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Chapter 39
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Maze Runner, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Memory and Identity
Stability and Order vs. Change and Chaos
Sacrifice
Growing Up
Hope
Sexism
Summary
Analysis
Thomas runs to the Door that Minho went through but Newt calls out to him before he goes inside. As Newt tells him not to go inside, Minho runs out of the Maze, telling them he just wanted to confirm that the Grievers had gone through the Hole. Newt then tells them that someone set fire to the all the maps in the Map Room. Minho and Newt go to investigate while Thomas goes to check on Teresa.
Here’s another instance of Minho’s newfound sense of courage and defiance. Perhaps inspired by Thomas’ willingness to break the rules when necessary, Minho no longer mindlessly obeys the rules if he feels that he must break them in order to find an escape.
Themes
In the jail, Teresa tells Thomas that she’s been sleeping this whole time. They discuss what she meant by saying that the Maze is a code. Thomas wonders if it’s possible that the Maze is spelling something out and the boys never realized since they always looked at each Section independently rather than looking at all eight Sections together. Teresa says that may be true, but Thomas’ excitement at possibly finding a key to understanding the Maze vanishes as he realizes that all the maps have been burned.
Another example of change’s value: Thomas realizes that the Gladers have not altered how they study the maps despite never finding any clues. In contrast to this reluctance to change, Thomas’ fresh perspective may yield new information about how to escape the Maze.
Themes
