason that I can’t fucking explain at all, Peter is entrusted to be Jeanine’s right-hand man as she injects the, you guessed it, death serum.
“The serum will go into effect in one minute,” he says. “Be brave, Tris.” The words startle me, because that is exactly what Tobias said when he put me under my first simulation.
My heart begins to race.
Why would Peter tell me to be brave? Why would he offer any kind words at all?
All the muscles in my body relax at once. A heavy, liquid feeling fills my limbs. If this is death, it isn’t so bad. My eyes stay open, but my head drops to the side. I try to close my eyes, but I can’t—I can’t move.
Then the heart monitor stops beeping.
SEE PETER IS ACTUALLY A GOOD GUY CUZ HE TOLD TRIS TO BE BRAVE. Although, I really don’t understand why he is apparently Jeanine’s most trusted person on the team. Nor do I understand how Jeanine isn’t going to like triple check that Tris is really dead. Like an actual smart person/top notch villain would.
Oops, as a fangirl, I already ship Tris x Peter (Petris?). Also, villains who don’t triple check are the fucking worst.
The way I saw it when reading is that Tris saw Peter as a traitor and a coward who always did what people told him to. So, when he told her the time after Jeanine or her lackeys presumably told him not to, he was acting Dauntless. Remember, the Dauntless emphasize “ordinary acts of bravery.’ This is almost the textbook definition of such a thing: doing a small kindness when you might face punishment for doing so. Interestingly, it is very clear from the book that Tris’s characterization of him is wrong. Peter is in fact extremely selfish and cruel, and does not believe in doing anything unless there is something in it for him. He does, however, have a sense of obligation, which was the reason he rescued Tris. This code is, however, as twisted as the rest of his personality, since he believes that once the obligation is removed , he may once again resume his cruelty. Peter does feel that his actions bring him suffering (again, it’s all about him), but finds himself unable to change, and therefore opts to erase his previous personality and start anew at the end of “Allegiant.” I guess my point is that his action is an example of being Dauntless, because that faction is not about great heroism any more than Erudites are all Artemis Fowl. Honestly, I felt Peter was one of the best characters in the book: a person who is definitely evil, who wants to change, but finds that they simply cannot; these instinct are simply too much a part of their upbringing and (to a certain extent) their DNA to do so. (The last part makes sense if you read the whole series.)
I absolutely love your analysis/interpretation of Peter. I haven’t read beyond what we’ve posted about on here, so I can’t really speak on your comments about the final book, but I could see Peter, based on what you’ve said, being one of the more compelling characters in the series.
I still can’t help but giggle at, “He told me the time. It was so Dauntless.” Because even though being Dauntless might have originally been all about ordinary acts of bravery, at the present time it seems mostly about jumping from great heights and onto/out of trains. Basically doing stupidly dangerous things. But I can definitely see that it’s supposed to be that he’s being brave by defying his orders…even if he’s defying them in private. Also, does it ever become clearer why Jeanine trusts him so much? It just feels like there should have been a lot more options.