Limits In times of extreme need, humans are known to do what it takes to survive. There have been multiple events in history that have shown the capabilities of human resilience and the need to survive, this can be cannibalism or a plethora of other drastic measures that had to be taken to keep afloat. Marie Lu’s character Adelina in her novel The Young Elites is a great example of this. Adelina has been betrayed, forgotten, and underestimated her entire life. She was pushed into the shadows. Eventually she reaches her limits and begins to fight back. Her behavior is proof that with enough stress, betrayal, and government force everyone can be pushed to revolt. The novel follows Adelina who is marked due to a blood fever that cursed her country when she was only four years old. The government has instigated great fear of those who were marked by this disease thus ostracizing the main character and making her suffer simply because she has scars left over from a sickness she got as a child. Adelina has been betrayed by everyone in her life. First by her father, he does not think her worth anything so he tries to sell her to be a mistress. This is a great breaking point for Adelina as she no longer feels she must cower down to her father. She decides she is going to run away but her father however tries to stop her and dies as a consequence. This is when Adelina comes to recognize the great strength she has within her. “I am Adelina Amouteru, [...] I belong to no one. On this night, I swear to you that I will rise above everything you’ve ever taught me. I will become a force that this world has never known. I will come into such power that none will dare hurt me again.” Adelina finally learns she has power and does not want to sit quietly with it. Adelina’s need for revenge is strong but without people to teach her and fight alongside her she would have accomplished nothing, in fact she would be dead as they all save her from execution. The Dagger Society wants Adelina to join them in their journey to take the throne. The Society feels that the current rule is unjust. Not only that it is Enzo, their leader’s, birthright as he was the price cast off due to his markings. The group is small but each of them has an ability that allows them to work together and have the strength to make a change. Not only that but each of them has been outcast so together they know how each other feels because they have all been through it. ‘“Some manifest powers later than others, but our stories are the same. I know what it’s like to grow up marked, Adelina. All of us understand what it is like to be abominations.”’ Each of them is motivated for different reasons but they are all working towards the same goal and greater good. Adelina feels safe within the Dagger Society; she is trained by them and learns how to control her powers for the most part. In one of her missions she however makes a very costly mistake that results in a death. The Dagger Society casts her aside, this awakens in her the need to get revenge on all that have wronged her once and for all. “If you cast me out of the Dagger Society, then I will form my own. I am tired of losing. I am tired of being used, hurt and tossed aside. It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt. My turn.”She decides she is going to start her own movement. She calls it the Rose Society. She never expected that she would have to lose everything in order to keep her revolution moving but sometimes we have to lose everything to realize what our true needs and wants are. She decides that progress against the government and all her other enemies is better than nothing at all. Standing up for yourself let alone an entire group of people can be a daunting task but with the right motivators, supporters, and state of mind it can be successful. Survival always has and will continue to be one of the core characteristics of human nature. As long as there is one group being made the minority and discriminated against then there will always be protest and revolt. Justice will prevail as long as there are always people willing to seek it out.