Jorie Pollard Blog Post 2

1. "At the Abnegation table, we sit quietly and wait. Faction customs dictate even idle behavior and supersede individual preference". (9)

Summary: This passage takes place right before the aptitude test. Beatrice is noticing how everyone in her faction has to act the same way while they wait for their turn.

Question: What does this observation imply?

Answer: This observation implies that the people within the factions can't act the way they want to. To sit and wait isn't Beatrice's "individual preference" but she has no other option to act like that because of the faction that she is in.

Question: Why does this observation matter?

Answer: This observation matters because it shows how controlling the factions are. For something so simple, like waiting for a test, they can't act any other way then how their faction would be. This shows the lack of individualism, that they are controlled to act a certain way.

Question: Where does this observation get us?

Answer: This observation gets us to see how the factions don't let you be who you want to be. Beatrice is waiting to take her test and because of the way she has to wait, it only adds to her reason to change, so she can be something that she hasn't had the chance to be. This is significant because she now gets the chance to use her preference for what she wants to be, acting against the total control of the faction system.