Thomas: the turning point Can one person really change everything? Well, in books they can. In James Dashner's non-fiction novel, The Maze Runner, there are multiple boys stranded in a place called "The Glade", they have no memory of who they are and who they once were, all they can remember is their name. They arrive there in a box and the whole place is surrounded by a maze that might be their only way out. The kids learned to fend for themselves by creating their own form of government by electing a ruler and giving everyone a job so everyone was treated equally. They are divided into groups, like slobs or runners. Runners are the people who have to go out into the maze every day to try to find a way out. They risk their lives every day by entering those walls. Every morning the walls of the labyrinth open and every night they close. Strange things happen behind those walls at night. For example, slug-like creatures called Grievers which are bloodthirsty animals. Their mission is to prevent anyone from solving the maze and getting out. They were designed by WICKED, the people who sent them there. But when the first girl ever to come to the Glade arrives with a ticket, everything will change. Thomas, the main character, proves to be brave, intelligent and extremely curious. He has a very important role in the novel, he is the only one who can get them out. Will his courage get the boys out or will they be stuck there forever? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the book The Maze Runner it is evident that the protagonist Thomas has a brave heart. He is the only boy who has the courage to enter the labyrinth. Others are afraid of the labyrinth and don't even go near it. Thomas is determined to get out of this and won't stop until he does. There are many instances where Thomas is shown to be brave in the book, such as when Alby, the ruler of the Glade, shows Thomas a Griever before he goes off into the labyrinth. It has no effect on Thomas; he is not afraid of them. Even though they could kill him in an instant, he won't back down. Being brave could mean freedom for all the boys in the Glade. There was also a time where two of the other Gladers went out into the labyrinth and didn't return for a while. They arrived at the Glade as the doors were closing, and as they began to close Thomas ran out to try to save them. The doors closed behind him and he was stuck there for a night, and no one has ever survived a night in the maze. His courage gave hope to others and made them angry. Thomas broke a rule: never enter the maze unless you are a runner. After becoming one of the first people to survive a night in the maze, he was punished. All he said was, "I didn't do anything wrong. All I know is that I saw two people struggling to get inside these walls and they didn't make it. To ignore it because of some stupid rule seemed selfish, cowardly." and... well, stupid. If you want to throw me in prison for trying to save someone's life, then go ahead. Next time I promise I'll point them out and laugh, they'll go eat some of Frypan's dinner" ( Dashner, 166) Thomas didn't regret anything he did or said because he knew it was the right thing to do. True courage is being able to put our own needs or well-being aside for the needs of others. There aren't a lot of smart decisions made in a lot of books because someone always ends up hurt or dead. Well, in The Maze Runner, Thomas makes a lot of smart choices that.