An Ecocritical Analysis of Nature and Culture in The

AN ECOCRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NATURE AND CULTURE IN THE

MAZE RUNNER TRILOGY NOVEL BY JAMES DASHNER

A Thesis

Submitted to Faculty of Letters and Humanities

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Strata One (S1)

ARDHA PRIMA TAHIER 1113026000044

ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LETTERS AND HUMANITIES

STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH

JAKARTA

2017

ABSTRACT

Ardha Prima Tahier, An Ecocritical Analysis of Nature and Culture in The Maze Runner Trilogy Novel by James Dashner. A Thesis: English Language and Literature Department, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah, 2017.

The research aims to reveal how nature is presented, what kind of human attitude the characters demonstrate, and how the interconnection between nature and culture is depicted in The Maze Runner trilogy novel. To achieve the purpose, the researcher investigates five environmental aspects within the trilogy: the representation of nature, nature exploration, the interconnection of nature and culture, technology, and political impact on nature. By applying ecocritical approach and descriptive qualitative method, the analysis discovers a quite deep environmental value proposed by The Maze Runner trilogy that nature is represented through a metaphorical object of home; the characters then demonstrate a lack of human attitude towards nature viewed from their explorations on nature; and the interconnection between nature and culture is based on the examination of an inappropriate encounter between a desert and a city which leads to the absence of a boundary between the two interconnected concepts, and how a totalitarian government induces disrespect attitude towards nature by misusing advanced technology. Hopefully, this research is able to acquaint Ecocriticism as a compelling theory of literary criticism, and most importantly, contribute to the preservation of nature through academic way.

Keywords: Ecocriticism, The Maze Runner trilogy, Nature, Culture, Environment, Civilisation.

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this submission is my own work that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of the university or other institutes of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in this text.

Jakarta, October 2017

Ardha Prima Tahier

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Bismillahirahmanirahim

In the name of Allah, the most Gracious and the most Merciful

Alhamdulillah, all praise to Allah SWT, the Lord of universe with his blessing and guidance in every striving to finish this thesis. Peace upon the greatest prophet Muhammad SAW, his family and his followers who has guided into the light path of Allah.

The researcher deepest gratitude comes mainly from his parents, Mr.

Tahiruddin and Mrs. Lis Saodah, for all the love, prayers and support of both morally and materially, also from his sister Dinda Delishan Tahier for always supporting him. The researcher also wants to give his gratitude to Mrs. Ida

Rosida, M.Hum as his advisors for the time, support, advice and guidance throughout the process of writing this thesis.

The researcher would also like to deliver his deepest gratefulness and thankfulness to the following people:

1. Prof. Dr. Sukron Kamil, M. Ag., the Dean of faculty of Letters and

Humanities.

2. Drs. Saefudin, M. Pd., the head of English Letters Department.

3. Elve Oktafiyani, M. Hum., the secretary of English Letters Department.

4. All the lectures of English Letters Department who had taught her during her

study in State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta.

5. His beloved Steffi Megawati Atsa, thank you for the greatest support, spirit,

and assistant throughout the completion of this honour thesis.

6. Uno group, for all of their time and dedication in cheering up the researcher

to terminate this examination.

7. To Adam Alhadi, Aditya Wibisono, Ahmad Abdul Fathir, Andi Arfianto,

Asep Prasetyo, Fadli M Zen, and Rosyid Septriadi for their time in giving

advice and enjoyment to the researcher throughout the creation of this

writing.

8. Literature class, thanks for all the support and assistant given to the researcher

for the benefit of this honour thesis.

Jakarta, October 2017

Ardha Prima Tahier

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ...... i

APPROVEMENT ...... Error! Bookmark not defined.

LEGALIZATION ...... ii

DECLARATION ...... iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...... v

TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... vii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ...... 1

A. Background of the Study ...... 1

B. Focus of the Reseacrh ...... 6

C. Research Question ...... 7

D. Significance of the Reseacrh ...... 7

E. Methodology of the Research ...... 8

1. The Objective of the Research ...... 8

2. The Method of the Research ...... 8

3. The Technique of Data Analysis ...... 8

4. The Instrument of the Research ...... 9

5. The Unit of Analysis ...... 9

6. Time and Place ...... 9

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ...... 11

A. Previous Research ...... 11

B. Ecocriticism: A Contemporary Literary Criticism ...... 15

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1. Introduction ...... 15

2. Nature in Contemporary American Novel ...... 16

C. Interconnection of Nature and Culture ...... 17

D. Nature Exploration ...... 20

E. Technology ...... 21

F. Political Impact on Nature ...... 21

CHAPTER III RESEARCH FINDING ...... 22

A. How Nature Presented in The Maze Runner Trilogy ...... 23

B. Exploration on Nature ...... 29

C. Interconnection between Nature and Culture ...... 38

D. Technology ...... 45

E. Political Impact on Nature ...... 49

CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ...... 53

A. Conclusion ...... 53

B. Suggestion ...... 55

WORKS CITED ...... 57

APPENDIXES ...... 63

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Societies all over the world are experiencing great advancement and competition in any field which is obviously seen in the massive development of industry, science, and technology during this 21st century. However, it brings unwanted impact to the sustainability of nature and environment as the massive developments of those three fields often induce environmental problems mostly on its ignorance towards preservation of natural world which subsequently gives rise to global warming and ravaged ecosystem. As these environmental problems arise, there simultaneously emerges an awareness provoked through diverse media in preserving nature and preventing more serious impacts, one of the media that contributes much is literary works, essentially, young adult literature through its environmental value and message.

Young adult literature may simply be defined as literary works which are generally written for teenage readers in which teenagers specifically become the major characters of its narration. Not only gripping topics, authors also stimulate plot twists throughout the whole story, which in some cases, contains apocalyptic elements and problems. It is essential to recognise young-adult literature and its typical features as to diverse genres are availabe. Those are "realistic fiction, teen romance, dystopian society, and mixed genres” (Howell 14). Each type of young-

adult fiction has multiple and identifiable titles, as well as familiar issues within the texts and story ideas.

In fact, “young-adult literature has been developing to be mass in popularity since 1970; in 2009, book sales had 13% growth, reaching $744 million; and more in 2013 with 30,6% growth counted from 2008, equal to approximately $861 million” (qtd. In Howell 8). Because of public‟s intensified attention to this genre, young-adult literature has transformed to be a compelling narration towards contemporary novel industry. By those facts, many authors, publishers, and librarians in the young-adult literary world particularly aim to provide creative works as their goal.

As obviously seen in the contemporary young-adult literature, all dimensions of adolescent dynamics in general are the idea of perpetual observation, oppressive dominating regimes, restricted dependency, superior authorities, and forced conformity. While there are existences of parental control, or to the worse, restricted jurisdication, the life of teenage generation is surely restrained, numbers of teenager feel as if they are in a state of pressures and demands. Hence, they somehow need to manage a way to change those current assumptions. The pursuits they undergo often involve large-scale issues of nowadays world. However, when this concern reaches its peak, to some extent, adolescents bring out some nuance on a newly trend of creative genre related to young-adult narration: dystopian literature. Thus, this genre has been providing some sort of audience, especially literary scholars, analyses to conduct.

Moreover, as cited from an examination of dystopia, “individuals in a dystopian world have to deal with „harshly repressive societies‟ which constrict any free thought or individuality” (Bethune 86). Meanwhile, a dystopia is “a future world that broadens and distorts contemporary issues into inexhaustible and dehumanised state in which powers have conquered society and its community through social or physical limitations” that restrict many aspects of life (Spisak

55). Therefore, dystopian literature is included to the classification of fiction that presents a dystopia with hypothetical circumstances and environments. A number of dystopian works often impose superior ideology that some particular communities exist with privileged status over the others.

The popularity of dystopian novels has rapidly been developing throughout the history of young-adult literature and eventually affects the topics and themes to be remarkably creative and imaginative. Despite, several issues remain consistent for which dystopian authors utilise, in many ways, to construct conceptual story; some of the issues are “conformity, control and enslavement, ethnicity, reliance on technology, preservation of the natural world, the imminent post-apocalyptic life, and LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender)” (Ryan

7). The creativity of dystopian novel is not only adored through its narration, however, it also deserves appreciation on moral, social, and environmental values constructed within the work. Essentially, with the fact that the earth is suffering true devastation, dystopian literature which contains environmental value can somehow play a significant role. Readers‟ awareness which is induced by the

issue of environment conveyed in dystopian work is likely to be enough to gradually actualise preservation of earth.

A major example of dystopian novel with environmental values in it is The

Maze Runner trilogy which was written by James Dashner. This trilogy comprises of The Maze Runner (2009), The Scorch Trials (2010), and The Death Cure

(2011). The Maze Runner trilogy can be considered as one of the best dystopian novels in contemporary young-adult literature. This is evidently proved by a number of awards achieved by the trilogy; New York Times Bestselling Series,

USA Today Bestseller, Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year and many more; and also the creation of the movie adaptations based on the first two novels with the same titles: The Maze Runner (2014) and The Scorch Trials (2015) which were both directed by Wes Ball. And to my own perspective, the trilogy is the most fascinating dystopian narration at the moment.

In the onset of The Maze Runner, Thomas who is the main protagonist of the trilogy arrives at the Glade – a quite large and square place which is surrounded by labyrinth – where fellow teenage males inhabit without any memories of their previous life. They have no single explanation on why exactly they are gathered in this strange place. He then becomes one of a special group with a task of mapping the Maze that surrounds the Glade, and simultaneously, he feels something wrong with this place that he keeps attempting to solve the enigmatic sequences occur in the circumstances. When Teresa the only girl arrives soon after Thomas, everything begins to change. In the end, the Gladers manage to escape and learn that the maze is just a trial.

At the beginning of The Scorch Trials, Thomas and his friends discover that there is another group being tested in different Maze by an organisation known as Wicked. They are separated from Teresa and are forced into a harsh, hot environment as they learn more about the disease called the Flare. In a desert city, they have no choice but to avoid Cranks, people in varying stages of madness caused by the Flare.

The Death Cure starts its narration as to survivors of the previous trials are assured that their memories will be given back. Thomas and his friends dispute the offer and escape from the headquarters of Wicked with the help of two insiders. Encountered by an opposing movement to Wicked known as Right Arm, they plan to join. The trilogy reaches its stunning climax as Thomas and his friends strive for the future of human race.

The weather of the setting of place, specifically in The Scorch Trials, unbelievably reach an extream heat that Thomas and fellow Gladers must cover their head and body to prevent a serious harm through their journey in terminating the second test given by Wicked. And the chronic desease known as Flare is identified as a creation of Wicked to respond the impact of the sunflare (a term for the extreme heat). Furthermore, through the very brief summary of the trilogy, to some extent, it can surely be noticed that the narration underrated nature and environment yet it seems to deliver an environmental value. In this sense, a number of concerns prevail which corroborate the existence of the environtmental issue.

By that reason, there is an obvious correlation between the trilogy and an actual issue of environment. Thus, this research is going to analyse the trilogy by using a relevant theory known as ecocriticism. According to Cheryl Burgess

Glotfelty and Harold Fromm in an essay entitled The Ecocriticism Reader:

Landmarks in Literary Ecology; “Simply defined, ecocriticism is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment” (18). Initially, ecocriticism‟s aims are first “to examine representations of nature and environmental values in literary texts; and second, to explore the interconnections between nature and culture” (21).

Based on the citation above, The Maze Runner trilogy can be seen, of course, through ecocritical perspective as to the setting of places constitute an issue of environment. The trilogy contains depictions of a harsh condition of nature that may be found through the whole story. Hence, this research proposes an interpretation of several aspects regarding the environment which definitely prevail throughout the narration, and essentially, demystifies how the researcher reads the corpus of study based on an ecocritical perspective.

B. Focus of the Reseacrh

Due to the large scale of the corpus, the researcher has to intensify the examination merely on related environmental issue. The focus of this research is definitively the environmental aspects in the trilogy novel of The Maze Runner with nature as the main concern. Using the ecocritical approach, the researcher is going to reveal a number of facts conceived throughout the narration.

C. Research Question

The Maze Runner trilogy has considerably proposed an issue of environment throughout separated sequences of the whole plot. The author attempts to convey some messages to the audience by presenting a number of facts in the novel which is particularly concealed beyond the narration. Therefore, the researcher tries to analyse:

1. How is nature presented in The Maze Runner Trilogy in accordance with

environmental issue?

2. What kind of human attitude towards nature do the characters of The Maze

Runner trilogy demonstrate?

3. How is the interconnection between nature and culture depicted in The

Maze Runner trilogy?

D. Significance of the Reseacrh

The researcher hopes that this study can be beneficial both theoretically and practically by acquainting ecocriticism as a concept to interpret literary works and consequently contributing to enhance the knowledge of the readers about dystopian literature as a contemporary genre of novel, because somehow, there are numbers of people often consider dystopian novel as a mere amusement while it actually contains worthwhile concerns within; and eventually, the researcher also hopes that this discussion can develop the readers‟ awareness of the surrounding environment, and therefore, can together contribute towards the preservation of nature.

E. Methodology of the Research

The methodology of this research consists of several important elements which are the objective of study, the method of study, the instrument of study, the data of analysis, and the unit of analysis.

1. The Objective of the Research

This research aims to develop issues of environment conceived in The

Maze Runner Trilogy. Through the narration, The Maze Runner trilogy imposes environmental concern which is distributed both in explicit and implicit way, yet in an unconsidered way. Thus, by conducting this research, the researcher intended to reveal the true messages conveyed by James Dashner as the author by carefully and repetedly reading the trilogy of The Maze Runner.

2. The Method of the Research

Based on the problem and the objective of the research mentioned above, this examination will utilise qualitative descriptive method. This qualitative descriptive method relies on verbal and non-numerical data as the major consideration through the analysis and towards the problem solver. This method should be utilised along with relevant theory or approach which uses the data related to the object or corpus. By using this method, the researcher will elaborate, describe, and discuss the element of The Maze Runner Trilogy and also attach supporting sources to corroborate the analysis.

3. The Technique of Data Analysis

In this research, the researcher utilises qualitative technique by collecting considerable information from The Maze Runner trilogy and also another

secondary information outside the primary texts such as related journals, articles, and books.

4. The Instrument of the Research

The researcher is the main instrument of this research as to he will thoroughly and repretedly read The Maze Runner trilogy in a purpose of gathering information and facts with the aid of a number of sources.

5. The Unit of Analysis

The main and only unit of this research is the trilogy novel entitled The

Maze Runner series which comprises three works from James Dashner: The Maze

Runner (2009), The Scorch Trials (2010), and The Death Cure (2011).

6. Time and Place

This research was initiated on 24th June 2016 and is currently on progress at the house of the researcher in Pamulang, South Tangerang City and at State

Islamic University of Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta. To support the analysis, the researcher often comes (and will definitely continue) to visit several libraries.

CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

A. Previous Research

Ecocriticism has just been a practical approach employed in literary analysis since a dozen years ago, that is however, classified as a new literary criticism which has no common and absolute procedure upon its application.

Hence, it is essential to review a previous research which can be linked to this ecocritical analysis that the researcher has chosen three examinations of bachelor thesis and master thesis.

Firstly, a bachelor thesis written by Athaya Prita Belia, a graduate student of University of Airlangga‟s English Literature which was entitled The Portrayal of Undermining Power in James Dashner’s The Maze Runner: A Foucauldian

Study. Although the theory applied is different with this ecocritical analysis, to be concerned the most is that the corpora of the study is the same.

Belia explored Michel Foucault‟s power concept of the evidence about undermining power which is occurred in a particular society. The power mentioned above goes on and later creates a resistant power. Based on the conceptual idea, Belia believes that James Dashner‟s The Maze Runner novel can be appropriately analysed since it represents the relationship between power and resistance. Similarly, Belia also utilised qualitative method to analyse the form of power and resistance as the consequence of power existence.

The study found that there are two forms of power emerge in the novel which are authorised by a well-established organisation known as Wicked that creates experiments to discover a cure for an epidemic called the Flare; and a resistant power which is held by the main protagonist character, Thomas.

WICKED‟s power exists through pressure and observation upon the Gladers and the society where Thomas inhabits. Meanwhile, Thomas‟ power lies on his knowledge which is able to convert his powerless state into encouragement. This encouragement is supported by the other Gladers, which hereby, it begins an oppositional power to resist Wicked. Belia argues that The Maze Runner illustrates how the relation between power and resistance can cause an undermining power in a particular society.

Hence, this ecocritical analysis of The Maze Runner trilogy, for many considerations, will position Belia‟s thesis as a guide to interpret the dynamic of the corpora, specifically on its way of understanding the characters, the society, and the portrayed power of Wicked. Generally, Belia‟s examination can somehow give insight for the researcher to understand more about The Maze Runner trilogy, of course, for the benefit of this research.

Secondly, Different Natures: An Ecocritical Analysis of Selected Films by

Terrence Malick, Werner Herzog and Sean Penn is going to be one of the major references cited in this research. It is a dissertation submitted by Karl van Wyk to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in 2012.

Wyk studied the relationships between human and nature within The New

World by Terrence Malick, Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World by Werner Herzog, Into the Wild by Sean Penn, and book of the same title by Jon

Krakauer which is the source of Penn‟s film. This dissertation issues a thorough analysis of how those works depict the relationship between language and nature, along with the implication to cultural and individual identities. Additionally, the research also exposes the ways of its corpora apply the ideas of old Romantic to humanise nature for moral value.

As a result, Wyk found that “Penn, and particularly Krakauer, has successfully provoked the dangers of a lack of awareness in taking metaphor as fact” (140). He also showed that in Herzog‟s personification of nature, the creator of the film utilises metaphors of the earth which is not provable, while Malick‟s metaphors of the earth is. Hence, Wyk believes that the corpora significantly contribute to the field of art with its relation to anthropomorphism, and also to the more general background in which this art exists.

Thus, this examination of The Maze Runner trilogy will, in many ways, places Wyk‟s dissertation as a major reference regarding the relationships of human and nature within the analysed work, and most importantly, how the work represents the relationship between language and nature as well as its implication to cultural and individual identities. The most obvious distinction of this ecocritical analysis and Wyk‟s research is on its object or corpus. This analysis examines a trilogy novel while Wyk works on both novel and film.

Lastly, the researcher also selected a master thesis entitled The Ecology of

Dystopia: An Ecocritical Analysis of Young Adult Dystopian Texts which was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of

Arts in The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (Children's Literature),

University of British Columbia in Vancouver. The thesis was written by Stephanie

Dror and was officially published in April 2014. Among the other two researches, this thesis however, can provide the most reliable example seen from its approach and theory which are really close to this research of The Maze Runner trilogy novel.

Utilising the perspective of ecocriticism with the aid of conceptual references of dystopia, Dror oriented its focus on the literary depiction of nature and technology in three series of contemporary dystopian novel: Life as We Knew

It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, The Hunger Games by Susanne Collins, and The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. This analysis applies literary and cultural studies as well as environmental approach to explore how the three novel series represent natural world and technology, and simultaneously, strives to discover the relationship between adolescent, nature, and technology. This research is hoped to be able to convey the influence of the relationship between nature, technology, and teenager towards readers‟ responses upon the concern of natural destruction.

Throughout the examination, Dror found that representation of nature in the beginning of the three series is based on the dystopian totalitarian government.

“Dystopian regime has overcome language, dissemination of knowledge, and

historical memory” (Dror 138). Therefore, it is the duty of adolescent protagonist to reveal historical memory in order to discover the truth about the environmental damage, which has been induced by civilisation. Furthermore, in all the three series, the regime considers the environment as hostile, an entity to be stayed away from or even scared of.

In essence, as mentioned before however, this research of The Maze

Runner trilogy is going to rely on The Ecology of Dystopia: An Ecocritical

Analysis of Young Adult Dystopian Texts due to the similarity of their applied approach and the genre of their analysed works. So that, both researches focus on the literary depiction of nature and technology which also include cultural studies in a purpose of exploring the representation of natural world and technology.

Subsequently, this analysis is also hoped to elevate the influence of the relationship between nature, technology, and adolescent towards readers‟ responses on an actual environmental problem.

B. Ecocriticism: A Contemporary Literary Criticism

1. Introduction

The term “ecocriticism” is utilised as an abbreviation of „ecological literary criticism‟ in which it can be simply defined as a concept to analyse the relation between literary works and environment. Essentially, it is “the study of the relation between literature and nature: in particular, the literary representation of nature and, just as importantly, the power of literature to inspire its readers to act in defence of nature” (Coupe 154). However, there is another identical term which is often used to describe ecocriticism known as “green theory”. The

distinction lays on the media analysis; while ecocriticism focuses on literary works, green theory expands the range of its object to also include art, film, music, politic, and philosophy. Simultaneously, the term ecocriticism is more familiar in USA and green theory is commonly utilised in UK. Despite, general scholars agree that the emergence of this contemporary theory is somehow induced by the result of environmental destruction from which human being has made towards nature.

Ecocriticism was then believed to be firstly articulated in 1996 by Cheryll

Glotfelty through her essays entitled The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in

Literary Ecology which was published by University of Georgia Press. She was also the co-founder of an organisation which became the forum for ecocritical and ecofeminist scholars, and also environmental writers and artists known as ASLE

(Association for the Study of Literature and Environment; officially founded in

1992). And in 1993, ASLE published its own academic journal collection called

ISLE (Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment). Yet, ecocriticism is still developing and has no widely-known set of assumptions and procedures in analysing literary text.

2. Nature in Contemporary American Novel

Novels with nature and environmental value within, or simply nature oriented novel, may influence the readers with environmental awareness towards the destruction of earth, giving passive effect to trust government regarding environmental problem; yet some of them are able to do more, which is, persuading the readers to take action for the greater good of nature. Additionally,

contemporary novels in America – especially nature oriented ones – might be divided into “historical and realist novels; postmodern and magic realist novels; mystery and detective novels; science fiction and fantasy novels” (Murphy 80).

Meanwhile, relating what Murphy assures, The Maze Runner trilogy which is basically a dystopian work of young-adult literature is classified as fantasy novels.

It is essential to consider genre of the novels to understand the range of depictions of nature in it, and as a finding, science fiction and fantasy is the genre which criticises environmental crisis more than other genre does. Because in some or even many cases, science fiction and fantasy can attempt and provide a critical education and understanding about nature and environmental issues by creating the plots around environmental problems that however, can probably amaze the readers with shocking and surprising amusement. Additionally, “science fiction and fantasy have a long and well-established reputation for treating such issues and only their scope and sheer number might surprise readers” (Murphy 86).

C. Interconnection of Nature and Culture

Ecocriticism focuses its attention to nature, or rather ecology, whether it is linked to literature or another cultural production. In ecocriticism, nature does exist out there beyond human being, presented as an entity which affects culture and which culture can affect. Meanwhile, as Garrard mentioned, “I will be reading culture as rhetoric, although not in the strict sense understood by rhetoricians, but as the production, reproduction and transformation of large-scale metaphors which have specific political effects or serve particular social interests” (7), so culture can be simply defined as the process of production and also the products

themselves being conducted by civilisation through policical or social matters.

The products mentioned before possibly include art, language, science, behaviour, and technology. Therefore, “nature is not reducible to a concept which is conceived as part of human cultural practice” (Barry 252). Unlike other kind of literary approach, ecocriticism repudiates the notion that everything is socially or linguistically constructed. Ecocriticism then rejects the common-ground agreed by another literary theory in which everything is socially and linguistically constructed, and subsequently, the essence of ecocriticism‟s intervention in literary theory has been to challange that common-ground.

The relation of nature and culture in the context of ecocriticism may simply be demystified in a term called „outdoor environment‟ as a series of areas which move gradually from nature to culture. This outdoor environment comprises of four forms which are; area one: „the wilderness‟ (deserts, oceans, uninhabited continents); area two: „the scenic sublime‟ (forests, lakes, mountains, cliffs, waterfalls); area three: „the countryside‟ (hills, fields, woods); and area four: „the domestic picturesque‟ (parks, gardens, lanes). However, “it is clear that

„pure‟ nature in area one is definite as to what predominantly „culture‟ is in area four” (Barry 254). In essence, the wilderness is exactly affected by global warming which is cultural, and gardens rely on sunlight which is a natural force, so both concept of „nature‟ and „culture‟ is thereby validated. Moreover, the two middle areas, to some extent, include numerous elements of both nature and culture.

Ecocriticism assumes that social injustice is being concealed beyond nature and is perceived as an absolute condition which is actually the implication of a particular politics and power structure. Those four areas mentioned then appear to undertake an extraordinary purpose, which is crucial for human being by viewing them in human-centred‟s perspective, as if they existed for human‟s benefit. In addition, ecocriticism firmly assures that true wilderness is no longer exists on earth as to every region is affected by global warming and other

„anthropocentric‟ (human-centred) problems like toxic waste and nuclear trouble.

Nature in general, with forest and jungle, river and sea, gas and oil, mountain and hills, trees and woods, and all the resources in it has always been viewed as a space endowed with huge natural richness which can subsequently provide infinite function for any human needs. This assumption leads human to improve the quality of life, and most importantly, increasing economic growth.

Though, with nature‟s infinite wealth, it still needs a preservation to protect the beauty of wilderness and the sustainability of ecosystem.

Relating that assumption to the aspect of identity, however, an individual who truly respect nature, will not take an excessive advantage for personal significance or to the worse, conducting exploitation upon it that can somehow subvert a greedy human identity. Instead, human should consider nature as a place to reconstruct their identity, because necessarily, “it is not the ways human defines nature, but how human uses nature to define their identity” (Wyk 77). Human ought to determine how their identity should blend with nature, not how nature should match their identity. Thus, with environmental crisis humanity has made,

wilderness is able to exist as an entity in which human can repair their greedy identity so that wilderness can be perceived as a purpose of healing.

D. Nature Exploration

Observing the relationship of exploration and discovery from the perspective of adventurer and new landscapes is often reviewed and characterised to determine the attitude of Americans and westerners in general towards nature.

The term “new” in “new landscapes”, however, is culturally defined based on the subject who is conducting the exploration. For example, Wyk believes that in The

New World, “Malick essentially appears critical of the way the British perceive the New World as „new‟ more than because it was a place that was firstly found by another civilisation, but because that place is uncertain, in many ways, to be classified as „new‟ from the viewpoint of any particular civilisation” (73). The point is that the first inhabitants of natural landscape were not any human race, but nature itself.

It is believed then, the relationship between human culture and nature can be traced from the act of natural exploration, which is contextually, a kind of exploration in which the discoverer or adventurer consider the earth as a space for the culture to set on. Subsequently, human utilises nature, for most of the time, to increase the value of culture and individuality. The idea of being the first, however, redefines and reconsiders the space as a place, so that the discoverer or adventurer ambitiously want to be the author, and of course gains authority upon the place, which is originally nature. By so, then humanity respond nature to define themselves as above nature. “Exploration on nature was only for the benefit

of humanity, and simultaneously, nature becomes an object of ridicule which exists for the amusement of humanity” (Wyk 75).

E. Technology

Throughout this modernisation era, culture has been experiencing a massive transformation to adjust the development of human identity including the advancement of cultural product: technology. The development of technology to simplify human activity also includes the way in which nature is treated by humanity. Yet, this massive advancement of cultural product is bringing impact to the condition of wilderness and is causing an environmental crisis.

Furthermore, within most of contemporary novel, technology becomes one of the considerable aspects to be analysed, especially, in dystopian literature. The most logical reason, however, because “technology is fundamentally a part of

Western civilisation and is a product of any culture, and when it is represented in young-adult literature, it therefore becomes a cultural critique” (Dror 46).

F. Political Impact on Nature

Once again, the interconnection of human culture and nature can be viewed from the field of politics. The over-populated region or city has to be ruled by a solid authority that based on governmental institutions, which is then giving members of it a power over the population. Many people try their best to be a part of this powerful institution in order to strengthen and validate their position in the society. However, it leads them to legalise every method to impress society regarding their credibility to govern a particular region, including the use of nature

to accelerate the development and prosperity of the people. And evidently, the use of nature has been excessively conducted to which environmental crisis then comes out as the impact.

As quoted in an ecocritical analysis of class and race, “across the field of politics, powerful authority often overuses and abuses the environment that leads to environmental disintegration” (Victor 124). Moreover, a kind of totalitarian government might implicitly be the major contributor to environmental crisis today as well as technology, so that issue of environment can somehow be traced by the structure of power in the society within a dystopian literature. Thereby, analysing the over-authority seen in dystopian works is likely an important step to discover an interesting fact in this sort of research.

CHAPTER III

RESEARCH FINDING

As a reminder, it is essential to review the brief description about the corpus of this research, The Maze Runner trilogy which includes The Maze

Runner (published in 2009), The Scorch Trials (published in 2010), and The

Death Cure (published in 2011). In the beginning of the first novel The Maze

Runner, Thomas as the main character of the trilogy comes to Glade – a place surrounded by labyrinth – where numbers of male teenager inhabit. They, including Thomas, have no single memory about who they are and even who their parents are. As the story goes on, Thomas becomes a member of a special group who has a responsibility to map the maze. Things turn to worsen and then emerges the only girl ever arrives, Teresa. After all the effort they have done, they manage to escape the maze.

In the second novel The Scorch Trials, Thomas and the other Gladers find out that there is another group, a female group in contrast, being tested in a different place alike Glade. They are forced into a harsh and difficult environment as they witness the destruction of nature. They are demanded to cross a desert city called Scorch and meet many cranks – people in a serious condition of madness caused by Flare.

Wicked promises memory restoration to the survivors of the second trial as The Death Cure begins. Thomas and his friends refuse the offer and escape from the headquarters of Wicked with the help of two insiders. They then discover

an opposing movement to Wicked and plan to join. The trilogy presents its stunning climax as Thomas and his friend strive their way to solve the problems of the society.

To initiate with, The Maze Runner trilogy depicts nature and environment as a very difficult space to live in especially by presenting the setting of places which are harsh and dangerous. Throughout the journey of Thomas and the other

Gladers, however, the researcher assumes that Dashner intends to convey an environmental value and message through his trilogy in order to elevate the readers‟ awareness of environmental crisis faced by earth. Hereby, to prove the statement above, the researcher has chosen a number of quotations along in the analysis to which those have been considered as the important data in this study.

The analysis examines how the trilogy imparts environmental value and message through the provided data. With the aid of ecocritical perspective, this research views the data through demystification on how nature is presented in these contemporary American novels, the interconnection between nature and culture, nature exploration, technology, and political impact on nature.

Fundamentally, each of those issues discussed is linked to one another and is then believed to have a single purpose

A. How Nature Presented in The Maze Runner Trilogy

Primary basics of this research finding are the way nature is presented in the trilogy that becomes a significant aspect of nature-oriented works in elevating issues of environment. It is critical then to relate the genre of The Maze Runner, which is a set of dystopian works or can be classified as fantasy trilogy, upon this

research. “Science fiction and fantasy have a long and well-established reputation for treating such issues and only their scope and sheer number might surprise readers” (Murphy 86). So essentially, this part is intended to reveal how The Maze

Runner trilogy upholds the reputation of treating environmental issues as a fantasy work.

Specifically in the first novel, Thomas who has been sent to the Glade surrounded by the maze finds out that his memory about the past has also been wiped like any other Gladers along with the fact that they are definitely separated from civilisation and actual world. “Severe external or internal constraint is often traumatising characters by negating difference and multiplicity which leads to chronic states of self-alienation” (Zapf 62). Nevertheless, Thomas somehow feels safe from any danger that might haunt them if they escaped, which is actually the destruction of nature outside the maze or in the real world, because in The Maze

Runner, all the characters have not experienced the actual impact of destruction upon nature. They still think that Glade is safe although Grievers – mechanical beasts which inhabit and terrorise the maze – are ready to slay any Gladers who enter the maze. That slight thought of Thomas and the other Gladers – which emerge once they possess a little memory about their previous life (described in the novel as changing) – who prefer living in the Glade like a bird in a cage demonstrates that The Maze Runner trilogy wants to provoke an idea that the destruction of nature and environment is far away worse than any other problems in the world which can exactly bring terror upon earth.

So much had happened since arriving, he‟d almost forgotten how familiar the Glade had felt to him that first night, sleeping next to Chuck. How

comfortable and at home he‟d felt. A far cry from the terror he should‟ve experienced. (The Maze Runner 177)

In addition, narrator utilises the word home to describe how Thomas feels being in the forest of Glade though Grievers terrorise this experimental place. It is somehow interesting that there are creatures ready to eliminate him anytime, yet he is able to claim that the place feels like home. The most ecocritical answer is that Thomas and every Gladers only fear the terror from Grievers, and has not directly experienced the destruction upon nature in this first novel from which the

Glade is created with a well-established nature. Thereby this good condition of natural forest created in the Glade can reduce the fear out of Thomas that he is able to feel comfort. The term home used by narrator then indicates an absolute consolation which exists as a metaphorical object of nature because “analyzing a set of texts by region could encourage a more eco-mimetic reading, leading to a closer metaphorical analysis of a specific real world setting” (Dror 147).

Furthermore, not only Thomas as the main character who gain comfort being in the Glade, but also the other Gladers – Alby and Gally – as their memory about the past and real world come slightly into their mind through the state of changing. Yet to be noted is that they gradually express fear towards the real world and insist to stay in the Glade though their current living in the Glade is depicted in an unpleasant way. It then corroborates the notion that compared to face natural destruction outside the maze, it is better to be trapped in the Glade.

Alby

“We can‟t go back to where we came from. I‟ve seen it, remembered awful, awful things. Burned land, a disease – something called the Flare. It was horrible – way worse than we have it here.” (The Maze Runner 308)

To be concerned is that Glade is the environment which is humanly created, particularly for the success of Wicked‟s trial. The first novel does not even describe the real condition of nature in the real world outside of it, yet there are definite depictions about the terrible condition of the world, which is interestingly imposed through the fear of getting out from the Glade. “Industrial scientists actually render risks less knowable and more fearful the more they minimise them” (Garrard 11). It can be seen then that Wicked attempts to reduce the possibility that Thomas and the other Gladers know about the truth about the terrible condition of nature in a purpose of preventing any idea of not finishing the experiment.

Gally

“No one understood!” the boy screamed over the horrible noise of the creature, crunching its way deeper into the Homestead, ripping the wall to pieces. “No one ever understood what I saw, what the Changing did to me! Don‟t go back to the real world, Thomas! You don’t . . . want . . . to remember!” (The Maze Runner 254)

Truthfully, the real source of fright exposed by Gladers mainly exists in the second novel, The Scorch Trials. The world has been devastated by many forms of destruction upon nature, from extreme climate change, food and oxygen crisis, and to the worse, ravaged ecosystem, which are basically ignited by one primary problem, global warming. “The orientation of environmental justice movement in America can reinforce an ahistorical perspective by looking at race and environment from a limited framework that maintains primary focus on recent environmental degradation and on protection from environmental hazards”

(Hayashi 59). The settings of place are presented uniquely to cover all issues of

environment, of course, with the brilliant narration that demonstrates characters‟ responses to those concerns.

As far as he could tell, not one tree or any other kind of plant existed in the place. How would it, in this climate? How could people possibly live there? How would they grow food? (The Scorch Trials 124)

The depiction Thomas expresses above is the simplest prove yet still comprehensive in the context of destruction upon nature‟s impact to the society. It is clear that the most important element of nature no longer exists in the landscape that encounters desert and city, the place where the characters experience the true impact of the destruction upon nature. Dashner does not include trees in the setting of place to which this must be done deliberately and later it will be discussed in the next analysis of nature exploration and the interconnection between nature and culture.

In contrast, the third novel The Death Cure presents nature unlike the first and second novel. Destruction upon nature significantly decreases so that the descriptive way of narrating the setting of place more likely to show a slight clue of preservation. “Preservation arises from the love of beautiful landscapes and from deeply held values” (Fassbinder 97). There occurs an environment with a positive feature witnessed by the characters.

He landed the Berg in a clearing along the beginnings of a forest that stretched up the surprisingly green mountainside. About half of the trees were dead, but the other half looked as if they‟d just begun to recover from years of massive heat spells. It made Thomas sad to think that the world would probably recover from the sun flares just fine someday, only to find itself uninhabited. (The Death Cure 168)

The citation above can be found when Thomas depicts the beauty of the setting of place for the first time in the whole trilogy that there is no terrible

destruction happens upon nature. Unlike the mountain in The Scorch Trials in which there is no single tree lives anymore, the mountain described by Thomas in

The Death Cure still has live trees within that makes the mountain looks green and seems to house a decent ecosystem.

However, environment is depicted to exist unlike what it is supposed to be, which is underrated to be exact; with the illustration of extreme climate change, food and oxygen crisis, and ravaged ecosystem, somehow it is presented as a trivial matter of the storyline. All the character seems not caring too much for the destruction that human race has made towards nature and environment. It can be said because no environmental movement is narrated throughout the trilogy even with all the great advantage and development of the civilisation. “Again, we are reminded that all views of the world of literature are situated in some way, and that our position matters, inevitably affecting our view of reality” (Ingram. Et al

13). Related to the metaphorical object of nature which is home of the civilisation, this absence of environmental movement proved that this trilogy criticises that all actual civilisation have to work together in preserving nature and environment before what is narrated in the trilogy becomes a reality.

The Maze Runner trilogy presents a very harsh and damaged environment where the earth suffers an extreme heat. This is caused by the disappearance of the ozone layer that is no longer protecting the earth from the radiation of the sun, and as a result, inducing a tremendous heat (from this point and on, the researcher will utilise sun flare to refer to this term). One of the worst impacts of sun flares is the emergence of a deadly epidemic, flare, which is basically spread by Wicked.

Hence, in the context of this trilogy, condition of nature and other issues of environment exist as an entity that affects and is affected by human civilisation.

Environmental destruction presented in the trilogy impacts human civilisation on earth by inducing three main problems which are extreme climate change, food and oxygen crisis, and ravaged ecosystem. The environmental destruction mentioned is definitely caused by the over pollution – the main and only reason of global warming – the society itself has created. Uniquely, to reduce further problems that may emerge, all nations gather their resources and powers to form an organisation named Wicked and create a fatal epidemic in order to press the population of human. In other words, Dashner imposes home as a metaphorical object of nature, so all kind of destruction upon nature is believed by The Maze

Runner trilogy to be an act of ravaging a home of the civilisation.

B. Exploration on Nature

Another ecocritical aspect which can be traced in The Maze Runner trilogy is exploration on nature, particularly when most of the characters have no memory about the past, and most significantly, what the actual nature looks like. So that those characters, strongly due to their lack of memory, can be categorised as adventurers and the environment they explore must then be considered as new landscapes seen from their perspectives that subsequently become a validation to determine characters‟ attitude towards nature, however, because “the attitude that

Americans and, more generally, Westeners, have had with nature is often examined and characterised by means of observing their relationship to exploration and the discovery, at least from the perspective of the explorer, of new

landscapes” (Wyk 73). In this case, there are three main sequences which are going to be discussed; the first is the exploration through a desert before Thomas and the other Gladers reach Scorch city (in The Scorch Trials), the second is when they have past Scorch city and have to cross a mountain with abandoned forest

(also in The Scorch Trials), and the third is when Thomas has to hike past through a mountain to reach Wicked‟s headquarter (in The Death Cure).

The second trial in The Scorch Trials begins as Thomas and the other

Gladers are forced to go through a long and totally dark tunnel. Unfortunately, two of them are killed by a mysterious metal ball while passing the tunnel, however, the rest survive and after escaping the full-of-terror tunnel, they finally witness the real impact of global warming when they arrive in a desert with a city in the distance; hereby they begin their nature exploration. Their beginning of nature exploration is signified by the emergence of an inappropriate meeting between two kind of a very distinguish wilderness, a desert and a city. “Nature is less than obvious in texts from the point of view of diverse populations with alternative perspectives on nature and human relationships to it”(qtd. In

Ragaišienė 292). Starting at this point, they expose their diverse responses to the impact of global warming as they experience the extreme heat of the sun and the destruction of the environment themselves, which is actually more than they have heard and imagined.

Minho

After only a few seconds Minho pulled his hand back and shook it at his side like he‟d hit his thumb with a hammer. “That‟s definitely hot. Definitely hot.” He turned to face Thomas and Newt. “If we‟re gonna do

this, we better have something wrapped around us or we‟ll have second- degree sunburns in five minutes.” (The Scorch Trials 92) Minho as the leader of Gladers warns his friends to wrap their bodies and prevent any harmful contact that may occur during the exploration. The heat of the sun is too extreme for them if they keep their skins unwrapped.

“I don‟t see how anyone could just be hanging out in that heat. Hopefully there‟ll be trees or some kind of shelter.” (The Scorch Trials 93)

The extreme heat is mentioned by Minho once again in the citation above and additionally he states a hope of finding trees. root. “The tree‟s abundance serves not only to meet its needs but to nourish everything around it by enriching the soil, providing shade, and generating oxygen” (qtd. In Lindgren 113). The unbearable sunlight is, of course, induced by the absence of trees which basically turns carbon dioxide to oxygen. Thomas also illustrates his reaction towards this unexpected condition of nature.

Thomas Although his memories were few and scattered, Thomas didn‟t think the world was supposed to be like this. (The Scorch Trials 94)

There is an emphasis in the data above, it reminds the reader that Thomas and the other Gladers have no memory about the past, including what nature is supposed to be. Thomas is out of thought that nature can be worse than what he can imagine.

In front of him a flat pan of dry and lifeless earth stretched as far as he could see. Not a single tree. Not a bush. No hills or valleys. Just an orange-yellow sea of dust and rocks; wavering currents of heated air boiled on the horizon like steam, floating upwards, as if any life out there were melting towards the cloudless and pale blue sky. (The Scorch Trials 95)

The very first time Thomas and the other Gladers begin their nature exploration, however, is definitely tough as seen from the citations above. Even the two smartest and strongest Gladers – Minho and Thomas – seem frustrated by the unexpected condition of nature which is, in many ways, definitely abnormal.

The extreme heat of the desert forces them to cover their body with something to cover their skin, which can be perceived however, that the beginning of their natural exploration is straightly hindered by global warming. Still, this terrible problem on their nature exploration is not able to change the feature of environmental issue in the plot, it remains trivial and additionally, there is no single idea emerge about having an environmental movement. “The final reaffirmation of the trivial reveals that even a character‟s bouts of awareness of its own ignorance do not lead to any change in the attitude – not even any profound desire for change” (Heise 200). Consequently, it can be concluded that the attitude of Thomas and the other Gladers towards nature in this first nature exploration is likely to be „environmentally ignorance‟.

Their second nature exploration occurs in The Scorch Trials like the first one, which is after Thomas and the other Gladers have past Scorch city that they have to cross a set of mountains. In this point however, they have experienced a very terrible destruction of nature and also the impact of it, worst of all, throughout their struggle escaping the disastrous storm. They have understood how earth suffers such a global warming, and as the sequence, resulting an extreme climate change. “Global warming has changed the purity of wilderness by fundamentally contaminating the whole planet” (Garrard 70). Best to say,

during this second nature exploration, they seem to keep their ignorance attitude towards that concern. It can be perceived from the characters‟ utterance or from the narrator‟s explanation on their feeling and thought.

Narrator to Thomas‟ thought

The mountains slowly became jagged peaks of shadow, growing taller and taller as they walked. There were no real foothills to speak of; the flat valley just stretched forward until the ground erupted towards the sky in sheer cliffs and steep slopes. All brown and ugly, lifeless. Thomas hoped an obvious path would present itself once they‟d made it that far. (The Scorch Trials 252) Narrator also depicts the condition of nature based on Thomas‟ thought, a landscape of mountain with abandoned forest upon. Here, narrator uses the diction of ugly and lifeless as the feature of nature.

The girls stood in a tight group in front of him; he remained tied to the ugly, lifeless tree. (The Scorch Trials 277)

More specifically, Thomas exposes his nature depiction to refer the term ugly and lifeless towards trees. Depicted as an intelligent character, he is supposed to know that trees are an important element of nature which recycles air condition.

“Trees produce more energy than they consume and purify their own wastewater”

(Lindgren 113). Meanwhile, to strengthen this notion, it is crucial to add supportive evidence from another character that Teresa also shows similar response.

Teresa

“Okay,” Teresa said. “Let‟s tie him to that ugly tree.” She pointed at the bone-white skeleton of an oak, its roots still clinging to the rocky soil even though it had to have been dead for years and years. (The Scorch Trials 269)

Dictions of the utterance and explanations show an obvious disrespect towards nature based on the fact that the environment they explore looks ravaged and abandoned. “Eco-effective approach attempts to foster a deeper sense of place while encouraging a critical attitude” (Lindgren 124). The words ugly and lifeless are always repeated to describe the condition of environment especially trees, and as a result, this can be used to determine the attitude of characters towards nature, for many reasons, they ironically show disrespectful responses to one of the most important element of the ecosystem – trees – which have basically been ravaged by human themselves of creating destruction on nature. Finally, it can be summarised that their attitude is „disrespect‟.

And lastly, it is essential to get on to the third exploration on nature which occurs in the last novel – The Death Cure – when Thomas is on his way back to

Wicked‟s headquarters and has to hike a mountain. The mountain consists of fresh forest and woods which in the end of it lays a huge cliff bordering the mountain with an ocean. This type of landscape is the only depiction of nature in The Maze

Runner trilogy with the slightest hint of destruction. The only clue of destruction towards nature on this landscape is the trace of cutting-down trees activities.

The clearing was scattered with trunks of trees felled long ago1. The tall, thick pines of the forest surrounded Thomas, reaching up to the sky like a wall of majestic towers. (The Death Cure 258)

In this last nature exploration, there is a distinguish way of environmental depiction. The quotation above can be utilised to ensure a change of dictions used by narrator in illustrating Thomas‟ thought towards nature. Although there is a

1 The slightest hint of destruction towards nature occurs in this sentence which is giving us a slight clue that there were cutting-down trees activities

slight clue of environmental destruction, the beauty of nature is able to alternate

Thomas‟ perspective.

The air was crisp and cool and the forest felt fresh, like he was standing in a brand-new world – a place untouched by disease. He was sure that not many people got to see anything like this today, and he felt lucky. (The Death Cure 258)

Thomas starts recognising a different feature of nature and he even confesses to be lucky to witness such a great environment with cool air and fresh forest. This is more than recognition but it is a true respect of human towards nature and as “Wilson acknowledges a shift in focus from aesthetic motivation in the conservation movement to recognition of the importance of ecological integrity, of course for the sustainability of our planet” (qtd. In Patrick 147), this awareness can hereby turn Thomas‟ previous attitude towards nature.

He did pretty well, concentrating on his path, the sights and sounds of birds and squirrels and insects, the wonderful smells. His senses weren‟t used to such things, since he‟d spent most of the life he remembered inside. As he hiked through the woods, he found it hard to believe that such a different place – the Scorch – could exist on the same planet. His mind wandered. He wondered what life would be like for all these animals if humans really did go away for good. (The Death Cure 259)

Thomas‟ respect towards the beauty of nature increases as he realises that he has seen the only setting of place in the trilogy with a trace of good ecosystem, also the fact that animals inhabit the environment. This is the only evidence that nature can provides an amazing nuance both to animal and human, of course, without any destruction within.

He‟d walked for over an hour when he finally reached the end of the woods and a wide swatch of barren, rocky earth. Islands of dark brown dirt, devoid of vegetation, dappled the treeless expanse where the snow had been blown away by the wind. Craggy stone of all sizes dotted the land, which sloped towards a sudden drop-off – a huge cliff. Beyond that

lay the ocean, its deep blue ending on the horizon, where in a sharp line it changed to the light blue of the brilliant sky. And resting on the edge of the cliff, about a mile ahead of him, was WICKED‟s headquarters. (The Death Cure 259)

As seen from all the evidences above, this last nature exploration is conducted only by a single character as the main protagonist, Thomas. Unlike the first two explorations, this time the landscape is almost pure from environmental destruction and can be exactly considered as the most beautiful depiction of nature in the trilogy. However, because Thomas does the exploration only by himself, which means there is no single conversation, so the only way to determine his attitude is by viewing it from the narrator‟s explanation about Thomas‟ feeling and thought. Thomas even feels lucky to witness the beauty of natural landscape which has not been destroyed as he is stunned and amazed throughout the hiking.

His admiration towards nature reaches its peak when he sees the meeting of two great wilderness of area one and two, which is mountain and ocean.

As a reminder, this third nature exploration is the only part in the whole trilogy which contains an admiration of Thomas as one of the characters, particularly, towards the beauty of nature. All the thought of Thomas depicted by the narrator is full of recognition and appreciation which can be seen from the diction, especially the choice of adjective. Hereby, whether considered to represent all the characters or as a single character himself, Thomas demonstrates

„spiritual adoration‟ of human attitude towards nature.

Furthermore, after analysing three explorations on nature conducted by a number of characters and also seen from narrator‟s description, it can be exactly found three kinds of human attitude towards nature provoked by The Maze

Runner trilogy. Firstly when Thomas and the other Gladers are on their way to

Scorch city and have to get past a desert, there occurs an absence of emphatic statement about the destruction of nature even though, for most of the exploration, they experience the very terrible impact of it and thereby, it can undoubtedly be argued that they represent „environmental ignorance‟ of human attitude. Secondly, after they have escaped Scorch city, and they have to cross a mountain, their environmental ignorance remains and subsequently, they perform inappropriate responses towards the condition of nature especially trees seen from the repetition of ugly and lifeless so that they illustrate „disrespect‟ attitude towards nature.

Lastly, when Thomas has to hike a mountain to get back to Wicked‟s headquarter,

Thomas shows great admiration towards the beauty of the landscape, simultaneously, his admiration becomes the only recognition and appreciation of nature in the whole trilogy, hence, Thomas represents „spiritual adoration‟ of human attitude towards nature.

Thus, from three explorations on nature – a desert, a mountain with ravaged forest, a mountain covered by fresh forest and bordered with an ocean by a huge cliff as well – it can be concluded that there are three types of human attitude towards nature in this trilogy; which are „environmental ignorance‟,

„disrespect‟, and „spiritual adoration‟; two unpleasant attitudes against one appropriate attitude. In essence, “The ties between humanity and nature are severed in the act of exploration” (Wyk 74) that it means The Maze Runner trilogy suggests a development of human attitude towards nature as the solution of environmental destruction from which the researcher discovers depiction of more

negative human attitudes towards nature in the trilogy. “Through the acts of characters of hoping for a better future, the inevitable apocalypse can be surely rejected” (Patrick 147).

C. Interconnection between Nature and Culture

As discussed on the second chapter of this examination, in ecocriticism nature exists out there beyond human being to which it is represented in literary works as an entity which affects culture and which culture can affect. More generally, “ecocriticism is based on the idea that the physical world and the human culture are connected and are affected by each other in a purpose of studying the ways nature is portrayed in the body of the text and attempt to analyse their relevance with environmental crises” (Gogoi 1).

When Thomas and the other Gladers finally escape from the maze, there is a woman who unexpectedly saves them, and essentially, the woman is the one who firstly describes the true depiction of nature and environment of earth. Global warming has surprisingly reached an extreme intensity that satellites made by human are even destroyed by it, millions of people died, massive environmental destruction occurred; so that it can be concluded that the ozone layer in this trilogy has been unable to protect earth from the heat of the sun. “Ecocriticism must study the complex interconnections of nature and culture through their modes of representation and ideological functions in order to identify the specific conditions of the contemporary environmental crisis as a crisis of the mind and attitudes” (Grewe-Volpp 77). By the occurrence, however, the initiation of the interconnection between nature and culture is already presented as the woman

states that one of human cultural products which is satellite, has been destroyed by the massive environmental crisis, and even the humanity itself is almost extinct as millions of people died, subsequently, the plot begins its introduction to its content regarding environmental issue.

Thomas‟s hand instinctively went up to his throat, as if a soreness there were the first indicator that he‟d caught the Flare. He remembered all too well what the woman on the rescue bus had told him after the Maze. About how the Flare destroyed your brain, slowly driving you insane and stripping you of the capacity to feel basic human emotions like compassion or empathy. About how it turned you into less than an animal. (The Scorch Trials 59)

After knowing the fact about nature and environment from the woman and also from Janson, Thomas and the other Gladers start worrying the possibility that they will face Crank – people who has suffered varying stages of madness caused by flare – and also how chronic the disease is once it has attacked their brain.

Despite the statement of the woman who saved Thomas and the other Gladers and also the information Janson has given on behalf of Wicked, yet the main protagonist which is Thomas who is also the part of the industrial experiment, is still depicted as a character who ignores the primary problem; he tends to care about his own self rather to think about the future of nature as the most essential problem, which is actually the basic cause of all the conflicts in the trilogy. “Our earth is in dire state that industries continue to contribute to the ever-worsening crisis of environmental degradation” (Kemmerer 43).

Meanwhile, in the first novel Thomas and the other Gladers keep up their living by building a small community where each individual holds their own role

to keep the survival of their community alike an intact civilisation. And in the last part of the same novel, they know the true condition about nature and environment that they expose different responses to it. When their responses of natural and environmental crisis linked to the perspective of ecocriticism, however, it can be assumed that the identity of Thomas and the other Gladers as inhabitants of earth elevates the aspect of individualism. “Individualism is also an example of root metaphors which can be traced back to the aspect of politics”

(Bowers 6). They prioritise their own significance instead of seeking a solution to the environmental destruction. And when Thomas and his small community represent the whole society, it can be indicated that The Maze Runner trilogy provokes the idea of individualism.

As he explored the area, he realised more and more how well the Gladers kept up the place, how clean it was. He was impressed by how organised they must be, how hard they all must work. He could only imagine how truly horrific a place like this could be if everyone went lazy and stupid. (The Maze Runner 64)

Moreover, a number of characters depict the condition of nature and issue of environment presented in the trilogy by stating it directly or exposing their feeling about it through narrator. All of them, of course, own distinguish characterisation and different social background that eventually shapes their perspectives and responses towards the existence of the environmental crisis.

Meanwhile, some literary critics might argue that those diverse perspectives and responses are basically constructed by the characterisation and social background of each character, however, ecocriticism strongly disagree. “Ecocriticism ignores

the idea of many literary theory in common which believe that character‟s perspective is dependent or is affected by any aspects, whether it is internal or external” (Barry 251). Diverse perspectives and responses given by characters of the trilogy towards nature and environment are merely descriptive forms of an entity, which is represented through many kind of environmental issue. The entity of nature stands as an independent instrument living in the plot of the trilogy.

Nature has been ravaged and destroyed by civilisation, must be considered then, to be an absolute fact presented within the narration.

In addition, The Maze Runner trilogy also presents the interconnection between nature and culture that is portrayed through the setting of place in the second novel, which is Scorch city. Based on the ecocritical concept of „outdoor environment‟, Scorch city covers two areas: desert which is classified as area one, and city which is considered as area four. By that reason, there exists an inappropriate encounter between area one and area four that the researcher uses the term „inappropriate‟ due to the fact that area one is a pure nature landscape while area four is an area dominated by culture. Those two kind of areas are not supposed to exist side by side because as Barry states that it will be clear that most of what is called 'nature writing' concerns the two middle areas with which area one and two, to varying degrees, contain large elements of both culture and nature” (253).

It was a wasteland. In front of him, a flat pan of dry and lifeless earth stretched as far as he could see. Not a single tree. Not a bush. No hills or valleys. Just an orange-yellow sea of dust and rocks; wavering currents of heated air boiled on the horizon like steam, floating upwards, as if any life out there were melting towards the cloudless and pale blue sky. (The Scorch Trials 95)

A depiction of desert can be traced in the citation above as narrator explains the condition of a wasteland with orange-yellow sea of dust. This is the first setting of place witnessed by Thomas and the other Gladers.

“The Rat Man wasn‟t kidding about those sun flares,” Thomas said, trying not to let his heart sink too much. “Looks like a nuclear holocaust out here. I wonder if the whole world is like this.” (The Scorch Trials 96)

Thomas then responds the condition of nature that he even states that it seems like a nuclear has ravaged the landscape he sees.

“Let‟s hope not,” Minho responded. “I‟d be happy to see one tree right about now. Maybe a creek.” (The Scorch Trials 96)

Another response is given by Minho, and interestingly, he claims that he would be happy to see the most important element of nature, a tree.

“I‟d settle for a patch of grass,” Newt said through a sigh. (The Scorch Trials 96)

The reaction above is from Newt, an intelligent character who hopes to see a single trace of plant. The existence of desert which is area one – a pure area of nature – is noticeable through the evidences above, then such a landscape should be free from cultural aspects, however, it lies side by side with a city. So there has to be an indication that the portions of anthropocentric matters have ignored the existence of nature. “Today, a whole different anthropocentric assumption have emerged that nature comprises a set of regularities potentially knowable and masterable by humans” (qtd. In Mazel 193).

He wasn‟t sure when it happened exactly, but suddenly the cluster buildings they were running towards seemed a lot closer. And there were a lot more of them than he or anyone else had thought. Taller, too. Wider. Spread out and organised in rows and in orderly fashion. For all they knew, the place might‟ve once been a major city, devastated by whatever

had happened to the area. Could sun flares really inflict that much damage? Or had other things caused it during the aftermath? (The Scorch Trials 107)

The quotation above is taken from the part where Thomas and the other

Gladers are still in a desert and about to get to a supposedly advanced city.

However, they find out that the city is also devastated by something unidentifiable.

Most of the other Gladers were up and about, taking in the unexpected shift in the weather, deep in the conversations he couldn‟t hear. There was only the roar in his ears. Thomas rubbed the crust out of his eyes and got to his feet. “Where‟d this all come from?” he yelled back. “I thought we were in the middle of a desert!” (The Scorch Trials 128)

At this point, it is obvious that this scene elevates an issue of climate change which inflicts the setting of place with an extreme shift of weather. The unexpected emergence of storm can be the indication that global warming has dreadfully stricken the environment in this encounter area of desert and city. “A particular storm‟s ability to cause destruction depends on the stability and importance of the landscape by which we measure other physical qualities of our environment” (Oerlemans 176).

Minho looked up at the rolling grey of mass of clouds, then back at Thomas. He leaned closer to speak directly in his ear. “Well, guess it has to rain in the desert sometime. Hurry and eat – we gotta get going. (The Scorch Trials 128)

Moreover, the depiction of Scorch city as a setting of place must then be considered as an indication that the destruction of nature and environment has eliminated the boundary of nature and culture. Every aspect of humanity and all of cultural action must occur primarily in area four, and the encounter of nature and culture should take place in area two or three, hence, if there happens an

intervention of culture in a pure area of nature, it can be stated that civilisation depicted in the trilogy has disregarded the balance between nature and culture.

“Even though mankind and the landscape were intrinsically linked to one another, the relationship was imbalanced with mankind exerting a far greater influence over nature” (Delph 340). The encounter of these two supposedly separated landscapes therefore induces a disproportion between nature and culture which can be viewed through the chaos of nature over civilisation represented in the narration of the trilogy. The chaos mentioned above evidently arises as Thomas and the other Gladers experience the impact of an extreme climate change when a tremendous storm with massive lightning devastates the space of two supposedly separated areas, which eventually makes some of the Gladers killed.

Additionally, the scene when extreme climate change is presented – when massive lightning triggers the death of several Gladers – turns to become the only sequence in the whole trilogy in which nature becomes the victimiser upon the death of characters, of course, if seen from non-ecocritical perspective.

Meanwhile, once it is perceived from ecocritical point of view, there must be a further recognition about what actually cause such a mistaken idea, so that the most logical explanation is the absence of the boundary between nature and culture. “Ecocriticism can find promising new theoretical possibilities, for it helps to define the human place within the ecosystem by interrogating or erasing the boundary that has been assumed to set our species apart from the rest of the living community” (Westling 30). It should be noted that the absence is basically led by intense destruction of nature created by human civilisation as well as intervention

of culture upon the balance of nature. In fact, the absence of boundary between nature and culture might conceive a kind of judgemental image towards non- ecocritical readers.

Therefore, varied perspectives and responses of the characters in The Maze

Runner trilogy are a mere descriptive form of devastation on nature which is intended to initiate the environmental value of this dystopian work. And then emerge individualism which has infected culture so that society ignores the balance between nature and culture, and eventually, destroy the boundary between these two interconnected concepts.

D. Technology

The trilogy of The Maze Runner as a set of dystopian works illustrates one of human cultural products, technology, most of all, with tremendous level of advancement that eventually induces disintegration upon nature and environment throughout the plot. It can be surely stated because “people try their best to meet their increasing material requirement by using science and technology, which outstrips available resources, and as a result, a series of problems of environmental pollution and ecological imbalance appear” (qtd. In Tang, Liu

146). In essence, there are several kinds of technological aspects which are going to be analysed based on its significance upon this ecocritical research. This part is going to attach evidences from all the three novels.

The first emergence of technology is in The Maze Runner when Thomas surprisingly gets into the maze right when the wall is about to close to help Minho and Alby. In this point, however, Minho leave Thomas due to the sign of

Grievers, and Thomas depicts the very first image of Grievers. And in the depiction, it is obvious that the Griever is a technological creature.

It looked like an experiment gone terribly wrong – something from a nightmare. Part animal, part machine, the Griever rolled and clicked along the stone pathway. Its body resembled a gigantic slug, sparsely covered in hair and glistering with slime, grotesquely pulsating in and out as it breathed. It had no distinguishable head or tail, but front to end it was at least two metres long, a metre thick. (The Maze Runner 124)

In the trilogy, particularly in The Maze Runner, Grievers are mechanical beasts which are deliberately created to hunt Gladers in the maze especially in the evening after the wall has closed. Grievers have successfully terrified every single

Glader until they established a rule that no Glader is allowed to enter the maze except the Runner team. Every time the plot goes to Grievers, it always full of horrific narration, which can be perceived, that Griever, which is a technological device, is the source of terror in this first novel.

Fear towards the advancement of technology – represented by the Grievers

– remains in the second novel. The terror made by Grievers follows Thomas and other Gladers in their nature exploration throughout a desert. They still feel terrorised by the sophistication of Grievers, mostly because Grievers always haunt them back in the Glade. Yet, their fear upon Grievers makes them underestimate the power of nature and thinks that Grievers is worse than natural disaster as

Thomas states that a storm is far better than Grievers. “Modern technology is causing irreversible damage to nature by upsetting the ecological balance”

(Riordan 318). Basically, their fear upon technology is not only due to the terror of Grievers, but also due to their experience of witnessing flying molten metals

that cut off body parts of human right before they arrive at the desert, and for the strongest reason, due to the sophisticated technologies shown by Wicked.

Minho stood nearby, frantically waving his arms as he tried to get everyone‟s attention. Most saw and gathered around him, including Thomas, who fought off the panic creeping along his insides. It was only a storm. Far better than Grievers or Cranks with knives. Or ropes. (The Scorch Trials 131)

Thomas, who is the fastest and strongest Gladers, practically equal to

Minho, however, feels the surge of panic as the storm gradually emerges and yet, the fear of technology, Grievers to be exact, makes him underestimate the power of natural phenomena, storm. He assumes that storm, as a strong evidence of extreme climate change in this case, is less dangerous than the sophistication of technology to which it can be concluded that technology becomes a contributor of disrespect attitude towards nature in the second nature exploration. “Ecocritics have been asserting that environmental crisis is an issue of cultural ideologies which shapes people‟s attitude and suggests that ecological implications are reflected on the usage of technology” (Lindgren 115).

Nevertheless, it is evidently proved that the sophistication of technology is not able to be more dangerous than disastrous natural phenomena, especially in the encounter area of two supposedly separated landscapes– a desert and a city – that houses an apparent absence of the boundary between nature and culture. It can be seen from the reaction of Thomas knowing the true impact of extreme climate change which is able to cause a very terrorising moment, and consequently leads him to think only about getting himself a survival without seeming to care about the other Gladers. Then his statement that a storm is far

better than Grievers is totally wrong, because back in the Glade, Thomas can still care and protect his friends from Grievers while he does not even care of his friend, Jack, in the middle of the storm. “Human fails to recognise the role of direct relations established by natural phenomena in a given nature experience”

(Maran 456).

Wind. Explosions of light. Wind. Choking dust. Wind. Ringing in his ears, pain. Wind. He kept going, his eyes glued to Minho just a few steps ahead of him. He didn‟t feel anything for Jack. He didn‟t care if he was permanently deaf. He didn‟t care about the others any more. The chaos around him seemed to siphon away his humanity, turn him into an animal. All he wanted was to survive, make it to that building, get inside. Live. Gain another day. (The Scorch Trials 136)

Furthermore, it is essential to view how human use technology to treat nature in this trilogy, whether the way is fair, or to the worse, exploitative.

“Technology is, to some degree, presented in texts as a cause of environmental issues” (Dror 144). Though the plot mainly narrates about the journey of Thomas and the other Gladers in terminating the trials from Wicked, there is a glance of evident which can be analysed to find the answer. It occurs in the second novel when Thomas and the other Gladers arrive at the safe haven. They are surprised by a sudden appearance of metal boxes containing mechanical objects alike

Grievers.

About ten metres from the group, a large section of the desert ground was . . . opening. A perfect square – maybe five metres wide – pivoted on a diagonal axis as the dirt-packed side slowly spun away from them and what had laid underneath rose up to replace it. The sound of groaning, twisting steel pierced the air, louder than the roaring wind. Soon the rotating square had fully flipped, and where once had been desert ground now lay a section of black material, with an object sitting on top of it. (The Scorch Trials 323)

To read the data above with an ecocritical perspective, there is an exploitative treatment of nature through technological product, which is technological mechanism, as to the desert ground spins away and is replaced by a section of black material. The use of term “exploitative” may seem exaggerated, yet if the concept of „outdoor environment‟ is utilised, a desert has to be a pure area of nature without any intervention of culture, meanwhile, to establish such a technological mechanism in a wilderness which is supposed to be free from any cultural product, will then be able to be considered as exploitative. It means that the use of technology presented in the trilogy has ignored the balance of nature and culture.

Thus, a massive advancement of technology can certainly become one of the strongest contributors to the devastation of nature, because simultaneously, it can be assumed that a tremendous development of technology has a role in the destruction upon the boundary between nature and culture. Except of all, these findings will not always be valid, the role of political aspects affect the most in this case.

E. Political Impact on Nature

Alike technology, political aspect in a dystopian trilogy is also an important matter to be analysed, specifically for the benefit of finding how the structure of government uses its power and authority upon society, and most significantly, upon nature. There will be an interesting fact about either the field of politics in the trilogy of The Maze Runner plays a crucial role to the destruction of nature, and consequently, this research is going to stand its position for Victor

that “powerful authority often overuses and abuses the environment which leads to environmental disintegration” (124).

First step of all, what kind of governmental institution rule the society of the trilogy is a dominant aspect to be concerned. Governments from all countries are joining power and resources to form a united organisation with a purpose of seeking a solution for numbers of problem, mainly focuses to formulate a cure for the flare. This organisation then turns to become a very powerful structure of the society with massive human and technology resources, and simultaneously works under the name of Wicked which stands for World In Catastrophe, Killzone

Experiment Department.

When Thomas and the other Gladers finally meet a representation of

Wicked – a high official named A.D Janson – in the second novel they are informed that they have caught the flare and are promised to be rewarded a cure of it once they terminate second phase of the trial. “Ecocriticism expands political concerns to consider how and why environmental problems remains concentrated in areas occupied by marginalized groups” (Ingram. Et al 4). From this point, however, there appears an indication of inappropriate act of politics which is making a public falsehood by telling the Gladers to do something beyond their knowledge and capabilities to gain a cure of deadly disease from which most of them are basically immune to the disease, and to the worse, that the cure has not even been formulated, and instead, they are actually told to finish the second trial for the fulfillment of the cure production.

“Sun flares have ravaged many parts of the earth. Also, a disease unlike any before known to man has been ravaging the earth‟s people – a disease

called the Flare. For the first time, the governments of all nations – the surviving ones – are working together. They‟ve combined forces to create WICKED – a group meant to fight the new problems of this world. You are a big part of that fight. And you‟ll have every incentive to work with us, because, sad to say, each one of you has already caught the virus.” (The Scorch Trials 59)

From the citation above, it can be stated that Wicked is depicted as an organisation with absolute power since all nations have gathered their powers and resources for a single purpose to which Janson subsequently tries to assure that

Thomas and the other Gladers are able to contribute to rectify all the problems faced by civilisation. Wicked has created a falsehood by telling Thomas and the other Gladers that they have caught flare, and has to terminate the second phase of the trial to get the cure, while actually, the trial is mainly conducted to finish the creation of the cure. Indubitably, the authority held by Wicked has been utilised to manipulate the truth, no matter what the reason is, to complete their own significance. “Totalitarian governments often try to manipulate their citizens by dictating certain social and political conditions, through laws, education, religion and other institutions” (Dror 149). Therefore, Wicked should be believed to be a totalitarian government represented in the narration of The Maze Runner trilogy.

They claim that their effort and purpose are only for the greater good of the world, which then, should be viewed deeper, particularly in the accordance of nature.

We exist for one purpose and one purpose only: to save the world from catastrophe. You here in this room are a vital part of what we plan to do. We have resources never known to any group of any kind in the history of civilisation. Nearly unlimited money, unlimited human capital and technology advanced beyond even the most clever man‟s wants and wishes. (The Scorch Trials 56)

It is clearly exposed that the only purpose of Wicked as the political authority is to save the world from catastrophe as the main problem of civilisation.

Interestingly, the catastrophe here can be directed into either the destruction upon nature or deadly epidemic of flare in which both are basically caused by human civilisation itself. Hereby, it leads more to the deadly epidemic of flare rather than destruction on nature, of course, seen from the efforts narrated throughout the plot. Then the question is, will the cure of flare save the world from catastrophe?

The best and most rational answer is no, for many reasons, because individuals of non-Wicked gradually raise their concerns upon the waste of resources used in the creation of the cure. “In a world which is being turned upside down, nature has traditionally enabled stability in a political context” (Griffiths 381). An opposition to the governmental organisation named Right Arm is therefore formed as a movement to take over the misuse of power, and simultaneously, another side of

Wicked can be viewed from different perspective.

Brenda

“Lot of things you people need to understand about how things work in the city. About the Cranks and WICKED, about the government, about why they left us here to rot in our disease, kill each other, go completely and utterly insane.” (The Scorch Trials 146)

Brenda is a character who works for Wicked but insists to revolt because she disagrees with all the experimental activities the organisation has done towards people and especially the environment.

Gally

“First of all, word is that the Flare is running rampant through this whole shuck city and that all kinds of corruption is going on to hide it because the ones who are sick are government bigwigs.” (The Death Cure 120)

Gally is a former Glader whom Wicked uses to create a situation of killing

Chuck – Thomas‟ best friend in the Glade – for the success of their experiment in collecting Gladers‟ reaction especially Thomas. And here is Vince‟s vision and perspective of forming an opposing movement to Wicked called the Right Arm.

Vince

“We have to stop those people. Prevent them from wasting even more resources on a pointless experiment. If the world is going to survive, they need to use what they have to help the people left alive. Keep the human race going in a way that makes sense.” (The Death Cure 234)

The citations above ignite the concerns of people who strongly oppose what Wicked had done to the civilisation, and supposedly, nature. It starts a rebellious action against Wicked, with a purpose of taking over the headquarters, and stops all the extravagant experiment. This rebellious movement hopes to gain the resources and material of Wicked to fix a number of problems they think they are capable of. Yet, Right Arm is a way similar to Wicked, they result no solution, only destruction instead. “Environmental destruction generates all manner of social oppression, and therefore, in order to stop environmental destruction – logging, climate change, pollution – humans need to heal the social discord caused by political domination” (Parson 55). Moreover, through the politics of the society, however, it can be stated that no side of governmental structure, neither the holder of authority nor the opposition movement is able to solve the worrying problems terrorising the earth which basically occurs due to the destruction upon nature. Then the best solution for the civilisation is actually presented in the trilogy, yet in an implicit way. Basically, the deepest root of all the problems in

the trilogy comes from the destruction upon nature that consequently induces bigger problems. Fundamentally, a solution to the destruction of nature is best applied to the nature itself, or simply be preservation of nature.

The mixed smells of the forest greeted him as he took his first deep breath, trying to relax. The air felt perfect, and it made him wonder again about the weather of the place. Never rained, never snowed, never got too hot or too cold. If it weren‟t for the little fact they were torn apart from friends and families and trapped in a Maze with a bunch of monsters, it could be paradise. (The Maze Runner 197)

That scene is when Thomas wakes up in the forest of the Glade where his favourite spot is located. There is a glimpse of relief although the situation of the

Glade starts to be worse. It is because one and only reason, and that is because a good condition of nature can certainly spread relaxation and perfectness. What to be concerned, however, is the point that the Glade is created by Wicked to do the first trial of their experiment. With all the great advancement on technology,

Wicked successfully creates such a great place surrounded by massive wall of maze and a set of natural environment within. It indicates that their power and resources are, once again, very adequate that they surely be able to conduct rapid preservation on nature as a solution being mentioned. “The fundamental basis of

Western societies at this point in time relies on a firm belief that „all problems are soluble by people‟ and furthermore that „many problems are soluble by technology‟ (qtd. In Payne 230). Yet, Wicked does not utilise their power and resources to preserve nature, they only use it for their own benefit instead.

Furthermore, a totalitarian government alike Wicked, and also an opposition movement like Right Arm, own enough role to be argued that politics does significant impact to nature, especially in the devastation of it. This argument

is due to the fact that the governmental organisations which are presented in the trilogy tend to act exploitatively towards the existence of nature. Thereby, this research support Victor‟s notion that “powerful authority often overuses and abuses the environment which leads to environmental disintegration” (124).

To recapitulate all the discussion from point A to E, The Maze Runner trilogy presents nature trivially, but beyond that, it delivers the trivial nature with a metaphorical object of home that nature is represented as a home of the civilisation. The characters of the trilogy demonstrate three types of human attitude towards nature which are „environmental ignorance‟, „disrespect‟, and

„spiritual adoration‟. Varied responses towards the condition of nature performed by the characters are a mere descriptive form of devastation upon nature, and simultaneously, individualism emerges to impact the society in ignoring the balance between nature and culture which leads to the absence of the boundary of those two interconnected matters. The absence of the boundary between nature and culture is strongly caused by the exploitative utilisation of advanced technology upon nature. And lastly, totalitarian government exists in the trilogy to own a significant role in the exploitative usage of the technology mentioned.

CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

A. Conclusion

As environmental problems rapidly turn to arise and are provoked through young-adult literature, this research initially has a single important purpose of revealing environmental value and message which is delivered by The Maze

Runner trilogy. The researcher believes that this is an academic way of preserving nature and preventing any further impacts of destruction upon nature. Then based on that reason, an ecocritical examination is crucial from which the trilogy contains depictions of a harsh condition of its setting of places in order to explore an interpretation of five main aspects regarding nature and environment which are how nature presented in the trilogy, nature exploration, the interconnection between nature and culture, technology, and political impact on nature.

In conducting this research, the researcher proposes three main problems; first, how nature is presented; second, what kind of human attitude the characters demonstrate; and how the interconnection between nature and culture is presented in The Maze Runner trilogy. To solve those three problems, then a qualitative descriptive method is applied through the examination along with an approach of ecocriticism. By doing so, the researcher is able to describe, elaborate, and analyse the data taken from the corpus of study to which it can be believed that ecocriticism provides an adequate approach towards dystopian literature of The

Maze Runner trilogy.

With the aid of ecocritical perspective, the researcher discovers environmental values imposed by The Maze Runner trilogy. Firstly, Dashner represents home as a metaphorical object of nature that all sorts of destruction upon nature is ecocritically believed to be an act of devastating a home of civilisation. Secondly, from three nature explorations found, there are three kinds of human attitude towards nature stated by the trilogy; environmental ignorance, disrespect, and spiritual adoration, and as a result, it can be concluded that the trilogy suggests a development on human attitude as a solution towards environmental destruction.

Thirdly, varied perspectives and responses given by the characters are a mere descriptive form of devastation on nature. Individualism has infected the culture of the trilogy that society ignores the balance between nature and culture so then it leads to the absence of boundary between two supposedly-separated landscapes. Fourthly, a massive advancement of technology presented in the trilogy owns a significant role to the destruction upon the boundary between nature and culture. And lastly, an organisation called Wicked exists as a totalitarian government which often manipulates citizens and utilises its power exploitatively towards the existence of nature which eventually leads to environmental disintegration.

In conclusion, The Maze Runner trilogy demonstrates the absence of a boundary which supposedly separates the two interconnected concepts of nature and culture. And the most significant contributors are the lack of human attitude towards nature, the massive advancement of technology, and a totalitarian

government. Those three crucial matters must then be solved to reduce and even stop further impacts of environmental disintegration. Because the most important thing is that nature is a home to the civilisation. Last but not least, the researcher hopes this thesis is able to contribute to the world of literary criticism, and simultaneously becomes a motivation for academics and common people to preserve nature and environment.

B. Suggestion

First and most importantly, based on the reality that the world needs much action in preserving nature, then committing an ecocritical research is an honourable idea of literary criticism to persuade readers in preventing any further devastation on the environment. Then, due to the fact that ecocriticism is a new- emerging theory of literature, there are no common-ground of its procedure.

Consequently, extra reading and discussion are really crucial. And lastly, the researcher believes that all the discussions in this thesis are not free form mistakes, in other words, another deeper research on The Maze Runner trilogy by using ecocritical approach must have great prospects.

Additionally, any future researcher who is interested to analyse The Maze

Runner trilogy needs much concerns in deciding what issue to discuss about, and essentially, what approach or literary theory to use. Thereby, after utilising ecocriticism in this examination, the researcher suggests an issue of nature and identity, and political dualism with the same ecocritical approach. Despite, there are other possible literary theories which are suitable to be applied in The Maze

Runner trilogy alike Maslow‟s hierarchy of human need, semiotics, and structuralism.

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APPENDIXES

The Maze Runner‟s cover by The Chicken House publishing 2013

The Scorch Trials’ cover by The Chicken House publishing 2013

The Death Cure‟s cover by The Chicken House publishing