Dashner’s ‘Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella’ (2020) Is Newt’s Battle For Humanity Against Death & Madness

• Book: Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella (released 2020)
• Written by: James Dashner
• Genre: Young Adult (YA), Science Fiction (Sci-Fi), Dystopian Fiction
• Preceded by: The Death Cure (released 2011)

---

Newt¹ is a character from the Maze Runner² book series by James Dashner. He’s known as one of the main Gladers in the first book, which later turned into the high-grossing film The Maze Runner³ (2014, Wes Ball), where he, along with a group of other young people, gets trapped inside a massive and perilous Maze.

Newt became a subject of WICKED (World In Catastrophe Killzone Experimental Department⁴) after being taken by them as a child. He grew up as a test subject in their experiments aimed at finding a cure for the Flare Virus — a highly contagious and incurable disease that emerged after the sun scorched the Earth, plunging it into an apocalypse.

Newt is described as a shaggy boy with blonde hair and a distinctive accent, walking with a limp. He’s the heart of his friend group, always knowing how to keep everyone together, no matter the situation. However, Newt’s life takes a dramatic turn when he’s infected with the Flare.

In Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella, he breaks away from his usual role as ‘the glue’ by leaving his friends behind in their fight against WICKED, so they won’t have to witness his tragic transformation. As Newt’s mind and body begin to change into a Crank, he writes about his experiences whenever he can.

We’re introduced to Keisha⁵ and her young son, Dante.⁶ After they give Newt something to hold onto — something worth fighting for — he sets his heart on doing something meaningful for them in return. Even as he spirals further into madness, fragments of memories from his life before the Glade begin to surface. He longs for a family he can barely recall, a family he knows he’ll never see again. That hope is gone for him — he’s accepted it.

But for Keisha and Dante, there’s still a chance. Helping them reunite with their loved ones becomes Newt’s way of giving them what he himself has lost. It’s his way of making possible for them what has become impossible for him.

In the midst of it all, Newt reveals the lengths people will go to in order to hold on to their humanity — by giving whatever they have left to the world around them. His fate is no secret, and through his journal entries, we witness the raw, painful battle against disease and the toll it takes.

Dashner’s Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella⁷ isn’t just a story about Newt’s inevitable end — it’s a profound exploration of the human spirit, the meaning of family, and the will to survive. As Newt wrestles with his sanity and mortality, the novella becomes a powerful testament to resilience in the face of despair.

Exploring Newt’s Journal — Uncovering The Power Of His Epistolary Voice In Crank Palace

The novella opens with Newt wrestling with the weight of his decision to separate from his friends. He watches them from a distance, caught in the middle of an urgent mission, and forces himself to stay behind. The pain of letting go is clear; Newt shares how difficult it is to see his friends board the Berg⁸ and fly off to continue the fight against WICKED without him.

Deep down, he knows the truth: he’s no longer fit to be part of the mission. The Flare is spreading through him, slowly taking control, inching him closer to becoming a Crank. Cranks — those infected with the Flare — can appear perfectly normal in the early stages, but it’s only a matter of time before the virus consumes their minds entirely.

Newt seizes the chance to slip away, taking with him just a notebook and a pen. He’s not only writing for himself, but he’s writing for the people he’s leaving behind. Through his journal entries, he hopes to leave something meaningful, something that might help his friends and others in the future.

He wants his words to offer insight into what it’s like to be in his position — to live with the Flare, to feel the mind unraveling piece by piece. By documenting his thoughts, emotions, and experiences, Newt hopes others will one day better understand the psychological toll of becoming a Crank, especially in the early stages when the disease hasn’t yet fully taken hold.

“Something about that simple, empty little book, waiting to be filled. It had given him a purpose, a spark, a winding course to ensure the last days of his life had reason and meaning. A mark, left on the world. He would write all the sanity he could muster out of his head before it was taken over by its opposite.”

⁹

Newt’s journaling allows him to write his own story, giving him something to control at the end of his life.

“They got inside somehow. They’re taking me to live with the other Cranks. It’s for the best. Thanks for being my friends. Goodbye.”

¹⁰

In his epistolary voice, Newt writes a message for his friends telling them he is leaving to spare them from being witnesses to his death. 

Seeing Through Newt’s Eyes — The Power Of First-Person Storytelling

This first-person perspective is essential for truly understanding Newt’s mental state, as it places us directly inside his thoughts and emotions in real time. His journal entries serve as a raw and unfiltered primary source, allowing readers to analyze the mindset of someone living through the early stages of the Flare.

Through his writing, we gain access to his present reality — what he’s feeling, what he’s thinking, and what’s triggering the symptoms of his decline. We witness the moments that cause him to lash out, and the emotional spirals that follow. Newt often draws comparisons between his current surroundings and the Maze, showing how deeply that trauma is etched into him.

It is a constant reminder, a mental prison just as real as the physical one he once escaped. The Gladers¹¹ were originally placed in the Maze to observe how their minds responded under extreme conditions. Now, Newt is in another kind of harsh environment — Crank Palace — and it’s having a similar impact on his psyche. What he reveals to us is crucial: every flash of anger, every internal conflict, every moment of doubt.

He even questions his own judgment, unsure if he can still trust himself as the disease creeps deeper into his mind. His words become a window into the emotional and psychological toll of the Flare, helping us see the fragile line between identity and illness.

Family, Loss, & Survival In Crank Palace — How Love/Friendship Shapes Newt’s Final Chapter

Newt repeatedly emphasizes that his decision to go off on his own wasn’t about abandoning his friends — it was for their own good. He believes that by leaving, he’s sparing them from the pain of watching him deteriorate further. Frypan¹², Minho¹³, Thomas, Brenda¹⁴, and Jorge¹⁵ are the only people who matter to him in this flare-infected world. They’re the ones he can still remember loving, the ones who’ve been there for him through countless trials. Together, they’ve survived the worst, always looking out for each other, no matter the odds.

But when Newt separated from his friends, it wasn’t just a break from the mission — it was the severing of ties with his family, too. He truly believed that by walking away, he would never see them again. In the midst of his struggles, however, memories of his real family slowly start to resurface.

Though his recollections of his mother and sister are faint, Newt clings to the fragile fragments of those memories. They’re precious to him, and in a world ravaged by the Flare, those pieces of the past become something he holds onto with everything he has left.

When Newt is captured by WICKED’s soldiers, he feels a sense of gratitude that they didn’t separate him from Keisha and Dante, recognizing the small yet meaningful connection he’s formed with them, one he’s not willing to lose. Despite having only known them for a day after an accidental encounter, Newt, Keisha, and Dante develop a close, almost familial bond.

There’s an unspoken understanding between them, and the longer they’re together, the harder it becomes for them to part. This deepening connection becomes especially apparent during moments of struggle, like when Newt is lost in a moment of clouded madness, and his thoughts focus solely on them:

“Keisha, he thought through the clouds of madness that filled his mind. All that mattered was Keisha. Dante. Jackie. Nothing else.”

¹⁶

For Newt, the drive to keep going becomes rooted in them. It’s a clear reminder of the power of love in the face of his deterioration. They say that when you’re about to die, you think of the ones you love, and that’s precisely what we see in Newt’s final moments. After witnessing a woman nearly take her own life, Newt ponders the devastating madness that comes with the Flare:

“The madness it took to kill your own child or the madness that resulted from killing your own child. At what stage did the Flare creep its way into the affair?”

¹⁷

Dashner emphasizes the depth of the bond between a parent and child, showing how it’s a connection unlike any other. And yet, the Flare virus is so powerful that it’s the only thing capable of breaking such a bond. It twists and warps minds, compelling individuals to do things they would never normally do — even harm those they love. Through this, we see the destructive force of the Flare, not just as a physical illness, but as a mental one, proving that the effects on the mind can be just as devastating as those on the body.

“Loss As A Driving Force” — How It Defines Newt’s Humanity In Crank Palace

Newt has lost everything: his family, his friends, and ultimately, his sanity. As the Flare takes its toll, his life slips further away, and soon, so will the last pieces of himself. Having already lost so much, he fights desperately to preserve the little he has left — especially his bond with Keisha and Dante.

In a moment of vulnerability, he silently pleads,

“Please, please, please,” he thought. “Go away, Flare. Let me get Keisha and this sweet little brat to their family and then take me. Take me fast as you bloody like. I’ll be ready for the Gone by then.”

¹⁸

Despite knowing that he can never regain what he once had, Newt sees an opportunity to give something meaningful before his time runs out: reuniting his new friends with their families.

He feels compelled to do something that matters before he leaves this earth. Newt may have abandoned his old friends early on, but now, he faces a choice to make a difference for the people he’s come to care about. He has nothing left to lose, except for the few precious connections he’s formed, the people he’s learned to love in the brief time he’s had left.

And in that, he finds purpose.

Even as his body succumbs to the disease, Newt’s final act becomes one of selflessness, a final chance to make a meaningful impact, even in the face of his own inevitable end.

“Illness & The Human Condition” — Exploring The Psychological, Sociological, & Physiological Effects Of Disease

Newt often struggles to sleep at night due to the physical symptoms he experiences — headaches, restlessness, ringing in his ears, and sudden emotional shifts. He has episodes where the world around him seems to fade away entirely. The desire for normalcy pushes him to resist any signs of madness that start to creep in.

But trying to suppress these symptoms only makes them worse, turning his thoughts intrusive until they take shape as repetitive voices. The inability to control or soothe what he’s going through is so overwhelming and maddening that it drives him to the edge. In high-stress situations, when everything’s on the line, his crank tendencies surface, and he lashes out.

Not being able to see, hear, or think clearly distorts your reality and pushes you toward irrational actions. In Newt’s case, the struggle with disease makes daily life nearly impossible, and the deteriorating, unstable shelters only worsen the situation. The rundown conditions reflect and reinforce the suffering of the people. With everyone sick, there’s no one left to properly care for the environment, leading it to fall apart even more.

This aligns with the Broken Windows Theory¹⁹, which suggests that visible signs of social disorder — like broken windows or graffiti — can escalate into more serious crime. The Cranks’ antisocial behavior, combined with the lack of resources for basic self-care, powerfully supports this theory.

Illness has a way of isolating people from their friends and family, much like what we witnessed during the COVID-19²⁰ pandemic. For Newt, having the Flare virus²¹ is what forced him to pull away from those closest to him.

Similarly, during the pandemic, individuals with COVID had to quarantine and distance themselves until they recovered. The key difference, though, is that with the Flare, there is no recovery — no return to health.

So when Newt separates himself, it’s not temporary. It is a heartbreaking, permanent choice, made to protect the people he cares about, even if it means losing them for good.

“Newt’s Final Battle” — The Mental Strain Of The Flare In Crank Palace

Newt is fully aware of the fate that awaits him, and knowing that death is inevitable, takes a serious toll on his mental state. He ends up at Crank Palace, the place where Cranks go once treatment is no longer an option. On his journey there, he encounters Cranks in all stages of the disease. Many have gone “past the Gone,” the final phase before death.

They’ve surrendered completely to madness, no longer in control as the virus fully consumes their minds. All around him are vivid, unsettling descriptions of Cranks. They often hurt themselves in horrific ways while cycling through emotions like laughter, delusion, terror, and obsession. Strange and unpredictable behavior is the norm, but that doesn’t stop it from keeping everyone constantly on edge.

In Crank Palace, survival is the only goal until the disease wins, and as a Crank, Newt believes this is where he truly belongs. He carries heavy emotions about being different from the friends he left behind at the Berg. They’re immune to the Flare — “munies” — while he’s not. The virus inside him is an ever-present reminder of what he’s becoming. As he approaches Crank Palace, he thinks to himself,

“Welcome to Crank Palace, he thought. Welcome to the Central Zone. Welcome to your future.”

²²

It’s a bleak preview of what lies ahead.

This plunges Newt into a near-constant state of sadness, anger, and fear. Every Crank was once a person with a life, with people who loved them. Now they’re viewed as something less than human, defined by their violent and animalistic behavior. Knowing that death is inevitable, Newt begins to detach — caring less about what he can’t control. He’s already slipping into insanity, and with nothing he can do to stop it, he stops trying. The end is set in stone.

“The Hero We Lost” — Why Newt’s Final Fight In Crank Palace Still Matters

Newt’s condition as a Crank actually gives him an edge in fights. Whenever he’s in combat, the rage inside him activates the Flare virus, amplifying his energy and strength a hundredfold. He becomes almost unstoppable, able to block out everything around him and fight with a brutal, unyielding intensity.

However, this power comes with a major drawback — he can’t control himself once the fight is over. The rage that fuels him doesn’t just power his body; it takes over his emotions, making it hard for him to stop when it’s time to. His battle isn’t just physical; it’s a constant struggle with his emotions and mind, too.

When Newt hits rock bottom, his soul begins searching for meaning. Deep down, he craves purpose — something to hold onto, something to fight for. As he nears the end, Newt embodies the human spirit’s struggle to maintain its humanity, even in the face of inevitable destruction.

He understands that he must take action while he still has his wits about him. Whether sick or healthy, it’s easy for people to forget the power they hold until they’re pushed to act in extreme circumstances. With Newt’s determination and the love he feels for his new friends, he finds the strength to push through and unlock his full potential.

“The Tragedy Of Newt” — What His Final Struggles In Crank Palace Teach Us About Hope & Despair

Newt teaches us to cherish what we have, take risks, and make decisions, especially when time is running out. Throughout the book, Newt reflects on moments of calm before and after chaos. He describes waking as if slipping out of a dream:

“Sleep had been welcome, those soft snores of his new friends turning into the soft break of ocean waves inside a dream…but it took a few seconds more for the dream to fade. The choppy surface of the water became the smooth, cheap plastic of the cabin floor, the blue sky the faintly seen ceiling tiles, the sweet ocean air the stale air of the cabin.”

²³

In these moments, sleep becomes Newt’s refuge, a brief escape from the virus and its devastating effects. It’s a time where he clings to the humanity still left in him, soaking in as much as he can while he’s still alive. Through his experience, we learn to appreciate life and the simple things we often take for granted.

“Maybe someday, somewhere, somehow, the journal would be found and read. And he wanted posterity to know that he had experienced happiness. Not just with Keisha and her family. He had known friends, had shared laughs and adventures with them, felt their love for him and had the joy of returning that love. What else could anyone ask for?”

²⁴

Despite moments of fear when he longs to seek comfort and hide, Newt resists because he knows that once he’s “past the gone,” there will be no turning back. He makes sacrifices to ensure he ends his life on a positive note, so he has nothing left to worry about, allowing him to rest knowing that he helped those he loves carry on.

How Newt’s Legacy In Crank Palace Changes The Maze Runner Narrative Forever

The epilogue of Newt’s death scene unfolds within his mind, offering a glimpse into his thoughts in real time. In this final moment, he recalls Keisha, Dante, Jackie²⁵, Thomas²⁶, and his family from before — the people he loved. At this stage, his mind has finally allowed him to remember them. He speaks of an unnamed woman who appears to him as an angel. This angel reassures him that nothing in his life was a waste, and that his legacy will endure through his journal, which will ultimately reach Thomas.

Newt’s final moments echo the poem “Do not go gentle into that good night”²⁷ by Dylan Thomas²⁸. He describes his suffering as a light being drained from him, swallowed up by the chaos and madness consuming him. To Newt, life is represented by light, and death is the darkness he fiercely fights against. His last breaths feel like the universe itself inhaling, preparing to extinguish the flame that is Newt. As his light weakens, it symbolizes his life fading away, until with one final breath, the light is snuffed out completely.

As the mental burden of knowing his death was inevitable weighed heavily on him, Newt’s thoughts were consistently focused on others, showcasing his deep selflessness. His own struggles were more than enough to bear, yet he didn’t want to add to the burden by constantly worrying about how his condition would affect his friends.

The legacy he leaves behind, however, has the power to impact and influence others, even long after his death. His concern for his friends and the mark he leaves speak to the lasting effects of the choices and actions we make in life.

Newt understood the importance of leaving a legacy that could help others, and he did what he could to ensure that. Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella serves as James Dashner’s²⁹ way of giving Newt a voice after readers were struck by his untimely death. It’s also a poignant story told from the perspective of someone facing a terminal illness.

In doing so, Dashner shines a light on the power of the human spirit and its relentless fight for life and humanity, even as death looms closer. By allowing Newt to speak through Crank Palace, Dashner honors the resilience of those battling terminal diseases and reminds us of the unyielding strength of the human spirit.

Footnotes

1. “The Maze Runner Wiki – Newt”. Wiki Fandom, 2025. ↩︎
2. “The Maze Runner Series.” Penguin Random House, 2025. ↩︎
3. “The Maze Runner (2014).” IMDB, 2014. ↩︎
4. “The Maze Runner Wiki – WICKED.” Wiki Fandom, 2025. ↩︎
5. “The Maze Runner Wiki – Keisha.” Wiki Fandom, 2025. ↩︎
6. “The Maze Runner Wiki – Dante.” Wiki Fandom, 2025. ↩︎
7. “Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella”. Barnes & Noble, 2023. ↩︎
8. “The Maze Runner Wiki – Berg.” Wiki Fandom, 2025. ↩︎
9. James Dashner, Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella (New York: Delacorte Press, 2020), 6. ↩︎
10. James Dashner, Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella (New York: Delacorte Press, 2020), 6. ↩︎
11. “The Maze Runner Wiki – Gladers.” Wiki Fandom, 2025. ↩︎
12. “The Maze Runner Wiki – Frypan.” Wiki Fandom, 2025. ↩︎
13. “The Maze Runner Wiki – Minho.” Wiki Fandom, 2025. ↩︎
14. “The Maze Runner Wiki – Brenda.” Wiki Fandom, 2025. ↩︎
15. “The Maze Runner Wiki – Jorge.” Wiki Fandom, 2025. ↩︎
16. James Dashner, Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella (New York: Delacorte Press, 2020), 121. ↩︎
17. James Dashner, Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella (New York: Delacorte Press, 2020), 45. ↩︎
18. James Dashner, Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella (New York: Delacorte Press, 2020), 108. ↩︎
19. “Broken Windows, Informal Social Control, and Crime.” National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov), 2021. ↩︎
20. “Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).” World Health Organization, 2025. ↩︎
21. “The Maze Runner Wiki – The Flare.” Wiki Fandom, 2025. ↩︎
22. James Dashner, Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella (New York: Delacorte Press, 2020), 52. ↩︎
23. James Dashner, Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella (New York: Delacorte Press, 2020), 36-37. ↩︎
24. James Dashner, Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella (New York: Delacorte Press, 2020), 129. ↩︎
25. “The Maze Runner Wiki – Jackie.” Wiki Fandom, 2025. ↩︎
26. “The Maze Runner Wiki – Thomas.” Wiki Fandom, 2025. ↩︎
27. “Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas.” Poets.org, 2025. ↩︎
28. “Dylan Thomas.” Academy of American Poets, 2025. ↩︎
29. “James Dashner.” Jamesdashner.com, 2024. ↩︎