The Scorch Trials

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2010

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Chapters 35-37Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 35 Summary

Thomas awakes from a bad dream. Brenda tells him more about WICKED and the current situation in the world, how the surviving countries have pulled together to create a government and form WICKED, and how WICKED has slowed the virus down, but hasn’t stopped it. She also tells Thomas about the numbing agent, known as the Bliss, which only the wealthiest people can afford. The drug slows the Flare down because it numbs the brain, and the Flare thrives on brain activity. Thomas realizes that there is something important, perhaps even crucial, to what Brenda is saying about the numbing agent and the Flare, but he has too many questions to focus on just one.

After taking in all of the new information, Thomas finally dozes off again and dreams. In this dream, he and Teresa are eavesdropping on a man and woman’s conversation. They are talking about Variables, the end of the Maze Trials and betrayal; all of it is confusing to Thomas. The woman then wonders aloud how much the kids will be able to endure before going crazy on their own. The man then talks about a boy who is considered to be one of the top Candidates, and how he might die. The woman assures the man that they will not let the boy die. Teresa pulls at Thomas’s shirt to indicate that they should leave. Before they do, the woman says they will not be around to see the end, but that the future will thank them.

Thomas awakens from the dream and stretches with the first traces of dawn. As he does, he notices a plaque on the alley wall similar to the ones he saw all over the Maze. On closer inspection, Thomas sees that the plaque says: “THOMAS, YOU’RE THE REAL LEADER” (207).

Chapter 36 Summary

Brenda tells Thomas that the signs proclaiming that he is the real leader are all over the city. It is because of these signs that she and Jorge decided to try their luck with Thomas and the Gladers. Though he is angry they didn’t tell him about the signs, Thomas manages to calm down. Thinking that the signs are just another part of WICKED’s Variables, and with Brenda’s encouragement, Thomas tells her about Group A and Group B, and about all of the madness that WICKED has been engineering for him and the Gladers to bring about responses. Brenda asks Thomas if he and Teresa are in a relationship, and Thomas is unsure how to respond. When Brenda calls him Tom, however, which is what Teresa calls him, he snaps at her, hurting Brenda’s feelings.

As Brenda and Thomas sit in the alleyway, Thomas is alarmed to hear a thumping noise. He decides to investigate the sound, though Brenda does not think it is a good idea. Thomas follows the sound and realizes that loud music is being played. He can hear people laughing and shouting as well. The entire scene leaves Thomas with a bad feeling, and he tells Brenda that they should leave as soon as possible. When they turn to do so, however, they find that three people have entered the alley, two men and a woman. Frightened, Thomas realizes that the strangers are Cranks, but not “full-gone Cranks” (211). The woman has her hair in a ponytail, and asks Thomas and Brenda in a mocking tone if they are joining the party. Though Brenda and Thomas try to decline the invitation politely, the three Cranks insist that they join them at the party. Finally, one of the men, named Blondie, pulls out a rusty gun and tells the two teenagers that they have to go to the party. Ponytail, as well as Tall and Ugly, the nicknames for the other two Cranks, pull out weapons as well. Thomas tells the trio that they will join their party, and after they have used a secret knock to gain entrance, a guy opens the door, saying, “Hey Thomas. We’ve been waiting for you” (214).

Chapter 37 Summary

Thomas and Brenda are ushered into the party, which is a mass of sweaty bodies and foul smells. The man who greeted them, Long Hair, tells Thomas that they watched both of them the entire night. When they saw his reaction to the signs, they knew he was Thomas. Long Hair goes to get the pair a drink, and Thomas and Brenda dance, trying to decide how best to get out of the situation. Surprisingly, Brenda suggests that they stay with the people for a while, that it might be safer in the end to remain with them. Though Thomas wants to trust Brenda, he wonders if she has had anything to do with their being captured by the group of Cranks. Brenda continues to talk about how slim their chances are of getting away and finding a cure, and as Thomas tries to reassure her, Long Hair returns with drinks. Thomas knows something is wrong with the place, and tries to get Brenda not to drink, saying that they need water instead. Blondie then puts the gun to Thomas’s back, and Long Hair says they were offered a drink, so they must drink it.

As the two start dancing again, they notice that the room is starting to spin, and realize that they have been drugged. Thomas notes how beautiful Brenda is, and as his mind starts to go blank, Brenda again says that maybe things are better this way, that they can be happy with the new Cranks, and that when she finally goes crazy, Thomas can kill her. Brenda then tries to get Thomas to kiss her. He resists, and she tries again, calling him “Tom.” He finally pulls away, and just before he blacks out, he tells Brenda that he cannot kiss her because she is not Teresa, and she can never be Teresa.

Chapters 35-37 Analysis

Thomas learns more about WICKED from Brenda, as well as the shape of the world as a result of the Flare. He also has another dream, perhaps gaining more memories of his time with Teresa when they worked for WICKED. In these chapters, Thomas finds himself attempting to piece together his own identity and role in the greater scheme of things by way of past memories and the information he gathers from others. Every new dream/memory, as well as every new piece of information he receives from Brenda, sheds a bit more light, and brings him closer to connecting the dots of his past.

When Thomas sees the plaques declaring him the leader, he is stunned at the new turn of events, and is angry that Brenda did not tell him that the signs are all over the city. Thomas is able to keep his anger under control, however, realizing that the signs are probably just one more Variable that WICKED is using to test him. Brenda admits that she and Jorge both decided to trust Thomas because of the signs, and think that he is supposed to be the real leader. Thomas refuses to believe this, however, and thinks that there are other things that are more important than who leads the Gladers. The signs, however, show just how important hope can be in getting people to take action. Because of the signs, Jorge and Brenda are willing to trust Thomas, even when faced with death and the possibility that there is no cure at the safe haven.

The three Cranks who force Brenda and Thomas to accompany them to the party show the negative effects of the plaque, and how necessary it is to be on one’s guard at all times. The Cranks also show that there are ulterior motives at work in the city, and that there is something more to the city than Thomas knows of at this point. Brenda also reveals a side of herself that makes Thomas suspicious, as she suggests that the pair stay with the Cranks. As a result of the drugged liquid the two are forced to drink, Thomas reveals his true feelings about Teresa, telling Brenda that he cannot kiss her because she will never be Teresa.