Chapter 24

Al kills himself by jumping into the chasm.  Despite what he did to Tris, she still mourns his death. At Al's funeral Eric makes a big speech on how Al is courageous for being brave enough to explore where people go after death.  It's ridiculous and Tris thinks so too, she leaves the funeral.  Not surprisingly Four follows her.  They talk about paying respects to Al, but neither one of them feel the need to.

"This is ridiculous," I say, heat rushing into my cheeks.  "He throws himself off a ledge and Eric's calling it brave?  Eric, who tried to have you throw knives at Al's head?"

I can't agree more with Tris.  Al was not being brave by killing himself, and Eric is lying snake who manipulates people into thinking a certain way.

Tris has a small breakdown where she says Dauntless ruined Al.  Four stops her and tells her they are watching her, and that she needs to be careful.  He explains that Dauntless wants her to act a certain way so she doesn't pose a threat, but Tris's Abnegation may show and makes her act a different way.  Tris tells him she doesn't need his help, and she's not weak.  Four doesn't think she's weak, though. 

Tris thinks that it's her fault Al killed himself, because she didn't forgive him.  Four responds with a very Abnegationy answer.

"Maybe there's more we all could have done," he says, "but we just have to let the guilt remind us to do better next time."

Four ends up pressing his lips to her forehead and Tris ends up with her hands around his waist, they stay like that for a long time.

This was not one of my favorite chapters.  Even though I wasn't that big of an Al fan, I still didn't want him to die.  And the whole Tris and Four thing is getting weird.  I mean, his first instinct is to push her until she breaks?  That's romantic.