The Scorch Trials

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2010

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Themes

Friendship

Friendship is a vital theme in the novel. For Thomas and the other characters, their friendships take the place of the strong bonds often evidenced in family relationships. In the absence of parents and family, these friendships are what many of the teenagers must turn to for support and sanity. Members of both the Gladers and Group B developed friendships with different people while in the Maze. Now that they are all faced with a new Trial, the Scorch, these alliances and friendships will be tested in various ways as a part of WICKED’s Variables. In this sense, the hope and willpower that each of the teenagers is being tested in relation to the friendships.

The most dramatic test of friendship in the novel is between Thomas and Teresa. Thomas views Teresa as his best friend, and perhaps as more than a friend. They not only share a telepathic link, they both have had a hand in WICKED’s plan and the creation of the Mazes. Thomas, however, soon finds that, as the Rat Man warned him, not everything he sees and hears can be believed. When Teresa is revealed to be The Betrayer, and when she “kills” Thomas on WICKED’s orders, Thomas must come to terms with what friendship truly means. He must decide if trust and hope are stronger than doubt and hurt, and if he can remain friends with Teresa even after she reveals that her devastating behavior was all an act that was meant to save his life.

While attempting to reach the safe haven, Thomas also comes to understand just how much he likes and relies on Minho, Newt and the others. Their friendship motivate Minho and the others to rescue Thomas when he is in danger, and their friendship is what allows them to protect each other at the end when facing WICKED’s new monsters. Even new friends, such as Jorge and Brenda, are brought into the fold and protected when faced with a common enemy, such as WICKED. In this way, the novel shows that in the absence of other forms of relationship, like family or romantic relationships, friendships are strong bonds that allow people to rise to the task before them, to defend fellow human beings and to become leaders, like Thomas. In this sense, friendship represents the greater bond found in the human connection.

Memory

Memory continues to play a central role in the lives of the Gladers, most notably for Thomas. As he makes his way through the Scorch to the safe haven, Thomas has a record number of dreams/memories of his time before the Maze. These memories provide glimpses of who he was before his memory was taken away from him. Thomas hopes to somehow piece all these memories together to form a complete picture of his role in the events taking place.

At the same time, Thomas knows that WICKED can and does control the memories of the Gladers. Given the fact that his memories have been taken away, Thomas is not always sure which dreams/memories to trust. WICKED could be planting certain memories in his head to try and direct Thomas towards some particular conclusion. Because of this, Thomas welcomes the memories as evidence of his old self, yet at the same time, is wary of trusting them completely.

The role of memory shows how important the past is to our sense of identity. Without memories, the Gladers are unsure what to think and how to feel about what is happening to them. Thomas knows he was involved with WICKED, but to what extent? Memories become more than vital clues to Thomas and the others. Memories become a part of them, part of a puzzle that each teenager hopes to piece together. The Chancellor even says that once the “subjects” have their memories back, they will understand why they have been subjected to the Trials, and will accept WICKED wholeheartedly. This pronouncement shows just how powerful memory must be, especially if the “subjects” will continue with WICKED’s plan once they can remember everything.

Time

The concept of time appears again and again in The Scorch Trials. One might suspect that in a post-apocalyptic world, time would have no meaning. The Gladers, however, as well as Group B, have been given two weeks to cross the Scorch and reach the safe haven. Even before this, the Gladers are only given five minutes to step through the Flat Trans and begin the Trial. Everything in the lives of Thomas and his friends is reduced to time.

The teenagers have all been given the Flare by WICKED, so the teenagers have only a matter of time before the disease will consume their brains and cause them to go crazy. Likewise, Teresa has only a certain amount of time to betray Thomas and get him to the appointed place set by WICKED. Even at the end of the novel, when their time is seemingly up, the groups must fight the monsters and board the Berg, which is leaving, before they are left to die in the Scorch.

The novel shows that, amidst the Variables and unplanned events, like Thomas being shot by Blondie, time is always ticking away. What is shown more than anything, however, is that WICKED pulls the strings. WICKED sets the clock and tells the groups when and how to do what they need them to do. Though the world is at an end and their lives seem to have no meaning, with WICKED, everything must still run like clockwork.

Fear

Fear plays a large role in the novel, and is one of the most common emotions experienced by the characters. At times, Thomas feels that he has been through so much that nothing can affect him anymore. However, when certain events take place, such as the devastating lightning storm, Thomas is left, uncharacteristically, thinking only about himself and his desire to survive. Fear is a driving force in the novel, and for WICKED, a motivating factor. The teenagers have all been given the Flare as an incentive to complete the trials, a fearful turn of events in itself, as they only have a matter of time to receive the cure before going mad. Even Brenda admits that she is most afraid of going crazy.

Thomas’s biggest fear is realized in the novel when he is betrayed by Teresa. He makes the ultimate sacrifice, cutting her loose from his life, because he cannot trust WICKED and fears she is actually on WICKED’s side. The novel shows how fear can be used as a devastating weapon, and how that weapon can produce hope and the will to live, given the right circumstances.

Manipulation

Thomas and his friends are constantly being manipulated by WICKED as part of The Trials. Both in The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials, Thomas must deal with the very real problem of survival while trying to determine who and what to trust. Just as the Gladers were tricked by WICKED into thinking they were safe when they were rescued from The Maze, Thomas must deal with being isolated from the others at the end of the novel. He dreams of hearing Brenda in his head and also hears Teresa telepathically upon waking. Thomas knows that, yet again, he is being manipulated by WICKED. Thomas and the other Gladers are also warned by Rat Man not to trust what they see and hear while in The Scorch, and Teresa warns Thomas that he must trust her even when she seems to betray him. Given the very real suffering that Thomas and the others go through, it is hard to tell when to trust others and when one is being manipulated, whether for personal gain or as part of WICKED’s grand plan.

By the end of the novel, Thomas tells Teresa to leave him alone, highlighting the fact that he no longer trusts her, even if they are at the mercy of WICKED, as she tries to explain to him. Although Thomas worked for WICKED at one point in the past, he no longer trusts that WICKED is good, and does not understand how any of the suffering that he and his friends have gone through can be for a greater good. The manipulation they suffer at the hands of WICKED works to test the hope and resolve of Thomas and his friends. At one point, one of the WICKED agents even asks how much the kids can go through before going mad. Thomas’s inability to trust Teresa suggests that he might indeed be close to breaking point.