Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Maze Runner, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Memory and Identity
Stability and Order vs. Change and Chaos
Sacrifice
Growing Up
Hope
Sexism
Summary
Analysis
Thomas realizes that Chuck was a personal symbol for the possibility of returning to a normal life. Now that Chuck has died, Thomas feels that the life that lies ahead of him will be full of misery and sorrow. After the woman says that’s all things happen for a purpose, there is shouting and commotion from the doorway. People with guns and grimy clothes come inside. One person from this new group tackles the woman and shoots her in the head.
In line with the theme of order and change, the Gladers’ lives change rapidly, but the woman’s claim that all things happen for a purpose gives us reason to believe that, once again, what appears like chaos is not as random as it seems. Additionally, Chuck’s death causes Thomas to give up all hope. Will he be able to make sense of Chuck’s death and get his hope back before the novel ends?
Themes
To the Gladers confusion and fear, these new people tell the Gladers to follow them because their life depends on it. The Gladers follow them outside of the building. Unlike in the Glade where everyday had the same weather, it is raining heavily outside. These people tell the Gladers to board a large beaten-up bus that is waiting for them.
The outside world appears chaotic and unpredictable. Both the Gladers and the reader don’t know who these people are or what they want. For the time being, chaos and rapid change appear to take over.
Themes
As Thomas waits to get on the bus, a hideous and horribly smelling woman tackles him to the floor and says, “Gonna save us from the Flare” and “Don’t believe a word they tell you.” The new people pull the woman off of Thomas and shuffle him onto the bus, which then takes off into the night
Thomas must start his journey anew in the outside world. He has no information about what’s going on and cannot trust anyone. As soon as Thomas mastered one stage of his life (the Maze as adolescence) he becomes a beginner in the next stage (the real world of adults). But perhaps the experiences he gained, the memories he formed, and the identity he honed will help him survive now as an adult.
Themes
