![]() Thomas thinks first yes in the prequel, then no, then maybe. Perhaps the biggest question Thomas grapples with throughout the series is does trying to save the human race justify intentionally killing some? In my view, the book does not give a definitive answer. There is no overarching moral framework or absolute right and wrong even mentioned.Īnother moral question raised in The Maze Runner series is an ongoing exploration of how far the end justifies the means. His decision and motivations are all based on a chaos of feelings: loyalty, revulsion, guilt, love, friendship. Perhaps the most disturbing part of this twisted scenario Dashner devises is that Thomas never frames the problem in terms of right and wrong. After various feelings of turmoil and guilt, Thomas ends up deciding to do so. ![]() Newt asks Thomas to kill him in the name of their friendship. Then, in the third book, Dashner creates a specific scenario in which one of the major characters, Newt, realizes he has caught the fatal disease and is rapidly going mad. However, Dashner provocatively offers an ongoing speculation of whether it would just “be kinder” to do so. On one level, The Maze Runner world does not choose to euthanize the segment of the population who are going mad. Dashner offers some oddly contradictory views. Moving into more vicarious themes, another thing you as the parent need to know is how this book deals with euthanasia. My view is teenagers should not be reading about this sort of violence, especially when it is in the context of other teenagers committing the violence. For a book that is singularly lacking in description overall, the author devotes an inordinate number of paragraphs to detailing graphic violence. All three books, but especially the third, present scenarios where teenagers must engage in and witness disturbing violence and gruesome deaths, all depicted graphically. One thing parents need to know is just how violent this series is. But from a Catholic perspective, there are a plethora of moral problems with these books. This series is wildly popular because it is a fast-paced story of a group of loyal teens facing nearly insurmountable challenges, with a generous dose of mystery to suck in the reader. The third book, The Death Cure, is Thomas and his surviving friends’ fight to take down Wicked, the organization which has forced the experiments upon them. This time the boys realize that they are undergoing the trials for the greater good of the human race, in the hope of finding a cure for a disturbing, fatal illness known as “the Flare.” ![]() ![]() In the second book, The Scorch Trials, Thomas and his friends are again put through a series of perilous experiments in a ravaged world. Oh yes, and all of them have no memories. In brief, The Maze Runner is the story of a teenage boy, Thomas, and his band of friends who accomplish rather unbelievable feats to escape a devilishly designed maze. Read on for a synopsis and highlights of some of the moral issues the series raises. If you are looking for a one word answer, this Catholic mom is saying No to her young teens reading this series. With the December 2017 release of a movie based on the series, The Maze Runner is about to receive to an explosion of attention and new fans.Īs a busy Catholic parent, you may be wondering if you should let your teens read this series and watch the movie, but not have the time to read it for yourself to determine its appropriateness. Fans of the The Hunger Games trilogy and Divergent series will also be familiar with Dashner’s trilogy. John Dashner’s The Maze Runner series is one of a string of wildly popular dystopian young adult novels. ![]()
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