Four: The Transfer (While Reading Insurgent)

It's been many months and I’m still on the second book of the Divergent series, (Insurgent), there just isn’t enough time to finish such a fat book so quickly. So I decided to take a little detour and read Four: The Transfer, one of Veronica Roth’s short stories told from Tobias Eaton’s (a.k.a. Four’s) point of view. And honestly, it’s changing the way I see everything that’s happening in Insurgent.

Ok so for some background, let me tell you about the series from what I know so far:

So basically the Divergent series is a dystopian series. In fact this society is actually dystopian Chicago which makes it all the more interesting. Anyways, this society is divided into five factions, each devoted to a specific virtue like bravery, honesty, kindness, etc. Everyone is expected to belong to just one, but when a teenage girl named Tris Prior learns she’s Divergent—someone who doesn’t fit neatly into any single faction—she slowly begins to question the system itself. Along the way, she meets Four, a mysterious and skilled instructor in Dauntless(Tris’s new faction). He has a complicated past and a quiet strength that draws her in. As the two navigate dangerous secrets and growing tensions between factions, they uncover truths that could change their world forever. The series explores identity, courage, and the power of choice in a society built on control.

Now let me talk about Four: The Transfer 

So, Four: The Transfer takes us back before Divergent, when Tobias is still living under his father’s oppressive control in Abnegation. I feel like it really goes to show how much past experience can affect how people are or what they seem to be like at least. Anyways, the book shows the day of the Choosing Ceremony — that huge moment when he decides to leave Abnegation behind and join Dauntless. I thought I understood Four from Tris’s perspective, but seeing the world through his eyes gives his choices so much more emotional weight.

What hits hardest is how quietly painful his past is. Tobias isn’t just “brave”; he’s surviving, calculating, protecting what little freedom he can find. When he chooses Dauntless, it’s not a rebellion for excitement or thrill — it’s an escape. That single decision becomes an act of courage on so many levels, and knowing his history makes me view all his future actions with more empathy.

Reading it alongside Insurgent feels like connecting two halves of a story. In Insurgent, Four is already this grounded, serious leader — someone who carries the burden of truth and trauma with calm strength. But The Transfer shows where that began, how that strength was forged. I finally understand the shadow behind his composure in a way.

It also reminds me how Roth writes about both fear and identity. In Insurgent, Tris is constantly battling her inner conflicts, and seeing Four’s earlier struggles gives more context to the way they understand each other. They’re both fighting their pasts while trying to build something better — and maybe that’s why their connection has this different and unique feeling to it.

If you’re reading (or rereading) the Divergent series, I recommend picking up Four: The Transfer. It’s short, but it adds so much depth to Four’s character. And honestly, I feel like it will make reading Insurgent even more interesting to read, because now I can’t unsee what Tobias had to go through just to stand where he does. I might even read the other short books related to this series! They seem quite interesting especially if you read them along with the divergent series. 🙂

- Jiya