![]() She bears a note saying "She's the last one. Shortly thereafter, a girl (Teresa) is sent up through the Box, arriving in a coma, and bringing the message: Everything is going to change. The main character, Thomas, arrives at the Glade. To do so, certain Gladers called "Runners" venture into the Maze every day, to map it in an attempt to find a pattern in the Maze that would lead them to find an exit. The ultimate goal of the Gladers is to find a way out of the Maze. Each beetle blade has the word "WICKED" stamped across its back. ![]() They are watched by mechanical beetles, called 'beetle blades' which belong to their 'creators'. The only thing that they remember is their name. Each newcomer has all past memories (except language and other common things) wiped out. Every month, a newcomer, nicknamed "Greenie", joins the Gladers, sent by a lift they call the Box. Beyond the walls of the Glade is the ever-changing Maze, populated by horrifying, biomechanical creatures, called Grievers. The Glade is surrounded by four doors, leading to the Maze, that close every night at sundown and open in the morning. The Maze Runner is the first book in the series and was released on October 6, 2009.Ī group of teenagers, who call themselves "Gladers" are left in a strange place which they call the "Glade". The series, revealing details in non-chronological order, tells how the world was devastated by a series of massive solar flares and coronal mass ejections. The sixth novel, titled The Maze Cutter, set 73 years following the events of The Death Cure, was released on October 4th, 2022. The series consists of The Maze Runner (2009), The Scorch Trials (2010) and The Death Cure (2011), as well as two prequel novels, The Kill Order (2012) and The Fever Code (2016), a novella titled Crank Palace (2020), and a companion book titled The Maze Runner Files (2013). The Maze Runner is a series of young adult dystopian science fiction novels written by American author James Dashner. That he has no right to write himself off when the others, like small Chuck, still need him.Print ( hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book Newt guides Thomas through this potential mine field of guilt, helps Thomas to find a way to go on, reminding him that his contribution is absolutely vital. (Thomas realises he's been complicit in creating the dangerous situation they now all find themselves in. What matters now is who you were when you woke up. What does Newt mean when he replies, 'That doesn't matter now, Thomas. What does Thomas mean when he says, 'This is my fault. Thomas, on the other hand, seeks to beat the system.) Who is right? Do Albie and Thomas need each other? How do they work together?Įxploring questions around guilt and self-forgiveness (especially important for those teens who seem to need to learn through trying things out and making mistakes): He seeks only to build a community, to alleviate suffering. How does Thomas' view of the maze differ from Albie's? (Albie has concluded the maze is an un-winnable test and quite impenetrable. ![]() Does Thomas take responsibility for the younger boy, Chuck, in the beginning? How does this change? (At the outset Thomas is trying to save himself, but by the end of the film he is trying to save everybody.) You might find the following ideas/questions helpful in a guided discussion: And it is this human angle which lifts The Maze Runner out of the science fiction cliche it might have been and into the realm of really useful empathy media. How they get an emotional handle on being the subjects of an experiment. But, once the initial panic has passed, Thomas realises that he has found a warm and stable community of young people, who've been forced to make a home at the centre of what seems like an impenetrable man-made maze.Īs a coming-of-age story, the premise of the maze is interesting (especially in an era obsessed with the endless testing and labelling of young people), but it quickly becomes clear that the real story here is the young adults responses to their fate. When Thomas arrives in the blinding light at the end of this terrifying journey, he still has no idea who he is or where he's come from. He has no idea where he is, where he's going, or why. The story begins with the main character, Thomas, being yanked fast up a vertical dark lift shaft, and held only by a container which is about as stable as a fruit basket, and (rather worryingly) contains several items of food. (The film is based on a novel but I'm considering primarily the film here, although most of the main points I'm making will also cross over to the book.) The Maze Runner is one of the latest batch of Dystopian films aimed at a young/new adult audience and it has plenty of potential to kick start discussions with teens.
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