Grievers
Lethal creatures of metal and flesh that patrol the Maze.
In the Glade, the Grievers are the primary threat that keeps the Gladers trapped inside the Maze. These creatures are described as strange, lethal beings of metal and flesh that roam the Maze at night. They are responsible for stinging boys, which induces a painful process called the Changing, where victims regain fragmented memories. The Grievers are also the reason the Gladers must solve the Maze and find an exit before they are all killed. Their presence enforces the rules of the Glade, as any boy caught outside after dark is almost certainly doomed.
Lore & Background
The Grievers are mechanical and organic hybrids that inhabit the Maze surrounding the Glade. They emerge at night when the Maze walls close, making it deadly for anyone caught outside. Their sting causes the Changing, a painful ordeal that restores lost memories but can drive victims mad. In the story, a boy named Ben is stung and later tries to kill Thomas, leading to his banishment.
Alby is also stung while investigating what the Gladers believe is the first dead Griever, and he later attempts suicide by walking into a group of them. Thomas voluntarily gets stung to undergo the Changing and learn the truth about the Maze. During a critical night, Thomas, Minho, and Alby survive an encounter with Grievers by using a trick with the Maze walls, not by leading them off a cliff. Later, when the Grievers invade the Homestead, Gally is killed by a Griever while trying to escape after throwing the spear at Thomas, and the Grievers retreat because Thomas triggers the end of the Maze by inserting the code.
The Gladers eventually fight the Grievers in the Griever Hole, where at least four of them die before Thomas and Teresa insert the code to escape—though the casualties are fewer than half.
Reader's Guide
To survive Grievers in the Maze, never be caught outside after dark when the walls close. If stung, the Changing will occur, restoring memories but risking madness. Use the Maze's ivy to climb walls and escape pursuit, as Thomas did when he pulled Alby up. Leading Grievers off a cliff is an effective tactic, as shown when Minho and Thomas killed four that way. When Grievers invade the Glade, hiding in the Homestead may not be safe; Gally's sacrifice showed that throwing oneself at them can drive them away temporarily. The only permanent solution is to solve the Maze and insert the code in the Griever Hole, but expect heavy casualties in the final fight.
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