Maze Runner and Hunger Games Comparison

The intensity between the two best-selling books by Suzanne Collins and James Dashner still hasn’t faded. These books both embrace the genre of science fiction with both books having the setting of a post-apocalyptic world. However, they are also different from each other. In both Hunger games and Maze runner, two authors both used the main character Katniss and Thomas to emphasize their theme - sacrifice, stating the theme that in order to achieve your goal, something else has to be sacrificed, in both cases, it’s human lives. Sacrificing for others can turn out to be a better cause, one scarification can make a huge difference. In the book, the two characters are both striving to sacrifice for something precious to them. How it’s different in both books is that one’s sacrificing for one single individual and one is sacrificing for the whole glade. 

One sacrafice can make a big difference and can be a better cause. In the Hunger Games, Katniss sacrifices herself for her twelve year old sister, Prim, volunteering her sister for a spot in the hunger games. Katniss did that because she wanted to protect her and she knows that Prim wouldn’t survive out there. On the other hand, in The Maze Runner, the main character - Thomas sacrificed himself to the grievers in order to remember the code for the computer. Both texts share the same idea that in order to achieve your goal, something else has to be sacrificed. Katniss wanted to protect her sister. Therefore, she volunteered herself as a tribute. Similarly, Thomas wanted to retrieve the code to shut down the grievers, so he dived into the griever to get stung, trying to remember what happened. This makes me think that, they both wanted to sacrifice for something precious to them, something not only meaningful but also memorable. They sacrificed for something they will never regret and something that will change their destiny. 

The Hunger games and The Maze Runner both embrace the genre of science fiction with both books and have the setting of a post-apocalyptic world. They both wanted to achieve goals, but something has to be sacrificed. In both cases, it’s human lives. In The Hunger games, at the end of the story, the officials changed the rules back to only one person could win, Peeta and Katniss were going to sacrifice themselves to each other by eating berries so they can both die instead of one winning. Katniss was a symbol of hope to them, Katniss didn’t want neither of them to die, they wanted to both sacrifice for each other. Similarly, in The Maze Runner, Thomas suggested that they should go shut down the computer, but no one knew what’s down the hole. he " knew he had to go out there, into the Maze. Despite everything he’d learned and witnessed firsthand, it called to him as much as hunger or thirst” (James Dashner 257) Although he learns that the maze is a hazardous area, there still is a voice telling him that he’s the one that has to change everything , persuading him to jump inside it. He volunteered to jump in the hole. Despite the dangers, the two main characters both sacrificed for something precious to them, in turns something has to be sacrificed. They sacrificed themselves. This makes me think that Katniss and Thomas both wanted to save others, but there wasn’t a “perfect plan”. On the other hand, they both put others in front of them, not thinking about themselves.  

Even though both texts share the same idea about sacrifice, but sacrifice can take part in many ways- either for a single individual or for a group. And for The Hunger Games, Katniss sacrificed for single individuals, her sister and for Peeta. “I’m going to be with you” (Suzanne Collins 256) However, in The Maze Runner, Thomas sacrificed for the whole glade. Some might think they were sacrificing themselves for their own good, but they’re not. They weren’t trying to be the hero, they were trying to make a change, to do something no one could do. They weren’t afraid to be dead, they wanted to protect and make a change to something they cherish. But in order to reach that goal, something has to be sacrificed- either for a individual or a group.

Sacrificing yourself for others isn’t always bad. In The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner , Katniss and Thomas showed us true courage. Katniss put her family before herself, ready to sacrifice her life and Thomas sacrificing the glade without any doubts. Both books were not only a well written piece of work, but also a lifelong lesson that every one of us should live by every day - to take a step back. It taught us how to sacrifice some things for the greater good.