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A former Runner, Ben goes through the Changing on the day Thomas arrives in the Glade. In a state of psychological distress, Ben almost kills Thomas because he thinks Thomas does not belong in the Glade. As punishment for attempted murder, Alby banishes Ben to the Maze, effectively sentencing him to death, even though Ben deeply repents and apologizes for his actions.
Ben Quotes in The Maze Runner
The The Maze Runner quotes below are all either spoken by Ben or refer to Ben. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 14 Quotes
Alby spoke in a loud, almost ceremonious voice, looking at no one and everyone at the same time. “Ben of the Builders, you’ve been sentenced to Banishment for the attempted murder of Thomas the Newbie. The Keepers have spoken, and their word ain’t changing. And you ain’t coming back. Ever.”
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Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, Alby punishes Ben--who's pleading temporary insanity, i.e., the "Changing"--for attempting to kill Thomas. Ben probably doesn't deserve such a harsh punishment--he wasn't in his right mind when he attacked Thomas, and has shown himself to be valuable to the Gladers in other ways, too. Furthermore, he's begged for forgiveness and appealed to the other boys' sympathies. Yet Alby is so insistent on procedure and ceremony that he doles out a harsh punishment to Ben, whether it's just or not. Alby believes that his job is to maintain safety and unity among his followers--the best way to do Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus temp
Chapter 15 Quotes
“Order,” Newt continued. “Order. You say that bloody word over and over in your shuck head. Reason we’re all sane around here is ’cause we work our butts off and maintain order. Order’s the reason we put Ben out—can’t very well have loonies runnin’ around tryin’ to kill people, now can we? Order. Last thing we need is you screwin’ that up.”
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The Gladers operate on a system of strict order--everyone has to do their part or risk banishment, which is the same as death. Newt is irritated when Thomas--still new to the way things work--complains that he finds his duties menial and boring, and he wants to become a Maze Runner. Newt sees this kind of ambition and individualism as dangerous, so he warns Thomas to devote himself to "order." For Newt, living in the Glade means working hard and accepting one's place.One reason that Newt isn't sympathetic to Thomas is that he's been among the Gladers for longer than Thomas. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea sus
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Ben Character Timeline in The Maze Runner
The timeline below shows where the character Ben appears in The Maze Runner. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3
...older boys starts mocking Thomas, saying he must have “klunked” his pants when he heard Ben scream. Thomas tries to push past the boy and go up the stairs, but the...
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...top of the stairs, Thomas opens a door and sees Alby and Newt sitting by Ben who is writhing in pain on a bed. Large green veins crisscross Ben’s body. Sickened...
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Chapter 10
...a rock. When the boy is lying before him, Thomas realizes his crazed attacker is Ben, the sick boy who was screaming.
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Chapter 11
Ben gets up and takes out a knife from his pocket. Before Ben can strike, Alby...
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...Glade. The next morning, Thomas wakes up feeling depressed for having been a part of Ben’s death. But as he starts his training with the Keeper of the Blood House, he...
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Chapter 13
...find a quiet place to think. He is interrupted by Chuck, who tells him that Ben didn’t die from the arrow wound and that the Keepers have gathered and decided to...
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...close, Alby assembles everyone at the East Door. A couple of Gladers drag a crying Ben to the Door and Newt brings out a giant pole with a collar at one...
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Chapter 14
Alby wraps the collar around Ben’s neck. Ben pleads that he only tried to kill Thomas because the Changing made him...
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Crying and pleading for help, Ben looks around the crowd hoping to inspire someone to intervene. Thomas’ guilt makes him hide...
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Chapter 15
Thomas goes to sleep with the images of Ben’s haunted face on his mind. The next morning, Newt wakes Thomas up and tells him...
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