Tone
The tone of the story is dramatically suspenseful with bits of hope here and there. They all live in a dark time, where people get stabbed by the Grievers or don’t survive the Maze. It is a work or die place. Hope appears here and there with great ideas and hopeful events. It is always vague, never really giving any information, only bits and pieces here and there. It is dramatic because it always has something to be dramatic about.
Mood
The mood of the story is somewhat gloomy and shocking. In The Maze Runner, gloomy is a big mood because not only do the Gladers have little hope, but the sky turns gray and the doors don’t close for the night. Depression towers over the Glade. The shocking part of this book is the the Grievers and once the Gladers reach the Creators. Especially the Gladers that have never been with a Griever before because they don’t know much about them and they have to fight them even though they are shocked. The Gladers would also be shocked when they were in the laboratory because the main conflict of the book was getting out of the maze and it would be shocking to actually be of the maze after 2 years. Plus the rescuers break-in with them killing the Head Creator would add on to the prior shock.
Main Idea
The main idea is that we need to be curious and open our minds new possibilities that might not make sense yet. Thomas was curious about the Maze and wanted to explore more. He explored and asked questions and found a way out of the Maze. This book also teaches us that we can’t give up in hard times even if hopelessness seems to be the only path.
Major Events that Drive the Story
Thomas shows up in the Box. The day after he came, another person comes, confusing and surprising the Gladers. Teresa comes asleep but then tells them many new things about the maze that can help them solve the maze.
Thomas learns more about the maze and the Glade from his new friend Chuck. He learns about the jobs and what is expected of you. He then realizes a little later that he wants to be a runner to help solve the maze.
Thomas runs out into the maze to try to save Alby and Minho. While Minho runs for his life, Thomas ties Alby up on the wall of the maze to try to save him. Eventually Thomas gets cornered and has to fight to survive. Finally, he finds Minho and together they make the four grievers chasing them fall off of the cliff.
Thomas becomes the first person to survive a night in the maze and becomes a runner. They then have a council to see what Thomas should do and is suggested to be the runner’s keeper. The next day he gets shown around the maze by Minho and is told when everything should and will happen.
No supplies are showing up in the box and people start to panic. Everybody starts to try to save as much food as possible. In the meantime Thomas, Teresa, Alby, Chuck, Newt, and Minho use waxed paper to decode what the maze spells to shut it down.
The doors don’t close when they’re supposed to and the sky turns grey. At night everybody hides in the main house waiting for morning. No matter how much protection they have the grievors always get through. One of the nights Gally shows up and lets some of the grievors in letting the first person get taken.
The Grievers only take one person a night. One of the nights Thomas saves another boy but gets stung in the process. While he is in the changing he learns how to get out of the maze he also learns that many other people got taken while he was in the changing.
The Gladers decided to the Griever hole and find a way out. One of the night everybody gets armed with knives and spears and run to the cliff. As soon as they get their they realize it was a trap and they get surrounded. Soon the fight starts and eventually Thomas, Teresa and Chuck get into the griever hole. While Teresa and Chuck type in the code Thomas fights the grievors that came in the hole after them.
People die, but about 18 live and find themselves out of the maze and into the creators laboratory. Then Gally throws a knife at Thomas and kills Chuck because he jumped in the way. Then people come in and kill all of the creators.
The rescuers come and teach the Gladers about the Flare (disease) while taking them to a ‘Safe House”. When their Thomas wonders if they are really the “good guys” and have come to rescue them or if they want to use them for different things like the creators.
Thomas learns more about the maze and the Glade from his new friend Chuck. He learns about the jobs and what is expected of you. He then realizes a little later that he wants to be a runner to help solve the maze.
Thomas runs out into the maze to try to save Alby and Minho. While Minho runs for his life, Thomas ties Alby up on the wall of the maze to try to save him. Eventually Thomas gets cornered and has to fight to survive. Finally, he finds Minho and together they make the four grievers chasing them fall off of the cliff.
Thomas becomes the first person to survive a night in the maze and becomes a runner. They then have a council to see what Thomas should do and is suggested to be the runner’s keeper. The next day he gets shown around the maze by Minho and is told when everything should and will happen.
No supplies are showing up in the box and people start to panic. Everybody starts to try to save as much food as possible. In the meantime Thomas, Teresa, Alby, Chuck, Newt, and Minho use waxed paper to decode what the maze spells to shut it down.
The doors don’t close when they’re supposed to and the sky turns grey. At night everybody hides in the main house waiting for morning. No matter how much protection they have the grievors always get through. One of the nights Gally shows up and lets some of the grievors in letting the first person get taken.
The Grievers only take one person a night. One of the nights Thomas saves another boy but gets stung in the process. While he is in the changing he learns how to get out of the maze he also learns that many other people got taken while he was in the changing.
The Gladers decided to the Griever hole and find a way out. One of the night everybody gets armed with knives and spears and run to the cliff. As soon as they get their they realize it was a trap and they get surrounded. Soon the fight starts and eventually Thomas, Teresa and Chuck get into the griever hole. While Teresa and Chuck type in the code Thomas fights the grievors that came in the hole after them.
People die, but about 18 live and find themselves out of the maze and into the creators laboratory. Then Gally throws a knife at Thomas and kills Chuck because he jumped in the way. Then people come in and kill all of the creators.
The rescuers come and teach the Gladers about the Flare (disease) while taking them to a ‘Safe House”. When their Thomas wonders if they are really the “good guys” and have come to rescue them or if they want to use them for different things like the creators.
Theme
The theme in the story is, even if you don’t have anything, there is always a chance. No matter what, there is a solution to almost everything. And you can’t give up even if the chance is tiny.
Setting
The Maze Runner is based in the future in an experimental area. It is a giant Maze, with the center, what they call, the Glade. The Glade is a forest-slash-grassy-plains place. It is run by the Gladers, those who call it home. They have a farm, a slaughterhouse, homestead, graveyard, and map room. Outside, surrounding the Glade, is the Maze. It is made up of stone walls hundreds of feet high. Inside the Maze, are Grievers. They are mechanical-slash-creature type things that live in the Maze. They terrorize the Gladers with their needles to make the Changing happen. Outside the Maze and the Glade, is a laboratory that watches the Gladers, observing them.
Conflict
The conflict in the story is that these kids are trapped, stuck inside the Maze, with no way to get out. They are constantly sending Runner’s into the Maze to try to find an exit but find nothing. They just live out their lives in the Glade, just surviving and hoping.