Allegiant Family

This statement by Tris almost raises a nature vs. nurture question. Does Tris feel responsible for continuing the work of her ancestors because of genetics or because of the way she was raised by her own parents?

Christina is pretty much the only character who still has a family, besides Uriah. She's an interesting contrast to Tris, whose parents are dead; Tobias, whose parents are jerks; and Cara, whose brother Tris killed.

Tobias only cares because Marcus is his father, and even then, he only barely cares. He didn't choose his father, and if he could, he'd probably choose a father who gave the tiniest little thought to him.

This is Tobias speaking to Caleb. Both Tobias's mother and his father pursue their own interests instead of caring for their son, so he is especially sensitive to—and enraged by—family betrayal. Does betrayal cut family ties?

The fact that Tris doesn't really know her parents is a driving factor for her in Allegiant. Her mother's diary wouldn't have been such a big deal if her mother hadn't been so secretive while she was alive. Is it possible to develop a deeper relationship with someone even after they have died?

You've heard that home is where the heart is. Maybe your heart is where your family is. Wherever they are, that is your home. When they die, you have to find that home inside yourself.

Tris says this about Tobias and his mother, even though she herself feels that her ties with her brother have been broken. Is she not being totally honest, or does she think that ties between parents are stronger than ties between siblings?

Tris's question addresses a large theme of the novel: a family definitely influences its children, but how much of it is a result of genetics, and how much of it comes from the way parents raise their children?

The family trees serve as an ugly reminder that Tobias will always be a product of his family, even though he despises them. Does family define the characters in this novel? Even fighting against your family means that your actions are being shaped by them.

Tris's parents may be dead, but at least she shared the same ideology with them while they were alive. Tobias can't say the same thing for his parents, who both are ideological opposites of their own son.