Inspiring Quotations
“Thomas swallowed, wondering how he could ever go out there. His desire to become a Runner had taken a major blow...He was supposed to be a Runner. Why did he feel that so strongly? And even now, after seeing what lived in the maze?" (Dashner, 39).
Explanation: This quote foreshadows how Thomas is going to be a Runner in the future, whether he likes it or not. Even though Thomas has seen the consequences and dangers of going into the maze, the burning desire inside of him to become a Runner overcomes the feeling of fear. This quote signifies the start of a pivotal turning point in the story, in the sense that in the beginning, Thomas appeared to be another useless wreck to the group who was just eventually going to die off. Now, he seems to have found his true meaning and a sense of belonging in this 'community'.
"For several seconds, Thomas felt like the world had frozen in place. A thick silence followed the thunderous rumble of the Door closing, and a veil of darkness seemed to cover the sky, as if even the sun had been frightened away by what lurked in the Maze...Thomas leaned back against the rough rock, overcome by disbelief at what he had just done. Filled with terror at what the consequences might be." (Dashner, 56)
Explanation: In this scene, Thomas truly believed he was doomed and going to die. He was almost certain that he was going to be dead in the end, either from being killed by a monster or from becoming lost in the complicated maze. Although it might've seemed foolish for Thomas to run into the labyrinth at the last second before the walls closed, it was actually an extremely heroic act. This is because he purposefully trapped himself behind the two walls as an act of loyalty to Alby, who was injured, and for the exhausted Runner, Minho. This truly shows Thomas's courageousness and ability to make decisions for what he thinks it right, even when it may cost his life.
"As for you, all of you—you're just a few of millions orphaned. They tested thousands, chose you for the big one. The ultimate test. Everything you lived through was calculated and thought through. Catalysts to study your reactions, your brain waves, your thoughts. All in an attempt to find those capable of helping us find a way to beat the Flare." (Dashner, 330),
Explanation: At this moment, an old video recording of a [now dead] scientist tells the escaped teens the truth about what is going on. Clearly, this is a lot for the teens to take in all at once, since this happened right after they successfully escaped the grievers and found their way out of the maze. Surprisingly, the teens see that the real world isn't as good as they had expected. They find out that there is a highly infectious virus called 'The Flare', causing a world-wide epidemic. The reason the teens were put into this maze was to try and find out which one of them possessed the certain gene to be heroic and fight back. These people who were resilient and fought back were the ones whose dna could be used to find a cure for 'The Flare'. Even though the teens had finally found the legitimate reason for why they were put into this maze in the first place, they were still obviously very mad at the scientists.