READING JOURNALS

1. QUOTATION RESPONSE“This ain’t got nothin’ to do with no hate or like or love or friends or anything. All we care about is surviving. Drop your sissy side and start using that shuck brain if you got one.” - Alby (Chapter 12, pg86)
  This quote is significant because it speaks to the theme of law and order as well as survival. The boys have organized themselves into a community where everyone has a role. Those roles keep them preoccupied so they don`t have time to over think and to agonize over the fact that they may never find a way out. The heavily packed schedule of the Gladers gives them incentive to find their way out and to solve the mystery behind their memory loss. The stability of their little community also prevent chaos from breaking out and ruining their chance of survival. This also may relate to human nature where everyone is just on this earth to survive long enough,and to eventually reproduce. Everyone in the Glade on a more philosophical level is just contributing so they can find their way out. The Gladers are just doing their part, selfishly, so that one of them might figure their way out of the Maze. By leaving they Maze, their questions could finally be answered and their memories would return to them. Even in real life, our main priority is just to survive, everything else is a privilege. The concept of `survival of the fittest` integrates itself into the Maze Runner on a more sexist and emotional level. Alby calls out Thomas for being a “sissy”, making it a feminine characteristic to express feelings. This concept of sexism is also prevalent in many cultures and societies around the world even today.

2. PROTAGONIST PROBLEM
Thomas being the protagonist of the book faces many problems in the entirety of the book. As the book progresses, so does the severity of Thomas' problems.
Protagonist vs. Nature/Technology
            The protagonist, along with the rest of the Gladers face the problem of the grievers. These half tech-half animal beings cause a lot of issues throughout the book. In the beginning, Alby, Newt, and the Runners made it clear that anyone who stays out in the Maze after the doors close will face the wrath of the grievers. Once Teresa comes up in the Box and triggers the end, the grievers capture one Glader each night.
Protagonist vs. Society
            In the beginning, he faces the issue of everyone in the Glade underestimated him, refusing to acknowledge his pleas to learn more about the system as soon as he arrives. Similarly, in the beginning of the book, he is refused to learn more about the runners and how he can become one of them.Another conflict that's faced, are the Creators and the uncertainties Thomas feels about them. No one really remembers how they came to the Glade or who they were before and that can be blamed on the Creators.
Protagonist vs Self 
            Once Teresa enters the Box and starts gaining consciousness, she has the ability to talk inside Thomas' head. This begins an internal conflict. Thomas can't tell if he's going crazy or if he really does have a connection with Teresa. This short lived problem is solved once Thomas and Teresa begin talking about their ability. Additionally, Thomas also takes upon a protective role by wanting to return Chuck to his family. Although, that doesn't quite work out since Chuck dies once the go through the griever hole. Thomas believes that he failed as Chuck's protector and most importantly, as is friend.
Protagonist vs Antagonist
 Thomas is constantly threatened by someone who is influenced by the total experiment or the Creators. Thomas faced Gally, the bully of the group, who constantly believed that Thomas is a problem. Thomas also faced Ben, who under the influence of the griever sting and serum, bites Thomas after being abnormally paranoid.

3. SETTING
         The setting of the book is mainly in the Glade, yet surrounding the glade is a long, magical maze that shifts every night. The Glade functions “normally”, where the circadian rhythm is constant. The sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, regulating daily activities. The Glade is described to have four remote sections: Gardens, Blood House, Homestead, Deadheads. The names of these sections, for the most part, speak for themselves. The Blood House is where the animals are killed so they can be cooked and eaten. The Homestead is basically a cabin where the Gladers sleep. Finally, the Deadheads is the graveyard. The surrounding walls of the Glade are described as being incredibly tall, making it impossible for the boys, and later Teresa, to find an easy escape route. The surrounding Maze of the Glade shifts every night and it's up to the Runners to document their daily route. Once the Ending is triggered, the pattern of the Maze changes is a crucial code that the Gladers must type out to finish the experiment. As Thomas and Minho go on their run, they discover the griever hole, which is a crucial part of the setting and to the ultimate goal of the Gladers. At the end of the book, once the twenty survivors pass through the griever hole, a new setting is described. This area is where the Gladers meet the Creators.

4. IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE ONE CHARACTER TO BE YOUR FRIEND, WHO WOULD IT BE?
          Each of the main characters have distinct characteristics that would make them a good friend. Teresa,  being the only girl in a limited space would force her to be powerful and respectable, which are two qualities I admire. I think she would have a keen attitude towards life and it would be fun to experience that as friends. Plus if we would have the ability to speak to each other telepathically, that would be pretty neat. Chuck would also be a loyal friend. I think he would be the type that even if you haven't spoken in a while, it would be easy to reconnect after a long time. He would also be the friend that can pass as the grandma meme where he would always ask if you've had dinner and remind you to carry a sweater. Thomas would be that one friend that always wants to do dangerous stuff. Even though you would get tired of his ideas of exploration, he would make the day so much more interesting. I would also befriend Thomas simply because it's Dylan O'Brien that plays his character in the movie :-)

5.  WRITE A CONNECT TO ANOTHER BOOK OR MOVIE YOU HAVE SEEN (THINK OF SIMILAR CHARACTERS, PLOT, SETTING, AND THEMES)
   The "Maze Runner" by James Dashner reminds me of "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. Both books involve a group of young individuals being enclosed in an area. Although, in the "Maze Runner", the amount of people are being added one by one yet in the "Hunger Games", the amount of people are being reduced one by one (yikes). The dystopian quality of the books make them even more intriguing allowing the reader to get completely wrapped up in the plot. Furthermore, in the both texts, the characters are limited by an authoritative power. In the "Hunger Games", the Capitol and President Snow are the ones making the calls and benefiting from the series of events. In the "Maze Runner", the Creators are the root cause of all the hardship faced by the Gladers. Additionally, the concept of a clique mentality is present in both books along with Divergent by Veronica Roth. In the Hunger Games, the district representatives would create alliances while in the arena. In the Maze Runner, greenies were assigned certain roles and those roles correlated with a sector in the Maze. In Divergent, the factions divided up the community based on it's characteristics. In Divergent and the Hunger Games, there is a strong female lead but in the Maze Runner, the protagonist would not get far without his female companion. The presence of a strong female is present in all three book series.