Proof:
Al was one of Tris’s first friends at the Dauntless compound, however; when Al started to sink to the bottom of the standings, and Tris suddenly excelled, he began to resent her. Al got so caught up in the competitive spirit of the Dauntless that he joined the others who were jealous of Tris’s place and nearly threw her over the chasm after beating her. Four explains Al’s motivation to Tris by saying, “He hurt you because your strength made him feel weak”(Roth 285).
Comment:
In the Dauntless compound the members idolize bravery and winners. This type of culture placed additional stress on Al because it made him feel weak when small little Tris was beating him in initiation. This pressure to win caused Al to choose to sacrifice his friendship with Tris in order to hurt her with the chance to improve his own standings. Colton also reflects that, “When we begin competing, our state of mind, our feelings, and our judgements about ourselves depend on where we stand in the race”(denisboyd.com). The Dauntless society places so much emphasis on success and competition that Al’s judgements on what is right versus wrong were completely changed.