Trapped

The idea of being trapped in a maze and remembering nothing on how you got there does not seem pleasing to many people.   In the fantastic book The Maze Runner by James Dashner, a large group of boys are placed into some type of holding cell that resembles a maze.  The main character of the story, Thomas, is the newest addition to the maze and the perspective of the story is mainly from him.  The reader learns alot about the maze and society that the group of boys have created.  The most astonishing thing to the reader are the questions, how and why are these seemingly innocent boys trapped inside a maze with no memory of getting there at all?

As I have read the first half of this book, I have kept myself up way too late at night trying to race to the answers to the questions that the story is based upon.  It just amazes me how some type of person or group created the maze; and on top of it all, decide to trap boys and watch them miserably fight each other.  For the many questions that the story proposes, I try to come up with theories.  Possibly the reason for the maze is similar to the reason of The Hunger Games--where the society watches every move of the players and acts as though it is entertainment.  Entertainment definately could be the incentive for the creators, but why two years?  The boy that has been inside of the maze has been stuck for almost two years.  I cannot even relate emotions to the way they must feel in this dystopian setting.

As said before, the main character and protagonist of the story is the "Greenie", Thomas.  The first step he took into his new home he felt a familiar sort of feeling.  At the time, I wasn't too concerned.  Then, just a week after of being into the incredible area, Thomas is brave enough to step foot into the maze at night--basically a death sentence.  However, he was able to save two lives while being out in the maze, fight off four grievers, and make it through the night alive--the first boy to ever accomplish something like that. At this point, I still wasn't suspicious of Thomas even though other boys in the group started to become weary of him.  I viewed him more of a hero, and saw it as forshadowing that he is going to be the one boy that may save them from the miserable maze and find an escape out.  However, about a day after his heroic trip, the newest member of the group, which happened to be a girl, telepathically told Thomas, "It was you and me Tom. We did this to them. To us." 

When I read that line, my jaw dropped.  This created so many questions such as, Is Thomas the bad guy? Are they the creators? How could he be a creator of the maze and not remember? Why would he do this to anyone?

James Dashner does an excellent job of creating suspense in this book and I am looking forward to knowing the answers to the many questions he proposes.  As for the boys in the book, I would hate to be trapped.