“The Maze Runner” is the first book of a trilogy written by American author, James Dashner. Set in the dystopian, post-apocalyptic future, sixteen year old Thomas wakes up remembering nothing about himself except his name. His memory has been completely wiped, only retaining basic memories, as have all of the memories of the Gladers, the teenagers who inhabit the Glade. The only thing Thomas can recall is that he must solve the Maze to save himself and the other Gladers. Outside of the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is the limitless, ever-changing maze, which is the only way out. Every day, a small number of boys, called the Runners, head out into the unknown to find a way to escape. Unexpectedly, a girl arrives. The first girl ever, and the message she delivers to the boys is all the more reason to find a way out. Themes Throughout "The Maze Runner", many themes present themselves as you’re reading. They’re either greatly noticed due to how much of an impact it has on the story and you see it very often, while others are are less noticed. There are two very distinct and key themes which are presented throughout the whole novel, that of bravery and friendship. The two go hand in hand in many cases throughout the novel based on how bravery is a part of friendship and creating ties between two or more people. There are also numerous other minor themes which don't play as big of a part in the progression of the story. Other Minor Themes Some other themes seen throughout the book are persistence, death, apocalypse/environmental collapse, civilization vs. savagery and order vs chaos Bravery The theme of bravery and its many forms are illustrated throughout the story of "The Maze Runner". Many times in the book, Thomas has to overcome a frightening situation. Many Gladers question him, but by his bravery, he proves most of them wrong. The Gladers are all incredibly brave though, having gone through many scary and strange things. By the end of the book, the Gladers who are left are all extremely courageous to make it so far, although many boys who did not make it to the end were equally as brave. Chuck, for example, demonstrated a heroic act by sacrificing himself for Thomas. "With unexpected speed, he reared back and threw the knife at Thomas. As he did so, Thomas heard a shout to his right, sensed movement. Toward him. [] Then, inexplicably, Chuck was there, diving in front of him. Thomas felt as if his feet had been frozen in block of ice; he could only stare at the scene of horror unfolding before him, completely helpless." (page 355-356). At numerous times in the novel, Thomas must call on his own will and fortitude to overcome a frightening situation. When he sees Minho and Alby struggling to return to the Glade before the Wall closes, he rushes out to help them. After that, it is his quick thinking and unwillingness to give up that saves his own life as well as Alby's. "He snatched a vine with both hands and started to climb, directly over the spot where he'd just tied up Alby. The thick leaves of the ivy served well as handholds, and Thomas was elated to find that the many cracks in the stone wall were perfect supports for his feet as he climbed. He began to think how easy it would be without He refused to finish the thought. He couldn't leave Alby behind." (page 122). These actions also invite prosecution from the Keepers, who feel Thomas has broken the law and must face punishment. His willingness to face questioning and persecution also requires bravery. Without the will to take risks, no progress is possible. This bravery eventually allows Thomas to show the Gladers a way out of the Maze and on to the next stage of the experiment. Real bravery many times is setting ourselves aside for others, meaning being selfless. A real hero is someone who is not afraid to help others, sometimes at the sacrifice of their own self. NEXT SLIDE** We first see this form of bravery from Thomas as illustrated in the quote from pg. 39, "Somehow he knew he had to do it. It was such an odd thing to feel, especially after what he had just seen...'Now you know this isn't joke time. You've been sent to the Glade, Greenie, and we'll be expectin' ya to survive and help us do what we've been sent here to do.'". Even after Alby shows Thomas a Griever, Thomas still feels the urge to run into the Maze to help the Gladers find a way out. This shows bravery because Thomas knows the Greivers could easily kill him, but he's willing to sacrifice himself to help the group. We see this form of bravery, again from Thomas, when he defends himself against the council for tryng to save to save Alby and Minho. On pg.166, Thomas says "I didn't do anything wrong. All I know is I saw two people struggling to get inside these walls and they couldn't make it. To ignore that because of some stupid rule seemed selfish, cowardly, and...well, stupid. If you want to throw me in jail for trying to save so