The Maze Runner By James Dashner

A group of teenagers are isolated and surrounded by constantly shifting walls called the Maze. This group experiences many trials and tribulations in the hope to be free. In The Maze Runner by James Dashner, the Maze provides conflict for the Gladers, while the Glade itself is a safe space for the group. The setting serves as a symbol of the unordinary and chaos, highlighting the importance of adaptation and strength to overcome obstacles. Although the setting is important to the story, the relationships built between the characters could be most important because of their working together to find a way out. The setting of the novel is a key component because it can further the plot and the characters. Without the setting, the reader may not

Arriving at the Maze, Thomas “mostly remembered the workings of the world—but emptied of specifics, faces, names. Like a book completely intact but missing one word in every dozen, making it a miserable and confusing read. He didn’t even know his age” (Dashner 15). Thomas’s memory loss holds Thomas back at the beginning of the novel which prevents from the other Gladers helping him when he arrived. Another issue is the walls of the Maze shifting every day and the creatures that come out of it. The walls moving make it hard for the Gladers to find the exit to the Maze. In the Maze, there are weird and robotic creatures known as the Grievers. The Grievers try to attack and kill whoever is in the Maze when they come out. They attack by stinging which can kill you if it is not immediately cured and causes you to go through The Changing. The Changing is a violent part of the healing process after being stung and can help with receiving some of your memory. Later in the book, Thomas risks his life by being stung by a Griever to hopefully get a better understanding of why they are in the Maze. Thomas does this act to go through The Changing in hopes of remembering any information that could help solve the Maze. Thomas was able to figure out why all the Gladers were sent to the Maze and how to get out. Once Thomas had felt better he called in Newt and the Keepers of the jobs for a meeting to explain what he saw. When they are in the

Throughout the story, Thomas meets new characters which help him grow and move the plot forward. One of the first characters Thomas meets is Chuck. Chuck is Thomas’s best friend who was assigned to help Thoma become more comfortable in the Glade. Chuck helps Thomas understand where he is and mentions, “Don’t you worry, I’ll take care of you. I’ve been here a whole month, and I know the place inside and out. You can count on Chuck, okay?” (Dashner 16). Chuck can see that Thomas is still frightened about everything, so Chuck is reassuring him that he will take care of him and everything will be okay. The next character Thomas meets is Minho. Minho is the Keeper of the Runners and Thomas’s mentor. The first encounter they had together was when Thomas went into the Maze to rescue him and Alby. Thomas came up with some brilliant ideas while in the Maze to stay alive and to be able to get out in the morning. Once they get out, there is a meeting about what should happen to Thomas because of his running into the Maze when he was not supposed to. People were arguing about how he should be punished for what he did or that he shouldn’t be punished because he did save two lives. Minho eventually stuck up for Thomas and said, “I’ve never seen anything like it. He didn’t panic. He didn’t whine and cry, never seemed scared” (Dashner 160). Minho saw the