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We all love Tris, but some of the more minor characters should also be given huge credit and noticed more for what they did, or what happened to them.

Personally, I would choose Al. Even for the things Al did, other people never seemed to pay attention to how Al was coping. Even Tris ignored him when he was crying himself to sleep. I know if I was thrown into a new place to live, without my parents, with men like Eric as leaders and day after day of pushing your body to its absolute physical and mental limit, I would not be holding up very well. Tris was exceedingly tough, but others, like Al, were not and so they found it difficult to put on a brave face and get on with it.

It may just be that it is not in the Dauntless faction to help the weaker members or look for signs of people not coping, or maybe it was Eric's leadership. Either way, I think Al should not be hated as a character, nor should he be loved for what he did.

What do you think? Do you agree with me about Al, or see him from an entirely different perspective? And which characters do you think should be given more credit?

I completely agree! Simply making the choice to go through Dauntless intitiation is a pretty brave choice in itself (they have to jump off a building in the beginning for crying out loud) and even though he made some poor choices, his choice to try to be a part of the bravest faction should give him more credit than he's given.

I think that, if you use their code (which includes “We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.”) then Al is not brave. He chose to give in and be involved in a horrendous act toward Tris, when even abstaining would have been the "braver" choice. If he had done that, then I would agree that he is a very underrated character.

My absolutely favourite character in Divergent is Uriah and it saddens me that he is so often overlooked. I feel like he's very charismatic and lovely and provides the much-needed smiles and laughter.

SPOILER FOR ALLEGIANT!! While I didn't bat an eyelash when Tris died, I may have shed a tear or two for Uriah. *sniffles*

kaitykinetic wrote:I think that, if you use their code (which includes “We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.”) then Al is not brave. He chose to give in and be involved in a horrendous act toward Tris, when even abstaining would have been the "braver" choice. If he had done that, then I would agree that he is a very underrated character.

I agree with this. It would have been more brave for Al to not participate and to stand up for Tris.

Actually, I would pick Al. Notwithstanding for the things Al did, other individuals never appeared to focus on how Al was adapting. Indeed, even Tris overlooked him when he was sobbing well into the night. Tris was exceedingly extreme, yet others, similar to Al, were not thus they thought that it was hard to put on an overcome confront and get on with it.

I really enjoyed both Al and Uriah as characters. I think Marlene was pretty fun, too. I think this book did a good job of creating "bad" characters that you could sympathize with as well. Like, I know I felt bad for both Peter and Caleb at points even if I didn't feel bad for them overall.

I liked Al, I remember him picking Tris up and running with her. He was a really nice person, it’s hard to believe that he turned on her the way he did. His suicide was terribly sad.

fari30 wrote: ↑08 Aug 2016, 11:51 My absolutely favourite character in Divergent is Uriah and it saddens me that he is so often overlooked. I feel like he's very charismatic and lovely and provides the much-needed smiles and laughter.

SPOILER FOR ALLEGIANT!! While I didn't bat an eyelash when Tris died, I may have shed a tear or two for Uriah. *sniffles*

Ah yess! Uriah was one of my favourites too. And no, Tris's death did not make be sob either. But I did commend her brave act of sacrifice and the way she had pushed Caleb but decided to take it upon herself in the end.

As for Al, whatever pressures he was facing, he was still free to think for himself. When he decided to join Peter to harm Tris, who was one of his only accomplices in Dauntless, I lost all respect for him. Sure, Tris was becoming a big competitor, but didn't he realize that the very same people he accompanied, would turn against him one day?

fari30 wrote: ↑08 Aug 2016, 11:51 My absolutely favourite character in Divergent is Uriah and it saddens me that he is so often overlooked. I feel like he's very charismatic and lovely and provides the much-needed smiles and laughter.

SPOILER FOR ALLEGIANT!! While I didn't bat an eyelash when Tris died, I may have shed a tear or two for Uriah. *sniffles*

Yes! I agree. I hate when people overlook Uriah. Honestly, I think he is one of my favorite characters in the series. And yes, I cared way more of Uriah than for Tris.

Al is my favorite too, and was really surprised with the twist in his character which comes later. But, I suppose it is understandable given the situation.

Uriah was my absolute favorite character throughout the series for his will and determination. I honestly cared more for him and many of the other characters than I did Tris. I also appreciated Caleb´s character throughout the series, even though he switched between helpful and harmful. It was easy to feel emotional about his character.

I think Al is a prime example of why sometimes it's easier to let go of our bitterness and just forgive. From the onset he was just too gentle and he seemed like he had a lot going on in his head space, though I think he deserved to be punished for what he did with Peter. I like Uriah - he lost a lot of people and just pushed through it all. Really admirable.

I hate to admit this but Peter gets to deserve some credit. He maybe like Satan's right hand but still saved Tris.

I agree. But you also reap what you sow. It's selfish to expect forgiveness for committing a wrong against someone, no matter what led you to commit that wrong in the first place.