The Maze Runner is a popular young adult dystopian science fiction novel written by James Dashner. It is the first book in The Maze Runner trilogy. The story follows a group of teenagers who wake up in a place called the Glade with no memory of their past. The Glade is surrounded by huge stone walls forming a giant maze. Every day the walls open to let runners explore the maze and try to find a way out. Dangerous creatures called Grievers roam the maze at night. The Gladers need to solve the maze if they want to escape, but it won’t be easy. A key question readers have after finishing the book is how many Gladers survived and successfully escaped the maze? Let’s take a closer look at the story to find out.
Life in the Glade
The Gladers have set up a community in the Glade trying to survive while solving the maze. Resources are limited so they all have jobs and responsibilities. Some are Runners who explore the maze, some work as Builders, Cooks, Track-Hoes, Baggers, Slicers, or Med-Jacks. The community is run by the leader Alby and second-in-command Newt. Order is kept by enforcers called Keepers. When Thomas arrives in the Box with no memories other than his name, he brings change to the status quo. The Gladers don’t know it yet, but Thomas may be the key to solving the maze.
The Changing population
The number of Gladers changes throughout the story as people arrive and die. New people come up in the Box about once a month. Most are teenage boys around 16 years old, sent with supplies and a new Glader. The population started with the original Gladers like Alby, Newt, Winston, Frypan, and others. Over 3 years, nearly 100 boys were sent. By the time Thomas arrives, there are around 60 Gladers living in the community. Not all survive the harsh conditions and dangerous maze. By the end, how many make it out alive?
Life and Death in the Glade
Living in the Glade can be difficult and deadly. Order is kept, but fights break out occasionally. Not everyone gets along. Going into the maze is very risky. Runners are allowed to stay out until the walls close at sundown. Those stuck outside overnight face almost certain death from Grievers. Runners including Minho, Ben, Alby, and others have been stung trying to map the maze. Being stung triggers madness called The Changing. Clint and Jeff, the Med-Jacks, watch over those going through the Changing in the Homestead. Some like Ben succumb to it, others survive with memories partially restored. Life is precarious for the Gladers in many ways.
| Name | Occupation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Alby | Leader | Survived |
| Newt | Second-in-command | Survived |
| Minho | Keeper of the Runners | Survived |
| Frypan | Keeper of the Cooks | Survived |
| Winston | Keeper of the Slicers | Survived |
| Gally | Keeper of the Builders | Survived |
| Zart | Keeper of the Track-Hoes | Survived |
| Ben | Runner | Deceased |
| George | Runner | Survived |
| Jeff | Med-Jack | Survived |
Solving the Maze
After Thomas arrives, he quickly makes progress figuring out the maze. As a curious Newbie, he breaks the Glade rules and goes into the maze at night. There he successfully kills a Griever and escapes. In the process, he remembers his name and regains snippets of his past working for the organization WCKD. Thomas realizes the maze is a code and has Minho take him to look at maps the Runners made. Studying the patterns and numbered sections, Thomas discovers the letters “F” and “7” spelled out. This is a breakthrough clue, but they need more code letters.
Soon after, Teresa arrives unconscious in the Box – the first girl Glader. She has a note saying “She’s the last one ever.” Teresa recognizes Thomas when she wakes up, helping trigger his memory. Together, they make more breakthroughs on the maze’s code. When Gally gets stung and goes through the Changing, he seems to remember the code too. He warns that bad things will happen if Thomas keeps trying to escape. Thomas ignores Gally, now determined to solve the maze at any cost.
Cracking the Code
Thomas spends several days working furiously with Teresa and Minho to analyze the mazes’ shifting patterns. They discover more code letters spelling out “FLOAT” and “CATCH”. Just as they solve the anagram to spell “FLOAT CATCH YOU”, everything changes. The normal maze openings don’t close one night. Teresa falls into a coma. Grievers attack the Glade, stinging Alby and dragging him towards the cliff. Chaos ensues as the Gladers try to fight back.
In the morning, Thomas gathers Minho, Teresa, Frypan, Winston, Newt and others to finalize their escape plan. They decide to enter the maze during the day right before the doors close. Heading for the Cliff section in the code, they plan to “float” down on ivy to access a secret passage that should “catch” them and lead out. It’s risky, but their only hope of surviving and escaping the maze.
The Escape
Twenty Gladers make the daring attempt to escape the maze. Led by Thomas and Minho, the group enters the maze armed with weapons to defend against Grievers. They head for the Cliff section and jump off, clutching the ivy vines. It works! They are able to access a hidden passage where they find WCKD laboratories and offices abandoned. At last, they have made it out of the maze.
But Grievers are right behind them. Entering the chamber, a huge battle ensues. Explosives are detonated, destroying most of the Grievers. In the fight, a heartbroken Thomas sees his friend Chuck fatally stabbed. A few other Gladers like Zart also don’t make it out alive. However, the surviving Gladers push forward until they finally reach the exit.
Those who Escaped
20 Gladers entered the maze that day, but only 15 survived to escape the WCKD headquarters and emerge into a scorched earth they don’t recognize. The survivors who successfully escaped the maze at the end of the book are:
- Thomas
- Teresa
- Minho
- Newt
- Frypan
- Winston
- Jeff
- Gally
- Alby
- Stan
- Jack
- Tim
- Dave
- Siggy
- George
So in conclusion, while around 60 Gladers lived in the community over 3 years, only 15 remain alive at the end to experience freedom from the maze. This sets up the next books as they try to survive this abandoned world. Thomas and the other survivors will go on to face even greater challenges ahead now that they have escaped.
Conclusion
The Maze Runner tells an exciting sci-fi story as Thomas and the Gladers desperately try to escape their confined lives. They lose friends along the way and face many close calls with Grievers. It takes Thomas’ arrival and quick thinking to decipher the code and find a way out. Of around 60 Gladers to live in the community over 3 years, just 15 remain alive at the end to escape the maze. This includes core characters like Thomas, Teresa, Minho, Newt, Frypan, Winston, and others. While they have succeeded in escaping, greater challenges await the survivors in the next chapters of the story. The Maze Runner keeps readers on edge wondering who will survive and at what cost they will find their freedom.