The Death Cure

Thomas feels loss throughout the book, but leaving Newt behind at the Crank Palace and then reading the letter Newt gave him when it is too late hurts him in a different way. Discuss.

The Rat Man can be viewed as both an antagonist and as a positive figure in Thomas’s life. Describe how the Rat Man influenced the present in the book and how it made Thomas a stronger individual.

At the beginning of the novel, WICKED represents a clinical environment in many ways. Explain how the outside world differs from WICKED’s compound and why the outside could have benefited from being more clinical.

The Cranks are viewed as not being human. Explain why they are human and what makes them human, as exemplified by Newt and by others.

The reader does not actually know if Newt dies by Thomas’s hand, but Thomas seems sure even though his eyes were closed during the act. Why is it important for Thomas to believe his friend is dead by his hand?

Thomas distrusts Teresa the entire book, but trusts Brenda. Why is this? Are his instincts correct?

Who can be considered the “unseen hand” directing the events in the novel, and how are that person’s goals ultimately achieved?

Trust is a central issue in the book. Discuss in what ways trust and distrust make Minho and Thomas grow into the people they become by the end of the novel.