The Scorch Trials

“Maybe this was worse. When they’d settled into bed last night, everything had seemed good and safe. Yeah, maybe this was worse, to have that suddenly taken away.”

This quote again addresses the psychological impact of betrayal and manipulation. Thomas wonders if the Gladers might have been better off with no hope than with the false hope created by their fake rescue.

‘“You’re subject A-five and they called you the Glue.’ Newt gave him a startled look. ‘The Glue?’ Thomas let go of his shirt and stepped back. ‘Yeah. Probably because you're kind of the glue that holds us all together.’”

The Gladers realize that they all have been branded with tattoos that identify who they are in relation to the group. These tattoos show just how deceptive WICKED is, in that the boys did not have them the night before. The tattoos are synonymous as well with a label placed on a piece of property, or cattle branding, highlighting that they are just “property” in the eyes of WICKED.

“He still felt her absence; it was like waking up one day with no teeth in your mouth. You wouldn't need to run to the mirror to know they were gone.”

Thomas’s telepathic link to Teresa has been cut off, and her absence is palpable; it feels as if a portion of Thomas himself as been severed, highlighting the close, physical aspect of their telepathy.

“Hunger. It's like an animal trapped inside you, Thomas thought. After three full days of not eating, it felt like a vicious, gnawing, dull-clawed animal was trying to burrow its way out of his stomach. He felt every second of every minute of every hour.”

This is a very insightful description of hunger. The quote also adds to the “animal-like” environment Thomas and the others are thrown into, fighting monsters—as well as hunger—at every turn.

‘“You’re all still here because of an uncanny will to survive despite the odds, among … other reasons.’”

The Rat Man alludes to the fact that hope is what has kept Thomas and the other Gladers alive so far. The quote also suggests, however, that there are other reasons at play for some—or all—of the Gladers’ survival.

‘“And yet it’s not really an experiment as much as it is … constructing a blueprint … Putting them all together to achieve the greatest breakthrough in the history of science and medicine.’”

The Rat Man suggests that what they are forcing the Gladers to endure is for a greater good. Somehow, their ordeal is the basis of a blueprint, a blueprint that just might save all of humanity.

‘“If I can tell you anything today, it is that you should never, ever believe your eyes. Or your mind, for that matter.’”

Surprisingly, Rat Man tells the Gladers what many of them already know. WICKED is testing them with Variables that play on their emotions and will to survive. What Rat Man alludes to here is that trust is something that can actually harm the Gladers.

“Then, to top it all off, they gave them a hideous disease, with the cure as bait to lure them to continue. Who even knew what was true and what was a lie. And the evidence continued to suggest that they’d singled Thomas out somehow.”

Thomas realizes that, true to his words, Rat Man has informed them all that they have been infected with the Flare to force them to finish the Trial. Once again, manipulation and distrust form the shaky basis for Thomas and the Gladers to carry out their orders.

“We were way more than close. Things happened. We remembered stuff. Made new memories.”

Though Thomas thinks that Minho would laugh at Aris’s words, he recognizes the truth of them, that even in the midst suffering and hardship, people still connect. The words sadden Thomas, as he remembers making new memories with Chuck before he was murdered.

‘“Not all cranks are gone,’ the man said. ‘Not all of them are past the Gone … Different ones at different levels. Best you learn who to make friends with and who to avoid. Or kill.’”

This is one of the first instances where the group hears that the disease actually has different stages with accompanying symptoms. It is suggested that, once someone is too far gone, they are best avoided or even killed.

“And then they were kissing. Something exploded within his chest, burning away the tension and confusion and fear. Burning away the hurt of seconds earlier. For a moment it felt like nothing mattered anymore. Like nothing would matter ever again.”

The Scorch Trials is a Young Adult novel, and as such, the relationships between the adolescents often take center stage. In this instance, the hurt and confusion that Thomas feels as a result of Teresa’s odd behavior and apparent betrayal are washed away by one kiss.

“Running away from her was the hardest thing he’d ever done, he had no doubt of it.”

Thomas spends most of the early portion of the novel trying to determine what has happened to Teresa and why she is acting so strangely once he finds out she is alright. To help her, and protect himself and his friends, he must leave her behind and flee.

“He didn't care about the others anymore. The chaos around him seemed to siphon away his humanity, turn him into an animal. All he wanted was to survive, make it to that building, get inside. Live. Gain another day.”

In an uncharacteristic manner, Thomas chooses his own survival over the wellbeing of others. The trauma of what the Gladers are going through reveals how much he must think about his own safety, and how life is lived one day at a time.

“He turned to look just in time to see the rain start falling outside, as if the storm had finally decided to weep with shame for what it had done to them.”

The trauma of the lightning storm is so seared into Thomas’s mind that he feels as if the weather itself should be apologetic for the loss of life and chaos that he has just witnessed.

‘“Sometimes I wonder,’ Thomas murmured … ‘If being alive matters. If being dead might be a lot easier.’”

This quote is another glimpse into Thomas’s mind as he is on the verge of losing hope, which is dangerous for the group. He has seen so much suffering and death that he wonders if it might be easier to be one of the dead.

“Brenda looked over at Minho, then back at Thomas. She grinned. ‘Well, then that’s stupid. I know I’m on the verge of crazy, but I would’ve picked you. You seem like the leader type.’”

Brenda’s entrance into Thomas’s life adds another layer to the plot. Here, she casts doubt on who the real leader should be. While she might just be a precocious teen, she could also be or a Variable, placed in Thomas’s path by WICKED.

‘“False hope,’ she said. ‘Guess that's better than no hope at all.’”

Brenda alludes to how important hope is, even false hope, when faced with the harsh reality of surviving in this post-apocalyptic world.

“THOMAS, YOU’RE THE REAL LEADER”

Thomas sees what many others have already seen, that throughout the city, plaques have been erected that say he is the real leader, not Minho. The plaques stun Thomas as he is now unable to push the thought of whether or not he should lead the Gladers into the back of his mind.

‘“Tom, don’t even try to talk back, just listen. Something terrible is going to happen to you tomorrow. An awful, awful thing. You’re gonna be hurt and you’re gonna be scared. But you have to trust me. No matter what happens, no matter what you see, no matter what you hear, no matter what you think. You have to trust me.’”

Thomas finally hears Teresa again, telepathically, but the warning she gives him is cryptic and ominous. She tells him that something unpleasant is about to happen, and Thomas has no way of knowing what exactly it is, or if the whole thing is just a test.

“The betrayal meant he couldn't trust her anymore, and his heart told him he couldn't forgive her.”

Though warned by Teresa about a terrible thing happening to him, Thomas cannot seem to forgive her for betraying him. He does not know who to trust, and though he might want to trust her, his heart still tells him that he has been hurt.

‘“No. I kind of accepted it, in a way. That saving you was worth losing what we might've had.’”

Teresa confuses Thomas even more when she says that, though she knew her actions might cause a rift in their relationship, she decided to betray him in order to save Thomas’s life.

“Thomas nodded mockingly. ‘Yeah, we’ve heard that before. This time we mean it. We’re not going to sit back and let you treat us like rats anymore. We’re done.’”

Thomas finally stands up to WICKED, defying David’s orders and threatening to kill the man. Though David assures the group that they are now safe, Thomas says they will no longer be the victims of WICKED and treated like property, which is a bold move, considering WICKED always has the upper hand.

‘“Come on, Tom. They might’ve erased our memories, but they didn’t remove our brains. We were both part of this, and when they tell us everything—when we remember why we put ourselves through this—we’re going to do whatever they tell us to.’ Thomas thought about that for a second and realized he couldn’t possibly have disagreed more.”

Thomas finds himself drifting further apart from Teresa’s ideology. Though he understands that, at one point in time, he worked for WICKED, given what he has endured, he can no longer follow WICKED blindly, as Teresa suggests they will do when their memory is restored.