Book Response to The Maze Runner

Author: James Dashner
Year of Publication: 2009
Number of Pages: 375
I. Plot Summary- Thomas woke up in the darkness not remembering anything. Only his names and is picked up by other people who have went through the same thing. They live their lives in a protective Glade surrounded by a Maze that always moves and is different each day. They all thrive for answers of why they are here and when Thomas arrives everything begins to change and now with all these things happening they need to risk everything to figure out the Maze and when a girl shows up the only one to ever show up everything goes even farther south. Now they will be forced to find answers or surely face death.
II. Literary Elements-
A. Narrator- Third Person - "He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air" p. 1
B. Protagonist- Thomas - A boy who doesn't even know his last name who is willing to take risks and do things nobody has ever tried before to help his new friends. " Thomas knew he had no choice. He moved. Forward. He stepped into the Maze and the doors closed behind him." p.112
C. Antagonist- The Creators - The people who are responsible for putting these kids into the Maze and watch them. "Who does this to kids? The Creators." p.79
D. Setting- "They stood in a vast courtyard several times the size of a football field, surrounded by four enormous walls made of gray stone and covered in spots with thick ivy. The walls had to be hundreds of feet high and formed a perfect square around them." p. 5
E. Conflict- These kids were put into this Maze for many years and are told nothing about it and memories are wiped clean. They learn to live and grow food inside of the Maze in the Glade. The walls close around them every night protecting them from the Grievers that come out at night inside the Maze. When Thomas and the Girl shows up everything begins to go south. It is Man vs. Man the kids against the creators. Man vs. Self Thomas thinks that it is his fault all this is happening and feels bad.
F. Theme- The theme of this book is that no matter how bad things can get, your friends will be with you tell the end and will do anything to see it that each other makes it. Everything is darkest before its dawn too. No matter how bad things can get you have the power to go out and try to make it better. Another theme is rebellion. To rise up from the darkness and take your destiny into your own hands and break the rules for a better life. "Thomas knew he had no choice. He moved. Forward. He squeezed past the connecting rods at the last second and stepped into the Maze." p.112
G. Historical Context- This book signifies the control over people then rise of a rebellion and the fall of something big. The steps it takes to mustar up the courage to take on something huge with nothing to lose and death being the only other way out. " Tonight the Grievers better be the ones hiding because we are coming for the Creators." p. 330
III. Reflection- I very much enjoyed this book. It is very different from a lot of books I have read and it kept me interested throughout the whole thing. I would say if you like books that have a lot of mystery and adventure to it this would be a great book for you to read. I like the ending of the book because it leads to another book and leaves you with more questions to be answered and that only makes it all the more exciting.