The Scorch Trials

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2010

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Chapters 29-30Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 29 Summary

Amidst Thomas’s confusion and Minho’s annoyance, Jorge tells the groups that he and Brenda will escort the Gladers to the food stash while the other Cranks wait for them at the Tower, where they will convene to carry out Minho’s punishment. One of the Cranks, a large man named Barkley, asks why only Brenda and Jorge will accompany the Gladers. When Jorge reassures Barkley and the others that he and Brenda can take care of the Gladers by themselves, the other Cranks leaves, much to Jorge’s relief. Though Minho is still angry he catches Thomas’s eye and decides to go along with the plan. Brenda asks Thomas if he is the leader, and when he says no, she tells him she would have picked him over Minho. She then kisses Thomas, and tells him that she likes him.

The group then heads out to the food stash, with Brenda leading the way. Thomas notes that Brenda seems ready to attack at a moment’s notice. When they arrive at the food stash, the Gladers wait outside as Brenda brings them food and provisions. She explains to Thomas how they have acquired so much food, despite their conditions. While eating, Brenda also tells Thomas a bit more about the outside world and WICKED. Suddenly, Brenda shushes Thomas and says she thinks they have visitors. As if on cue, Jorge approaches and whispers something in her ear. As she stands, a loud crash is heard, and Thomas realizes that part of the building is falling apart. Brenda yells for Thomas to run. Thomas hesitates, as his friends and Jorge are on the other side of the destruction, but she grabs him and pulls him along the corridor as sections of the roof come crashing down behind them.

Chapter 30 Summary

Thomas follows Brenda through corridor after corridor, amazed that she knows how to maneuver through the space so effectively. Thomas is worried for his friends, but Brenda assures him that it is better for them all to be separated. When they stop, Brenda tells Thomas that they are in the Underneath, a mass of tunnels and secret passages that connect the buildings, perhaps even the entire city. She tells him that they have not explored all of it because they usually run into Cranks, the really bad ones.

Thomas continues to ask if they should go back, especially now that he knows Cranks might appear at any moment. Instead of responding, Brenda steps closer to Thomas so that their bodies are touching, and whispers in his ear. She asks Thomas to promise her that, whatever happens, he will bring her to WICKED and to the cure. She then rests her head on his shoulder and squeezes his hands. Though Thomas enjoys the intimacy, he finds it strange and sudden, and thinks instead of Teresa. Thomas tries to break free and suggests they continue on, but Brenda presses him for a promise, and he finally does. Brenda then tells Thomas that she figured out what Jorge was trying to do without him having to tell her, and that if she has figured it out, the other group of Cranks probably did to, and they are behind the explosion.

When Thomas stops again, Brenda presses into him and wraps her arms around his midsection. Thomas notes that she is acting a bit strange, and Brenda finally says that they must come from different places, and that she is just used to being forward with people. She then tells Thomas not to worry about it, and asks if they should just go the rest of the way alone. Thomas notes the suspicion in her voice, and refuses to leave without his friends. When he turns to head back in the direction they came, Brenda suddenly apologizes, and explains that she is not as close to the other Cranks as he is to the Gladers. Thomas does not remember saying the word “Glader” in front of Brenda, but then dismisses the thought.

They return to the site of the explosion and to Thomas’s relief, they find no one around. Brenda suggests that Jorge and the others have probably gone up and into the city. She then announces that they are going to have to go through the Underneath. She says they can meet up with Jorge and the others on the other side of town, nearer to the mountains. Reluctantly, Thomas agrees. She hands Thomas a backpack, and the two set off.

Chapters 29-30 Analysis

These chapters highlight group dynamics and the precarious role of trust in the Scorch, and the world-at-large, after the solar flares. Though Jorge and Brenda have banded together with other Cranks for survival, when an opportunity is presented to Jorge, he decides to leave the other Cranks behind and take only Brenda to help the Gladers. As Brenda later tells Thomas, the other Cranks like their current situation, and see no need to improve their lot. In this way, the author shows not only various levels of the Flare, but various views on life after a catastrophe. Some people are complacent, while others give up all hope. Some people turn into opportunists, living for only the moment, while others like Jorge and Brenda, hold on to hope and long for a better life.

When the Gladers are attacked, Brenda deduces that the attack had been done by the other Cranks, who probably figured out Jorge’s plan. This attack highlights how, even with comrades and friends, life in this post-apocalyptic world often devolves into a selfish race for survival. Brenda’s intimacy with Thomas also sheds light on other modes of behavior. Thomas is used to being around guys all the time, and even with Teresa, he has never dealt with intimacy so suddenly. As Brenda admits, she is simply from a place where things are done differently, again highlighting the fact that there are other worldviews and modes of dealing with situations than what Thomas is used to, or even comfortable with.