Survival is Key

Survival: The hard, terrible road to staying alive, protecting yourself and the others around you to avoid death. Everyone has to do it. Or everyone has to try. Thomas, in The Maze Runner series, and Katniss in The Hunger Games Series probably know a thing or two more about survival than us. They have to endure people controlling their minds, people controlling their actions, and people controlling their hearts. Not to mention being in some unthinkable situations such as fighting a griever or killing a friend.

                In The Maze Runner series, Thomas’s brain is being controlled by WICKED. They have thrown him in the maze with a bunch of others, and they have to fend for themselves to stay alive. No grownups, no civilization, no nothing. One example of a terrifying moment for him is when he arrives in the glade. He comes in the big metal box, and when he gets out he sees hundreds of faces staring at him. He has no memory of his past and knows nothing of where he is now.  A million thoughts are running through his mind, but it is in his nature to put survival first. The first thing he does is pop out of the box and start asking questions. He makes sure he is in a safe place and with people he can trust. It is in Thomas’s blood to survive and he will do anything to do it.

                Another book that has a survival theme is The Hunger Games. Katniss must survive the games if she ever wants to see her sister or her friend Gale again…and since she has to endure psychos with knives and the Capitol’s little tricks, it’s not that easy. Katniss is a fighter but she has a lot to learn. One time her natural instincts kick in is when Rue gets killed by someone. Rue is like a sister to her, and Katniss is devastated when she dies. For the next few days, she is on the alert for the person who did it. She finally finds him, and kills him.  She didn’t want to though; it was not her goal to kill anybody. It was her goal to survive.

                In both of these books, some things happen for a reason. For example, in the beginning of the book, Katniss hunts a lot. Ever since her dad died, it was her responsibility to find the food. While she is hunting, you are wondering why it is relevant to the story. Later in the book, you learn that her hunting helped her with her archery skills. She killed Rue’s murderer this way, so you learn that it really is important for her survival abilities. In The Maze Runner Thomas can speak telepathically with a girl named Teresa. Much like in The Hunger Games, It does not appear to have a reason but you learn that it is really very important. Later it the book, Teresa uses their telepathy to give him a warning about Wicked. That information helped him survive because he could prepare for Wicked’s evil plans.

Survival: it might seem hard, but Thomas and Katniss did it. They survived when the unimaginable happened. They survived when friends did not. They survived when the whole world thought they couldn’t.  And they will continue to fight for their survival as long as they live.