Insurgent suspense analysis 

by Jared Kunish 

Insurgent is the second installment in the Divergent series. In it, Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart with the help from others on her side (via IMDb.) Suspense is a crucial element that all authors take advantage of. The words can pull us in, wrapping a warm blanket of awe around the reader, especially when that reader is in a state of suspense. That being said, Insurgent does an exceptional job at retaining that tension.

There is a situation in the novel where Tris is in a simulation. The whole instance itself is very unnerving, especially for Tris. "A pair of Dauntless traitors stand by the door to the dining hall, their guns in hand, and I stiffen (page 77.)" She has nowhere to run. If she does run, however, these bad guys will shoot her. This passage does an especially good job because it presents the character in a dangerous situation. Also, the pacing is taken into accountability. It is very fast paced, thus making the mood very suspenseful. We’re left asking: “What’s going to happen next? Will she be okay?”

The next part of Insurgent is when Tris is running up to the roof in the middle of the night to escape an unknown natural disaster that has just struck. She is in a situation that’s potentially dangerous. She is randomly woken up in the middle of the night, so she is groggy and not completely aware of her surroundings. It makes the predicament even more intense/suspenseful because Tris is alone. She is isolated from others, and is all by herself. She is separated from her closest and dearest friends. In the passage, one can tell that the mood is very frantic. We’re left wondering what can possibly happen to her? Will she get out okay? One quote that makes this portion of the book very dangerous is: “My eyes have adjusted to the darkness by now, and across the roof I see three figures standing on the ledge, facing me (page 298.)” The figures that Tris so vaguely identified capitalizes upon the suspicion of the readers. And of course, suspicion plays a major role in the notion of suspense.

Undoubtedly one of the most used renditions of suspense is ending the chapter on a cliffhanger. At the very end of chapter 32 on page 365, it reads: “The door opens. Dauntless traitors crowd into the supply closet. Tobias steps back, turns the gun in his hand, and offers it, handle first, to the nearest Dauntless traitor.” Out of the whole book, and out of the many tense occasions, this was the best illustration of suspense. It perfectly captivates every aspect of it. The author does this so well in this specific situation because it makes the reader want to eagerly flip the page and read the next words simply to find out what happens next. In this case, time is in the essence. As far as the reader knows, a decision is going to be made immediately, and must be done so as soon as possible.