Essay Questions

Why did Marlee and Carter Woodwork get punished in the beginning of the book, then later on redeemed?

Marlee and Carter were lovers behind the countries back, thus breaking the laws of the Selection. Therefore, they were caned 15 times and lowered to caste 8. However, later on, when Maxon goes to visit America, she is furious and blames him for not doing anything about it. Maxon supposedly tries to fix the problem by raising their castes and letting them work in the palace, as seen in a scene later on in the book.

Why didn't Maxon propose on the night of the Halloween ball?

According to Maxon himself in a conversation with America, he was "discouraged" because of the events that had happened prior to the moment, such as the caning of Marlee. He though America had stopped loving him. In the conversation between America and Maxon later in the book, America reveals that she would have said yes if he had proposed that night.

Why did Maxon decide to spend time with Celeste?

Maxon knew that Celeste was using him, and therefore didn't feel bad for using her as well. He wanted to feel good and pretend that someone loved him, since America constantly had been pushing him away, while he wanted to respect Kriss' boundaries.