Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone Through The Maze Runner Story

In life, many of us will find one’s self in an unfamiliar situation and will be forced to make decisions and overcome them. In the maze runner by James Dasher, Thomas finds himself in this situation. He is trapped in a huge maze with a group of other teenage boys looking to escape. The maze changes every day and has monsters called grievers in it. Thomas spent a night in the maze with the grievers out of the safe areas to help protect injured friends showing his bravery and trust in one's abilities. Thomas is constantly planning to get out of the maze and back to the real world. On his journey out of the maze, Thomas outsmarts the grievers, learns tactics used from older gladers such as mapping in the maze.Showing that one must have the courage to step out of their comfort zone, using their curiosity and believing in one’s and others abilities to succeed, to achieve one’s goal.

After briefly waking up from the glade and making friends with Chuck, Thomas immediately finds himself in a dilemma. Thomas makes the courageous and heroic decision to help the injured Alby and Minho just before the doors to the glade closes even though gladers beg him not to. “Don’t do it, Tommy! Don’t you bloody do it” screamed newt a fellow glader (Dasher. 112). Yet Thomas had the courage to refuse the gladers and barely make in between the sliding stone walls to help them. Thomas believed that he could help Alby and Minho by helping defend them from the monstrous grievers and helped secure Alby to the wall of the maze with the vines growing on them. Minho in much better shape see’s a griever and runs with Thomas. Thomas then traps the griever in between two shifting walls killing the griever. “I can’t believe it. Seriously. We made it through the whole night - never been done before” (Dasher 140). After the surviving the night Thomas was then rewarded by his courageousness by getting promoted to a runner.

Unfortunately, Thomas has to make more difficult decisions and receive more pain to decipher The code to the maze to help save the gladers. Thomas once again makes a very smart and courageous decision and sacrifices himself to be stung by a griever so that he can receive the grief serum and regain some of his memories, helping him remember the codes. Even though he knew the consequences of getting a bite. Ben is a perfect example of this because after he got bite he was completely crazy. Saying after missing for weeks. “He's not one of us!'(Referring to Thomas) Ben shouted. 'I saw him—he's… he's bad. We have to kill him! Let me gut him!” (Dasher. 11). But Thomas like all gladers got their memories wiped and getting stung was the only option for him to get them back his memories and discover the code. After Teresa and Thomas put their heads together to finally decipher some of the code to the maze Thomas decides to speed up the process and get bite by the grievers receiving enormous amounts of pain.

With limited time Thomas once again makes the brave decision to leave the once safe zone (glade) and go into the maze to finally discover and solve the puzzle of the maze even though over gladers stupidly encouraged him to stay. “stay here,at least. only one shank will die tonight” Stated newt a fellow glader (Dasher. 322). Thomas created the courage to refuse this offer and create his plan to find his way out the of the maze. With many coming with Thomas into the maze many also stayed. Believing that he can find the end of the maze Thomas leads his group of gladers to the griever hole a place Thomas found where the grievers live. After getting his group safely to the hole Thomas comes into contact with many grievers next to the hole. “We have to stay close together, let them do the fight we have to get through that hole. Stated Thomas. (Daher. 336) Showing that Thomas was trusting his fellow gladers fighting abilities he and Teresa was able to make it to the griever hole entering the code and making it to the WICKED lab to safety.

One must have the courage to step out of their comfort zone, using their curiosity and believing in ones and others abilities to succeed, to achieve one’s goal. Thomas is trapped in a huge maze with a group of other teenage boys looking to escape. The maze changes every day and has monsters called grievers in it.

Throughout Thomas journey, he shows his act of courage like taking a bite from a griever to help find the code and help Minho and Alby going out of the safety of the glade and into the maze. Thomas shows his trust in other abilities when having to enter the griever hole and shows his ability to adapt to an unfamiliar experience, become a leader, overcome obstacles and have the courage to step out of his comfort zone.

Works Cited

1. Dashner, James. The maze runner. Delacorte Press, 2009.