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Symbolism In The Maze Runner

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The Maze Runner by Patrick Ness takes place in a large, open space which is surrounded by extremely tall walls called the Glade. Within these walls is a maze that the boys from the Glade have to solve in order to escape. Boys are sent up monthly through an elevator with no memories of how they got there. When Thomas arrives, everything starts to go wrong; from the walls not closing at night to the first ever girl coming. The boys are forced to escape quickly or die. They start to think outside the box, and they finally escape. While reading, I noticed that Ness uses description in order to create the setting, dialogue in order to stir empathy, and symbolism in order to build a mood. Description plays a huge role in building the setting of …show more content…

There are many examples of symbolism throughout the book that are used for many different goals, however one symbol that stood out to me was the maze as a symbol, used to build a mood. The main goal of all of the boys from the Glade is to solve the maze, but it is very hard for them. When looking at it this way, the tall walls and the shifting areas could represent the hopelessness that the Gladers feel when trying to escape the maze. Another aspect of the maze is the grievers. The maze is home to the dangerous grievers, which means that while the maze is something that overwhelms the boys from the Glade, it is also something that they fear. The maze represents their fear in the maze, and as well as intimidating and overwhelming them, it also terrifies them. The maze is used as a symbol of fear and hopelessness. Another symbol that I noticed in the text was the pit as a symbol. The depth and mysteriousness of the pit is what makes this place a symbol. The pit is not only a secret that the boys didn’t know about until the end, but it could also represent their hope. The only way that the boys could escape was through the pit, which meant that while in the beginning it intimidated them, it changed throughout the book. When the boys realized that the pit could be used as an escape route, they thought of the pit as their last chance and their only hope. After the escape, the boys looked at the pit completely

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