The Scorch Trials

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2010

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Chapters 25-28Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 25 Summary

Having made it to relative safety, Thomas and the other Gladers now sit in the dark building, dejected, as the rain falls. No one tries counting to see how many of the Gladers have made it. Listening to the rain, Thomas is able to fall asleep. When he awakens, Thomas finds that he can hear again, as evidenced by the sighs of pain he hears coming from Minho. The rain is still falling, and in the dark, Thomas once again falls asleep. He is awakened by sunlight and hunger. Talking with Newt, Thomas wonders if it might be better to die than to go on living as they are. Newt dismisses this thought, though Thomas remains troubled by the idea. He then tells Newt about Minho being hit by a lightning bolt. Minho finally wakes and is able to sit up, though he is still in pain from his injuries.

Thomas counts the remaining Gladers and finds that only eleven of them are left after the lightning storm. Thinking about the fact that, at one point, there had been fifty or sixty of them, Thomas wonders how he could have ever worked for WICKED. When Newt says aloud what Thomas is thinking, that only eleven of them have survived, Minho wonders how they are going to make it through the city with only eleven people. Minho’s attitude upsets Newt, who is thinking about the loss of life. Minho responds that a leader must think about where to go and how to go about it, not about how sad it is to lose friends. To Thomas’s relief, the conversation turns to food and strategy when Aris joins the group. As Thomas and the others mention finding food, they hear someone repeat the word above them, and see a face peering down at them from the third floor. A young Hispanic boy jumps through the air and then somersaults at the last minute. When he lands, he tells the group that his name is Jorge and that he is “the Crank who rules this place” (145).

Chapter 26 Summary

Jorge tells the Gladers that there are a lot of things they need to know about the city, the Flare and WICKED. He then says that, as the party who is at a disadvantage always speaks first, they should start speaking. Minho and the others do not take well to Jorge’s tone, and Minho tells Jorge that he is outnumbered, so he should speak first. Jorge tells Minho to apologize, and gives him ten seconds to do so. Minho refuses to, but Thomas thinks he sees movement from above, and tells Minho to apologize. Minho does, but Jorge says he does not believe it, and kicks Minho repeatedly in his wounded leg. Minho finally apologizes, but then tackles Jorge and begins hitting him. Suddenly, more Cranks begin descending from above, and Thomas manages to wrestle Minho off of Jorge and warns him to stop attacking. Thomas pleads with Jorge to listen to him about who he and the Gladers are. He asks for just ten minutes to explain, to which Jorge reluctantly agrees.

Chapter 27 Summary

Feeling that he is making a case for the lives of the Gladers, Thomas tells Jorge everything he can remember, about the Maze and about WICKED. When Jorge finally asks him what his point is, Thomas says that maybe if Jorge and his friends accompany Thomas and the Gladers, they can be safe as well, and receive the cure. Jorge then surprises Thomas by asking him his name. When Thomas tells him, he notices a look of recognition or surprise flash across Jorge’s face. Jorge then proceeds to tell Thomas about the Flare, and how it works in stages. He goes on to talk about how WICKED has set up the city as a refuge for people with the Flare to, how the city has something to do with the disease. Though Jorge questions Thomas as to why he thinks WICKED might have a cure, Thomas says he does not know for certain, but that the best thing is to at least try and, if Jorge joins them, he might have a chance at survival. Jorge finally agrees to help Thomas, but says that in exchange for his help, Minho must die.

Chapter 28 Summary

Thomas reasons with Jorge, telling him that killing Minho would not be a smart idea. He says that Minho is their best fighter, and that by killing him, they would lose all of his skills. Jorge is upset that Minho has embarrassed him in front of his peers, and so Thomas suggests that Jorge embarrass Minho to even the score. Jorge finally agrees, as they will need all eleven of the Gladers alive to get the cure. Also, Jorge has decided not to take all of his peers with him. He and his friend Brenda, who Jorge says is the smartest in their group, will get the Gladers out of the city and to the safe haven. Thomas finally agrees that they have a deal, and Jorge warns him to keep quiet while he settles things with the Cranks and Minho. He also tells Thomas that Minho will not like his plan for getting them out of the building. Gathering the Cranks and Gladers together, Jorge says that they need to feed the Gladers. He also says that, though he has decided not to kill Minho for attacking him, as punishment, Jorge will cut a finger off each of hand.

Chapters 25-28 Analysis

Once again, Thomas must come to terms with the fact that so many people have died. He realizes that only eleven Gladers made it to the city alive, and that seven were killed in the lightning storm. He wonders how he could have ever been involved with WICKED. While Thomas and Newt mourn the loss of their fellow Gladers, Newt and Minho argue about the fact that Minho seems to take their deaths in his stride and more upset that they do not have enough people to put up a good fight in the city. The argument shows the different leadership styles of the two boys. Before making Minho the leader, Newt was in charge. He led the Gladers with empathy, as opposed to force. He allowed himself to show emotion, and in doing so, was liked by the Gladers. Minho’s style is just as effective, but more emotionless, almost mechanical. He thinks about what needs to be done, and then goes about executing it, allowing others to be bothered with emotions.

The lightning storm and its aftermath show that all of the Gladers are trying to make the best out of a horrible situation. With the introduction of Jorge, a Crank who runs the building the Gladers are taking shelter in, the boys’ ability to deal with new situations is tested and raises further questions about leadership. Minho is aggressive, and places the group in danger, while Thomas appeals to Jorge’s reason, and manages to get him to help the Gladers. Regardless of who the real leader should be, Thomas is able to get the Gladers one more day to think. In the end, that is all they can hope for.