Epilogue

1.       There is an epilogue at the end of the book. The epilogue provides us with several information that may be key in the next book or so.

2.       One thing I picked up on was the fact that the author of the epilogue (as it was in the form of a letter) mentioned ‘Group B’. This means that there must be a ‘Group A’ and possibly more. That means that the glade may or not be the only thing several orphans had to go through.

3.       I also noticed how the author of the epilogue (Ava Paige, Chancelor) treated the entire glade situation as just one big joke. She took the situation lightly as if it wasn’t too important of the whereabouts of the gladers and their future. It kind of reminds us of real life. We don’t really understand what it is like to be the ant that we step on. We just step on it.

Quotes from text:"By any reckoning, I think we’d all agree that the Trials were a success." I chose this because this the first quote of the epilogue, which gave me the idea.

Conflict

1.       There is plenty of conflict or problems in the book. For one, no one seems to know what the glader’s life was before the glade, and until the end there was no hint or clue to find out who you really are (unless you go through the changing). This adds to the plot, as well as it creates an issue. It also leaves the reader almost...scared.

2.       Another problem the gladers face is Gally. Early on in the book, Gally tells everyone his suspicions about Thomas and became a pain from that day forth. This issue developed on and on through the story, until the moment where Thomas goes into the maze and breaks a rule. Gally’s rage is unleashed, but is quieted by Minho, and in turn, Gally decides to go missing. We then wait until the end, where Gally reappears on the scene, just to be presumed dead. Once again, he reappears towards the very end, alive, and kills Chuck.

3.       The appearance of Thomas was an issue from the start. No one seemed to be able to understand or be comfortable with the fact that directly after Thomas appeared, the glade turns upside down. If put in the same situation, I would feel just as suspicious, however, my suspicions wouldn’t get the best of me. However, the rest of the gladers couldn’t exactly cope with this fact.

4.       The grievers played a huge role in the gladers’ ongoing problems. For one, they are one of the reasons the gladers just can’t waltz into the maze, unprotected, and just spend the night.

A quote from text:"If you ain’t scared… you ain’t human.” I chose this quote because I found myself scared and the characters were constantly scared in the book.

Plot

1.       The plot in this book is full of action and never ending mystery. I like how the book sort of grows as Thomas grows in the story. When the book first starts out it is very broad as Thomas is completely clueless to his future life in the glade. But as Thomas solves the mysteries behind the glade, the more complex the book gets.

2.       While the plot really doesn’t end in this book (as it continues in others), it leaves the reader wanting to know what more is there to the story. That is a good trait to have when writing because it keeps readers hooked, thus you get more people to read your next book, which leads to more money. We often see ‘cliff hangers’ like this on TV and in video games, which make us want to watch the next episode of the show or buy the next video game in the series.

3.       The plot also introduces lots of characters, half of which die at the end of the book. While this doesn’t anger many fans, it is sort of confusing to me and makes me want to buy the next book to see if any of these characters survive the events at the end of the story. It also makes me wonder that if they are still alive, they must play a role that is key to the story, or the author would not have kept them alive.

4.       The plot is full of shockers and news flashes. Every chapter just about introduces a new issue that ends with another issue. The shockers continue like this for the entire book. This keeps people like me with short attention spans glued to the book. It also allows room for us to wonder what is going to happen next without forgetting what happened in the last chapter. 

Quotes from text:“It was you and me, Tom. We did this to them. To us.” I chose this because when Teresa spoke that line, it revealed a lot from the plot. 

Point of View

The story is told from Thomas’ point of view. Although it is not written in first person, the book was very good and detailed with telling all of Thomas’ reactions and his mood during the story. Whenever Thomas is angry or frustrated (which he was often) I could easily see and understand his rage. When Thomas was confused, I found myself scratching my head at the same time. The author did a great job of describing Thomas to us, given the point of view. 

Quotes from text: “All the same, Thomas now had a plan. As bad as it was, he had a plan.
They needed more clues about the code. They needed MEMORIES.
So he was going to get stung by a Griever. Go through the Changing. On purpose.”

I chose this because it shows who point of view the story was from and it also gave me an idea for this entry.

Characters

1.       Thomas is your average teenager without his memory of his past life. Thomas deals with his situation a bit more relaxed and more controlled than I would. This gives him the determination and drive to be the Thomas we see in the book. The Thomas who jumps into the maze as it is closing at night(which is forbidden). It is also revealed that he has a telepathic link with Teresa, which is handy in several situations and could’ve been handier in several other situations during the book.

2.       Teresa is the first girl to appear in the glade. Along with the constant drama that Thomas is causing, Teresa’s appearance sends the entire glade into a big panic. Along with her telepathic link with Thomas, Teresa seems to have several secrets that either she doesn’t remember or isn’t willing to tell. This may lead to another piece to the story in a later book.

3.       Alby is one of the leaders at the glade and will be the first person to tell you to get back to work and to sustain order. This makes him a hard to approach person, and after he goes through the changing (a process that occurs after a griever has stung you which allows you to regain some memories of your past life) he becomes even more inapproachable. He is also Newt’s best friend. However, Alby’s approachability isn’t the only thing that he seems to lose after the changing. His entire mindset seems to be different. This is proven when he attempts to burn down the maps, or when he stupidly sacrifices himself in the end.

4.       Newt is pretty much second in command around the glade. I believe that most of Newt’s decisions along with his social life are strongly affected by his leg injury. Not that he is sour about it, but it seems like his depressed and saddened by it. However, he seems to take his job around the glade seriously. And after Alby goes through the changing, he pretty much assumes Alby’s role around the glade as well. This makes him a reliable and trustable character in the story. This could be developed upon in another book.

5.       Minho is the keeper or leader of the runners (people who go out and explore the maze). He loses his mind when the pressure gets to him inside the maze, which makes me question his ability to be a leader. It also makes me wonder how he will react in other situations. A leader needs to be able to react to anything really quickly. However, he proves his bravery later on in the book.

6.       Chuck immediately becomes one of Thomas friends. As he is younger, he becomes a little brother figure to Thomas. Their bond becomes so deep to the point where Thomas promises Chuck that he will get him home alive. Chuck also seems to have a connection with those around the glade, as he is instantly filled in with the latest ‘gossip’ and news.

7.       Gally (one of the gladers) immediately becomes enemies with Thomas and when Thomas and the remaining gladers escape the maze, Gally throws a knife at Thomas. Chuck then sacrifices his life for Thomas, thus breaking Thomas’ promise. I wonder if Gally knew what he had done or if he felt some type of remorse for his actions.

(Here is a picture of the cast for the new Maze Runner movie)

Quotes from the text: “You’re disgusting when you eat,” Chuck said, sitting on the bench next to him. “It’s like watching a starving pig eat his own klunk.” I chose this because it reveals one character (because no sentence revealed every character in one).

Mood

1.       Before Thomas’ arrival, Chuck, Newt, and Alby (other gladers) made the glade seem like a quiet place where work and order was their main priority. They made the previous statement clearer known, when they banish a kid for attacking Thomas, even though the kid  wasn’t control of his body at the moment.

2.       However, the glade becomes the exact opposite when Thomas arrives, which sends the entire glade in a shock. We see people blame Thomas for things he doesn’t exactly know. Things become a bit more hostile around the glade (because no one understands why everything is becoming weird).. 

Quotes from the text: “Nice to meet ya, shank,” the boy said. “Welcome to the Glade.” I chose this because it is the first thing anyone said to Thomas when he first came to the glade. Directly following this, people soon begin to get suspicions about Thomas.

What I Learned

1.       While there were not many lessons learned from this book, I did pick up on a few things that made me think. I did pick up on that boys aren’t as ‘dumb’ as society tries to make them seem. On TV we see boys making stupid decisions and making it humorous(here is a picture of a reoccurring character on the Disney show 'Kickin' It' who is often looked upon as stupid). However, the truth is, boys can make smart, game changing decisions, such as the idea to make a flowing economy within the glade.

2.       Another thing that I learned is that everyone has a role in society, whether their role be big or small. At the beginning of the book, people believe Thomas (the newest glader) will become a ‘slopper’(the people who clean up around the glade) a role in society that not everyone wants to be in. However, if no one was a slopper, then we wouldn’t have a working society. For one, the gladers would eat off of dirty plates with dirty silver ware every night. The same goes for real life. We may not understand it, but everyone has a role that they need to play. It is sort of like a food chain (in a food chain, if one animal is removed, those above and below that animal in the food chain. This continues on and on until everyone has suffered).

3.        The last thing I learned is that anyone can be anything they want, no matter their physical appearance or mental state. Like I said, Thomas was deemed a slopper at the start, but Thomas set his mind on becoming a runner. And while he had a lot of luck on his side, Thomas did become a runner, and proved just about everyone wrong at the glade.

Quotes from text: "Thomas swallowed, wondering how he could ever go out there. His desire to become a Runner had taken a major blow. But he had to do it. Somehow he KNEW he had to do it. It was such an odd thing to feel, especially after what he'd just seen... Thomas knew he was a smart kid- he somehow felt it in his bones. But nothing about this place made any sense. Except for one thing. He was supposed to be a Runner. Why did he feel that so strongly? And even now, after seeing what lived in the maze?” I chose this because it shows how Thomas sets his mind to become a runner and accomplishes it. This text also gave me an idea for this entry.