I have now come to finish the novel, The Maze Runner, by James Dashner. I have to admit that even if the novel didn’t convince me right at the beginning, Dashner has successfully entertained me towards the end. The novel was thrilling, exciting and it made me reflect on both the human survival nature as well as the society’s manipulation over teenagers. After reading 62 chapters, I feel like I perfectly know most of the characters. Therefore, as my last blog post for The Maze Runner, I have decided to create Avatars of the main characters, as well as add a brief character analysis. Overall, I had lots of fun creating these avatars, hope you enjoy! Also, after reading the book I re-watched the movie and, although the movie is still far from being as awesome as the book, I was impressed by all the details in the movies, recognizing the fact that it was a very difficult movie to create.
Below is a short character analysis from Shmoop of the 3 main characters:
THOMAS = Thomas is a pretty simple dude. Not quite Forrest Gump simple, but he's about as deep as the shallow end of a swimming pool. The single-mindedness with which he pursues answers about the Glade and its purpose shows that while he wants to know about his surroundings, it's more to alleviate his feelings of disorientation rather than to ponder the bigger questions. At times, Thomas comes off like a whiny little malcontent—especially in the beginning of the book when all he wants is for the other boys to answer his inquiries. Being simple in a complex world is kinda refreshing, though. As readers we always know where we stand with Thomas. His decisions are mostly based on a single driving factor: he wants to figure out the Maze. His purpose in the book is not only to serve as our burgeoning hero, but to be our guide through the world that the author created. What better way to answer the reader's questions than to have a character that has the same questions we want to be answered? By having Thomas slowly discover the new world around him, we are taking that journey alongside him—sharing his confusion, disbelief, and all the other emotions that go along with being dumped into a strange place.
THERESA = Teresa has the dubious honor of being the only girl to ever enter the Glade. As such, she is treated more like an evil talisman than like a person for her entire tenure there. Being the only girl thrust into the midst of sixty teenage, hormone-addled boys is dangerous enough. Throw their precarious situation into the mix, and the fact that her arrival triggers a mysterious set of events, and it makes her public enemy numero uno. In fact, it's hard to tell if the distrust that the boys show toward her derives from her baffling arrival or simply her gender. When she slips into a coma and is brought to the Homestead for medical care, they place a round-the-clock guard on her—and it's not clear whether it's for her sake or the boys'. When she finally wakes up, she is thrown into the Slammer for no reason other than Alby's distrust. If she had been a boy do you think she would've been treated the same way? Or would it have been more like Thomas—accepted but only tolerated. To her credit, Teresa handles this discrimination with grace and courage. She largely ignores the pointed stares and extra attention, and seems mostly focused on Thomas and piecing together the meaning of her mangled memories. To be frank, she deserves a medal for not throwing an epic pity party and deciding to just let the boys hash things out. Instead, she keeps her chin high and gets to work deciphering the Maze.
NEWT = Alby's second-in-command is one of those “always there at the right time with a one liner and a slap on the-shoulder” guys. Of mysterious origins (but let's face it, based on his liberal usage of the term "bloody," probably from the UK), Newt brings a lightheartedness to the group that counteracts dour old Alby. Although he's willing and able to take on the serious side of leadership, Newt manages to face challenges with a twinkle in his eye and a joke on the edge of his tongue. When Alby checks out toward the end of our story, Newt is thrust into a leadership position while things seem to be falling apart around him. Instead of whining about it, which would be totally justified if you ask us, he takes on the role with aplomb. Heeding Alby's cryptic warning to protect the Maps, Newt secretly gets Minho to transport them into hiding while replacing them with decoys, which saves the day when Alby ends up setting fire to the Map Room. Newt's also the one to recruit and gather everyone who is going to attempt the escape. When the time comes, he's the one making the big battle speech and getting everyone rallied in order for the escape to be successful. He's everything you could ask for in a post-apocalyptic dystopia.
Character Avatar
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Character in the Movie..
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Thomas
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Dylan O'Brien
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Teresa
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Newt
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