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Chapter 24
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
The Keepers argue loudly about Minho’s suggestion until Newt calms everyone and asks Minho to better explain his proposal. Minho says that out of all the Keepers, he’s the only one who has been inside the Maze except for Newt. Gally interrupts, saying that he’s been in the Maze, but Minho yells at him, saying that he’s only been in the Maze once and that was when he was breaking the same rule that Thomas broke.
Gally only wants to enforce the rules when they benefit him. He complains that Thomas broke the rules even though he broke the same rule in the past. Gally also ignores the rules of the Gathering by interrupting people as they speak. This hypocrisy discredits Gally’s argument.
Themes
Minho continues, saying that inside the Maze, he got scared and ran off but Thomas stayed calm and risked his own life to protect Alby. Gally interrupts again, diminishing Thomas’ accomplishments by saying he was lucky. Minho yells at Gally, telling him he is a coward who has never been a Runner so he has no right to express his opinion about what courage and strength it took Thomas to survive the Maze.
Minho’s argument for the importance of experience supports the idea that experiences, rather than one’s innate nature, form the basis of identity.
Themes
Embarrassed by Minho’s insults, Gally threatens to break Minho’s neck. Minho pushes Gally to the ground and says that if he ever threatens him again, then he’ll break his arms and legs before breaking his neck. As Gally storms out of the room, he says things are going to change and that if he must, then he will kill Thomas in order to stop him from carrying out the Creators’ secret plans.
Gally echoes the girl’s warning that everything will change. Gally, however, wants things to change back to the status-quo before Thomas’ arrival. While the changes Thomas introduced by going into Maze were examples of progress, Gally wants changes that take the Glade a step backwards: a strict and violent enforcement of the rules.
Themes
