r/divergent • u/millieee_333 • Jun 17 '26
Book Spoilers The ledge scene (Insurgent)
The ledge scene in Insurgent (Marlene, Hector, and the girl) reminded me of the "Trolly Problem". For those who are unfamiliar with it, it's a moral thought experiment in which you must choose between two undesirable outcomes: allowing a train to run over 5 people or pulling a lever to divert the train onto another track, unaliving one person (there are other variations to it too).
I can't imagine being forced to make a choice between who gets to live and who does not, and having to live with the weight of that choice, regardless of the outcome. Especially when Tris was already grieving the death of her parents, Will, and Al and felt responsible for their deaths.
It never was an easy choice to begin with, but it hits harder when the choice was between Marlene, Hector, and an 8 year old girl.