Thank you, fiction, for the best and worst of humanity (part 1 (The Maze Runner))
I was talking with a friend the other day about how fiction has all these awesome stories about the best and worst of humanity. I'm a huge reader/movie watcher (which should surprise absolutely no one) and thus I've come across way too many stories that feature both the best and worst of humanity. Hence this series. You're welcome.
First up, The Maze Runner series by James Dashner. I'm sure you've all read the series by now, but in case you haven't 1) go read it immediately, 2) what are you even doing with your life and 3) serious spoilers ahead. You've been warned.
Of course, The Maze Runner exhibits the best of humanity in our dearest heroes, but I'm not interested in them today. (Sorry guys.) And while the Flare-ridden zombies roaming the desert are awesome, they have kind of lost their humanity and, like, minds. So they don't really count.
No, let's talk about WICKED.
If you need a refresher, WICKED are the guys who sent a bunch of immune teenagers into a giant maze to try and find a cure for the zombie Flare disease. (They have to map their brains because the disease lives in the brain. (Personally I think it was a dumb idea but whatever.))
I would argue that WICKED represents the best and worst of humanity at the same time. Yes, I know they're trying to find a cure to a horrible disease that turns people into semi-dead brain munchers, but there comes a point where we as humanity have to decide if the ends justify the means.
Would you sacrifice 100 teenagers to be tortured and to die gruesome deaths to possibly find a cure? (The Flare causes people to chew their own fingers off, after all.) Would you steal children from their parents? What about death by brain dissection while the person is still alive?
Despite all the horrible things WICKED did, they did it in the name of a cure. The fate of humanity was hanging in the balance, so really, what's 100 teenagers compared to billions of suffering humans?
I see what WICKED did and I struggle to disagree with it. Maybe that makes me a bad person. While I don't agree with many of the more... let's say unsavoury decisions they made I honestly can't argue with the death of 100 or so people in order to find a cure. It's simple math to me.
I think that's what makes humanity both horrible and wonderful at the same time. We're willing to sacrifice a few innocent people in order to save the rest of us. That's both one of our greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses.
First up, The Maze Runner series by James Dashner. I'm sure you've all read the series by now, but in case you haven't 1) go read it immediately, 2) what are you even doing with your life and 3) serious spoilers ahead. You've been warned.
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| Yes, on reflection I have realised that red and blue clash. It is a mistake I will not make again, fear not. |
Of course, The Maze Runner exhibits the best of humanity in our dearest heroes, but I'm not interested in them today. (Sorry guys.) And while the Flare-ridden zombies roaming the desert are awesome, they have kind of lost their humanity and, like, minds. So they don't really count.
No, let's talk about WICKED.
If you need a refresher, WICKED are the guys who sent a bunch of immune teenagers into a giant maze to try and find a cure for the zombie Flare disease. (They have to map their brains because the disease lives in the brain. (Personally I think it was a dumb idea but whatever.))
I would argue that WICKED represents the best and worst of humanity at the same time. Yes, I know they're trying to find a cure to a horrible disease that turns people into semi-dead brain munchers, but there comes a point where we as humanity have to decide if the ends justify the means.
Would you sacrifice 100 teenagers to be tortured and to die gruesome deaths to possibly find a cure? (The Flare causes people to chew their own fingers off, after all.) Would you steal children from their parents? What about death by brain dissection while the person is still alive?
Despite all the horrible things WICKED did, they did it in the name of a cure. The fate of humanity was hanging in the balance, so really, what's 100 teenagers compared to billions of suffering humans?
I see what WICKED did and I struggle to disagree with it. Maybe that makes me a bad person. While I don't agree with many of the more... let's say unsavoury decisions they made I honestly can't argue with the death of 100 or so people in order to find a cure. It's simple math to me.
I think that's what makes humanity both horrible and wonderful at the same time. We're willing to sacrifice a few innocent people in order to save the rest of us. That's both one of our greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses.
Good pick! I'm always intrigued by ends-justifying-the-means stories. Some of the most horrible human rights violations have come from people in those situations and it's sometimes more fruitful to examine those decisions within a fictional framework than in real life where we already have good guys vs. bad guys sorted out in our heads.
ReplyDeleteHow did you feel about how the series finished up? I really enjoyed the first book, but as they went along I became progressively dissatisfied.
Thanks so much RM! Same, I always wonder how far I would go in those situations. Where would I draw the line? I love how fiction can be used to examine not only ourselves but the world around us. It's a bit frightening when you can recognise some fictional themes in the real world but I've found fiction has helped me deal with it and decide how I'm going to respond.
DeleteI really enjoyed the series, actually. The first one was by far the best, though, and I guess by the time I got to the third book I was just too invested to not enjoy it.
Ok, I love, love The Maze Runner. I've been thinking about rereading it because I need the Gladers back in my life. *ahem* I think I disagree with WICKED for the most part. I understand the sacrificing a 100 to save so many more, and that does make sense to me. The thing that gets me is that I think those 100 should've had a choice. They should've been asked if they were willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of everyone else. Because to me personal sacrifice is where the real sacrifice lies. Kidnapping someone and making them go through all the hurt, all the emotional and psychological pain isn't much of a sacrifice for WICKED. I understand that the Gladers were kids, and it does sound like, before their memories were erased, some of them had chosen to take part in the experiment (it's a little hard to tell bc everyone's flashbacks in that series are hard to interpret . . . thanks, Dashner). But again, I can see both sides of the coin, and really, who knows what I would've done if placed in the same situation?
ReplyDeleteAlso, just do you quarantine the 100 immune people so that when everyone else is gone, those 100 can start again? Or do you risk the lives and mental health of the 100 to *maybe* save everyone else and in the process, risk everyone, including the 100, dying? Again, I think the decision should be left up to the 100? Or at least save some of them so that the whole population isn't wiped out just in case the immune people aren't able to find the cure? Rats, now I'm going to be thinking about this all day long.
ME TOO MAN. I probably need to reread it as well. That's a fair point, because everyone in the experiment definitely didn't have a choice. On the other hand, I can see that why, in a world that is literally on the verge of collapse, they might force people to be in this experiment. (Also, it makes a difference if we're talking about the Maze Runner book or movie, because in the book they make it pretty clear that WICKED isn't going to find a cure whereas in the movie they eventually do find a cure. I think it makes more sense to force people (not that I agree with it) into doing stuff if you were going to eventually find a cure.) It's so hard because we're not in that situation, and not that the situation makes WICKED's okay but it may make it more understandable.
DeleteUgh, I know, so many questions that I just don't have an answer to. How can you make those types of decisions and feel okay with it? I think that maybe there is no right answer in these situations, someone is always going to end up hurt. I'm glad I got your brain working, though! Haha.