The Testing

“Most streets we pass look neat, clean, and new. Exactly what I expect from the city that serves as the center of our country’s hope for the future. But as we travel, I catch a glimpse of other streets that are dirtier and in disrepair. The people walking to and from those areas look worn out and tired. Some appear hungry. Others look as though they haven’t bathed in weeks, and I wonder why.”

Though the novel focuses primarily on The Testing and not on the larger social conditions of the Commonwealth, this is an early clue to the social inequality that has continued from the previous government. There are still “haves” and “have nots,” a fact that is reinforced when Cia meets kids from other colonies and discovers they have even less access to some of the resources Five Lakes rations.

“From school I know the greatest concentration of our population is here—in this city. At least a hundred thousand people. Until this moment I never fully understood what that number meant. Now that I do, I am overwhelmed.”

Imagine going from a colony whose residents are fewer than 1,000 to a major metropolitan area. This moment is a real paradigm shift for Cia which changes her entire understanding of the scope of humanity and of what was lost in the war.

“I can’t help my stomach from emptying or the tears that flow hot and fast—for her, for me, for not seeing the desperation and depression under the arrogant façade. Did my taunting her with finishing the final written test push her over the edge? Could a kind word have saved her?”

This is an instance of Cia’s compassion on display, but also of her integrity and how she values kindness. Those around her are mostly unmoved by Ryme’s death—some students even look smugly satisfied after Dr. Barnes announces it—but Cia is moved to grieve for this person she barely knew, who was almost certainly attempting to poison her, and who had tried to make herself feel larger and better at Cia’s expense. Cia regrets even the unkind words she said, which makes her unique in this environment of candidates who will eventually kill each other to succeed themselves.

“While this is a tragedy, it is better for the entire Commonwealth population to learn now that she is not capable of dealing with the kinds of pressure she would be forced to deal with in the future. This event is unfortunate, but The Testing served its purpose. He hopes Ryme’s choice to end her candidacy will not impact the results of mine.”

In sharp contrast to Cia’s response, Dr. Barnes and the officials do not see this as a loss. They view the students as resources to be assessed, advanced, or eliminated, but not as human beings whose lives have intrinsic value. As the novel progresses, this point of view expands to foster horrifying violence and brutality.

“The Testing is about more than what happens in the classrooms. Asking for help through the night will be seen as a weakness. Leaders are not weak. The Testing is looking for leaders.”

This observation highlights how intelligent and adaptable Cia is. She is among the first of her group to recognize the officials are not there to provide help in any context or situation; soon, she will advise Will not to seek medical attention and in doing so, probably saves his life. Importantly, though Cia learns she cannot trust the officials and most of the other candidates, she does not use this as an excuse to become untrustworthy.

“We lie on the grass, letting the sun dry our clothes, and I try to hang on to the happiness I feel whenever I make something work.” 

Cia’s simple enjoyment of the outdoors is a lovely moment of peace in the midst of fear and pain and loss. There is something easy and beautiful and, ultimately, familiar about this moment: laying in the grass with the sun shining, feeling good about the world. But in the fourth stage of The Testing, human greed has destroyed even this simplest of pleasures for most of the world. There is rarely grass in which to lay, clean water in which to wade, or a gentle sun to dry the skin. The poignance of this moment underscores the novel’s overall message about the beauty and importance of the planet’s natural resources.

“Does he not trust my word? If not for my father’s dreams, Roman’s betrayal, and Michal’s warning, I would not have believed another candidate would approach the test in such a way. Can I blame Tomas for doubting?” 

Though we know Tomas is intelligent, his reluctance to accept the reality of their situation demonstrates that Cia is uniquely observant, flexible, and adaptable in her approach to the world.

“‘But…’ I’m about to ask why, but then I think about the crossbow shooter, Ryme’s offer of corncakes, the way Malachi was tripped by Roman when we first walked into the dining hall. And Roman’s trick. It comes down to trust. Tomas trusts me, and the kindness I have seen him demonstrate over and over again since we were children makes me certain I am correct in trusting him.” 

Trust is very important to Cia—and to the candidates’ ability to survive The Testing. Primarily, it seems it is safest not to trust anyone, but there are also benefits to having a traveling partner. Tomas would have died twice if not for Cia’s assistance—after the oasis explodes and after he’s shot by Will—and Cia required Tomas’s help to treat her infected wounds. It is important Cia’s trusts Tomas because of his innate kindness. Others may trust each other because of a shared ambition or motivation, but Cia knows to trust Tomas because he, like her, values kindness and compassion.

“All that is left are scraps of metal, broken walls, pieces of glass, and a lot of cracked, decayed earth—signs of the destruction man can cause against his fellow man.” 

This passage invites the reader to consider their own town destroyed by war. Scenes like this appear in many post-apocalyptic films, as well; they are a powerful visual symbol of the surprising delicacy of life. A few carefully placed bombs can destroy a city, kill its inhabitants, destroy its infrastructure, and render it uninhabitable. Consider the aftermath of natural disasters in the world: There are countless deaths from limited resources, the loss of electricity, the lack of clean drinking water, heat, or air conditioning, etc. Structural ecosystems are fragile, and The Testing is a reminder of this.

“Flowers grow near the edge of the pond, filling the air with their sweet fragrance. The trees are tall and straight and provide shelter from the sunshine. It’s a perfect spot to rest and be restored from travel. In this place where nothing is perfect, is it a wonder that I refuse to trust it?” 

This is another example both of Cia’s quick mind and of the waste that has been laid to the environment. Cia describes what is a fairly normal scene of a pond with trees around it. It is inviting and yet, she knows, dangerous for its perfection. She knows the Testing officials do nothing out of generosity or care, so she is able to recognize the danger where others may see only relief.

“‘I mean, the Testing committee said they’re going to evaluate us on the choices we make. They can’t possibly give someone a passing grade for shooting the competition. What kind of leader would that person be?’

‘A strong one.’” 

Stacia and Tracelyn’s exchange demonstrates the state of mind that The Testing is necessary and properly administered. Later in this conversation, when Stacia argues that leaders need to be aggressive, Tomas will correct her and say that peace is worth something even when war seems inevitable. This dialogue gives the reader a look at two ways of looking at the world’s history. It also gives insight into which angle the Commonwealth has embraced, as the Testing promotes these values.

“Perhaps because the closer we come to the end of the test, the closer we are to becoming the next leaders of our generation. Many of my fellow candidates had demonstrated their belief that the end justifies the means. I have a hard time understanding that, but one thing is certain. The past cannot be changed.” 

The philosophy Zeen shared with Cia earlier in the novel about picking oneself up and finding a new direction is relevant here. Nothing is as Cia hoped it would be, but she is determined to endure and to learn from the experience.

“And sometimes during the wakeful nights, I have realized that the length of this test is not arbitrary. The third test helped them learn what they needed to know about our ability to trust, strategize, and cooperate with others. From our behavior during that exam, I have no doubt the Testing officials could predict which candidates would use the provided weapons for survival and which would turn them on their fellow man during this test. While the fourth test measures many of the same areas as its predecessor, it’s also designed to gauge not only the choices we make, but also how we live with those choices once we’ve made them. Do we learn from our mistakes and use that information to carry us successfully to the end of this exam, or will they swallow us under? From the shadows under his eyes and the slump of his shoulders, I know Tomas is being swallowed whole.” 

Cia’s observation here is particularly interesting in light of the upcoming memory erasure. If the officials are hoping to see how the candidates live with their decisions to betray, sabotage, and kill each other, what does it mean that none of them will remember having made those decisions? This suggests that the officials anticipate similar decisions being made in the future and wish only to know if candidates will be able to kill and carry on without heavy psychological damage.

“The whole point of this test was for us to see what terrible things were done and for us to learn from those mistakes. Right? […] The best leaders make mistakes and then learn from them. The best leaders never make the same mistakes again. The only way you can learn is if you understand the mistakes that were made.” 

Cia’s goal here seems to be, at least partially, to soothe Tomas’s grief over his secret. She is gently suggesting that whatever he did can be moved on from. It is, however, also interesting in light of the memory wipe that awaits them: If Cia is correct in the need for leaders to learn from mistakes, The Testing will strip any such learning from the candidates by erasing their memories.

“Maybe that’s the mark of a real leader? Admitting a mistake has been made and finding a way to stop it at all costs.” 

This relates to the previous two quotations but also potentially foreshadows Cia’s path throughout the rest of the trilogy. It is clear to her and to the reader that a mistake has been made here—whatever caused The Testing, its brutality, its cold indifference to humanity, this is a mistake. This statement offers that this is the mistake Cia will seek to stop “at all costs.”

“One is Brick. He has yet to speak to me and I am glad because I am not sure I could speak without seeing the massacre he wrought in my name. I wonder if he understands that the lives he took were human and if their bloody faces haunt his dreams the way they do mine.”

While few others seem particularly concerned with the lives of people who are clearly human, Cia is unique in her grief over the lives of the mutated humans who were senselessly killed in Brick’s misguided attempt to protect her. Contemporary theories of environmental injustice and the “other” or “subaltern” (in sociological terms, oppressed social groups confined to the margins of society or stripped of humanity by social status) would be particularly fruitful avenues of analyzing the mutated humans in this novel.

“Yeah. That’s your Achilles’ heel. Leaders are supposed to inspire trust. They’re not supposed to actually believe in it.” 

Here, Will demonstrates the twisted, dark view of leadership and power that flourishes in the Commonwealth: He is describing deception. There is an old saying: “The first casualty of war is truth.” The reader can extrapolate from this statement and question the claims made by Testing officials and the larger Commonwealth—what is being said to inspire trust? How much of that is true?

“I think about Stacia’s words that so closely echoed Will’s and then of Dr. Barnes, who watched Ryme’s body being cut down while believing it was for the best that she died. And I’m scared Will’s right. That killing and learning to live with it was the point. Since I, too, have killed I do not have to worry about meeting the criteria. But I am no longer certain I want to be a leader. Not if my country values murder above compassion.”

Cia explores the categorical crisis of “leader” within the context of The Testing. She has longed to be a leader for most of her life, but within the framework of her understanding of leadership, leaders must possess compassion, hard work, trustworthiness, and kindness.

“Congratulations on passing all four tests. I cannot tell you how impressed we are by your intelligence, your resourcefulness, and your dedication. During the fourth exam you had a chance to see beyond the borders of your revitalized colonies and witness firsthand the challenges our leaders face. The tests we put before you were challenging and the consequences for failure high, but the challenges and consequences that our leaders face are higher still. We know what we have asked of you, and we are delighted so many more of you than expected have made it this far.”

Dr. Barnes clearly admires the actions of the group before him and is impressed by the number who were willing to do what was necessary to survive The Testing. Many of the others were willing to do things Cia was not—and most people likely would not. His words also indicate that they expect most candidates each year to die. The reader should question what Testing and Commonwealth officials expect this next generation of leaders to do if these are the traits they embrace.

“I think of how small of a group we are compared to when we started. It makes me wonder how few must have survived in years past for Dr. Barnes to expect less.” 

If Cia’s class of 29 is a large group of finishers and marks the death or failure of 79 students, it can be assumed there have been greater losses in previous years. It is a staggering loss of life.

“Does their disinterest mean I’ve failed? It must, because they are pushing back their chairs. I want to ask them to wait. To explain that people who elicit trust only to betray should not be leaders. To tell them that while I am no longer the same girl who dreamed of Tosu City, I am someone who should be selected for the University. Not because I want to be a part of this system. I don’t think I do. Not anymore. But because I want the chance to live.”

Cia’s desperation here suggests she subconsciously knows that failing The Testing will mean death. She wants to live and therefore she must pass. Additionally, she doesn’t seriously consider saying that people who abuse trust should not be leaders—she already knows they don’t share that belief.

“Betrayal and fear, anger and heartbreak. The emotions hit hard and fast, buckling my knees, sending me to the floor. But I refuse to cry. The camera is still in the ceiling, and I will not give Dr. Barnes and the officials behind the screen the satisfaction of seeing me break. And, really, aren’t they the ones to blame for Zandri’s death? They put us in their game and asked us to survive. Whatever Tomas did, I am certain he didn’t do it to win a place on the University roster. He must have thought his life was in jeopardy.” 

Confronted with the possibility that Tomas killed Zandri, Cia is wracked with pain and grief. Not only for Zandri, but for the idea of who Tomas is as a person she believed. She wants to consider the best of him still and has to think he acted in self-defense. What happened with Tomas and Zandri remains a mystery in this book, leaving Tomas as an ambiguous figure moving into the rest of the trilogy.

“As sleep eludes me, I think about the candidates who have died, and the memory wipe that is coming if we cannot outsmart it, and wonder for the first time if the candidates who failed the first two rounds of Testing were eliminated or if the Commonwealth simply erased any memory of this experience. Over the past one hundred years, the United Commonwealth population has grown, but has it grown enough to eliminate dozens of its most promising citizens every year? And if those candidates aren’t eliminated, where do they go?” 

This thought, combined with Michal’s comments and those of the man at the fence, reveal an unsettling truth about The Testing: All of the best and brightest Commonwealth youth are selected each year for The Testing. These are the people most likely to make a difference—but they are also the people most likely to see the flaws and abuses within the system and work against them. The Testing thus serves two purposes: It cultivates, rewards, and promotes intelligent, capable people who are willing to kill and lie to succeed, and it also identifies and eliminates gifted people who may otherwise work toward another way of life. The Testing’s loss of life isn’t wasteful; it is a way to get rid of threats to their power and simultaneously find those who will continue and expand their power.