Divergent: Chapter 16 Summary & Analysis

The afternoon after Natalie’s visit, Tris finds Al sitting in the dormitory—he’s been hiding from his parents. Tris notices that Al has a horrible bruise on his knee, and realizes that Al didn’t want his parents to see his injuries. Al whispers that he’s lost every fight he’s fought so far.

Tris asks Al why he chose to be in Dauntless, and he explains that he thinks it’s important to protect people. He says that he admires Tris for defending him, and adds that being Dauntless should be about being a protector, not a bully. As Al says this, he begins to cry.

In the evening, the transfers don’t talk much about their parents’ visits—it’s just too painful. Christina mentions that her parents have a dog named Chunker, but adds that she hasn’t been able to appreciate dogs, ever since her Aptitude Test. Tris is surprised to hear Christina talking about her test, as this information is strictly hidden. Al and Christina notice that Tris is uncomfortable, and Al quickly deduces that Tris is hiding something (using his Candor training). Tris lies and says that she got Abnegation, but chose Dauntless anyway.

In the evening, the transfer recruits meet with Four, who explains the ranking system to them. They’re about to enter stage two of training, which matters much more than stage one (the stage they’ve just completed). In the new rankings, Tris is ranked 6 of 9, Edward and Peter are 1st and 2nd, and Al and Myra are 8th and 9th.

Later that night, Tris thinks about her mother—why, she wonders, did Natalie choose Abnegation after growing up in Dauntless? Suddenly, Tris hears a cry in the dark. Someone turns on the lights, revealing that Edward has been stabbed in the eye with a butter knife from the dining hall. Tris tells Edward to lie still. She finds that she can remain calm, even when everyone else in the room is frantic. Tris urges Edward to keep the knife in his eye, as she knows it’s not safe to pull it out himself. Tris reminds herself of her own mother—kind and nurturing. Within a few minutes, a nurse comes to the room and takes Edward away. Tris notices that Drew and Peter are nowhere to be seen in the room.

The next day, the transfer recruits have free time. Will and Tris contemplate visiting Edward in the hospital, but decide not to, as they just don’t know what they’d tell him. Will tells Tris about the Dauntless manifesto—one of the five manifestoes the factions produced when they were first formed. In their manifesto, the Dauntless celebrated the bravery that leads people to stand up for one another. Tris thinks she understands what Will is getting at. The Dauntless have strayed from their original purposes—they’ve gone from selfless strength and courage to cruelty.

Later in the day, Tris sees that Edward’s bunk has been stripped clean, along with Myra’s. Christina explains that they’ve both quit the Dauntless training program (Myra was Edward’s girlfriend). There are now 7 transfer recruits.