54 pages • 1 hour read
James DashnerThe Kill Order
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2012A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
The novel is highly allegorical in that its characters, organizations, and events are symbolic stand-ins for counterparts in our own society. Choose one element from the novel and discuss its real-world corollary, focusing on what the fictional version adds to our understanding of our own society.
Mark’s dreams provide the backstory of the solar flares and how society came to be in its present state. How do Mark’s dreams affect him on a personal level, and how do his dreams affect his decision making as the novel progresses?
Trina is the only main character in whom the virus causes memory loss. Why is this important to her character arc and the overall plot? How are the symptoms the other characters suffer indicative of their personalities?
Bergs are an important symbolic element of the novel. What are they named after, and what is the significance of the association their name implies?
Deedee is a familiar character trope in the pandemic subgenre of science fiction as the young girl who is immune to the disease and holds a potential cure. Investigate the origin of this trope and identify similar characters in other science-fiction works. Is this trope gender-coded, and if so, why is the character’s gender significant?
Where do religious motifs arise in the novel? Based on your reading, is James Dashner making a commentary about the benefits or harmful qualities of religion in times of crisis? Support your argument with evidence from the text.
Dashner often uses sensory descriptions of settings to convey a certain atmosphere. Choose examples from the text of passages that use each of the five senses—taste, touch, sound, sight, and smell—and discuss what they add to the novel’s plot and themes.
The trope of an individual with natural immunity to a disease is a popular trope in science fiction. Is this trope applicable in the real world? Has there been a time in history when someone with immunity to a disease proved invaluable in saving others? How does this idea fit into the theory of an individual making sacrifices for the greater good?
The Fever Code (2016) is a second prequel that chronologically follows The Kill Order. How does The Fever Code bridge the events between The Kill Order and The Maze Runner? Are the prequels necessary elements of the series? Why or why not?
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