Allegory In The Maze Runner

I have always loved to read. While most children prefer watching television, I would rather read a book. About two years ago I read the book The Maze Runner, by James Dashner. After reading this book, I realized just how much Christ effects literature. I learned that we can see aspects of Christ in books written by secular authors. You can find Christian allegories that the author didn’t even realize they were writing.

The Maze Runner has many allegories hidden in it, but there was one in particular that stuck out to me. When Jesus came down to the earth, the people treated him with contempt and scorn. “When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, Crucify him, crucify him” (John 19:6). Even though the people beat Christ

and put him on the cross, Christ still sacrificed himself for them. The people cursed and mocked Christ, yet he loved his creation so much that he still forgave them and took their place against the wrath of God.
We can see an allegory of this in The Maze Runner.

The book begins with a teenage boy named Thomas arriving in a maze, with only the memory of his name. He learns from the other boys that they are trapped there by someone called “the Creators.” Later in the book Thomas learns that he had helped “the Creators” make the maze; and was the reason that the rest of the boys were trapped there. Even though Thomas was in a way to blame for their predicament, a young boy named Chuck, who Thomas has befriended, still gives his life for Thomas. “With unexpected speed he reared back and threw the knife at Thomas…A strangled cry was forming in his throat; he urged himself to move but couldn’t. Then inexplicably Chuck was there, diving in front of him” (Dashner 355-356). Chuck loved Thomas so much that he was willing to give his life so that Thomas may live. He forgave Thomas for what he had done and sacrificed himself anyway. Chuck is a representation of the forgiveness of Christ. He forgave Thomas and sacrificed himself even though Thoman didn’t deserve it. Just as Christ forgave us even though we don’t deserve his grace.

After reading The Maze Runner, I began to see Christian allegories in more and more books. This book awakened in me the ability to see God in all types of literature. I learned how to look for these Christian allegories in other books, and it changed how I saw the books that I read. This also made me think of how without God we can have nothing. Even the secular

world who tries to make a culture devoid of God, cannot create anything worthwhile that does not contain Christ.