William Golding's book, Lord of the Flies, represents the deepest and most dangerous nature of mankind. The story unfolds as the boys are left to take care of themselves without adults and without laws; “their civilized, regular selves leave and they evolve into more dangerous and violent humans, the true nature of mankind.” Similarly, James Dashner's book, Maze Runner, also represents a nature of mankind. However, although the boys are left to take care of themselves, their civilized and regular selves flourish as they keep society structured and orderly. The main theme of both novels is civilization versus savagery. The similarities and differences between the leaders of both novels are also quite pronounced. Finally, Golding and Dashner also demonstrate similar qualities in their characters. In Maze Runner, civilization vs. savagery is a constant and recurring theme. The Gladers continually strive for order and justice, but still resort to extreme measures in their rules and laws. Here lies the border between civilization and savagery. An example of this is when the Gladers vote to banish Ben from the Glade. Although they believe that justice needs to be shown and that he deserves to be punished, banishing Ben to the maze seems like an extreme act. This act causes intense feelings of guilt in some characters, but they are reminded that the Glade is governed by a fierce rule of law. It may not be morally correct or humane, but it reflects how the boys try to keep the Glade in order, by any means necessary for civility within the community. The Gladers maintain civilization as the prevailing system in their world. Similarly, Lord of the Flies is about... middle of the paper... in conclusion, both novels represent the true nature of mankind, without barriers. The Maze Runner, being almost the modernized version of Lord of the Flies, shows how, although there are no adults in their society, humans left there can thrive and maintain a structured society. Lord of the Flies, however, addresses a darker vision of human nature and brings out all the wild impulses that reside in all humans. The leaders in both novels behave quite differently, but it goes to show that not all leaders have to be the same to "get the job done." Finally, both novels represent innocence in some of their characters. This shows that although everything else may fall apart, the true reason for some people's lives is to bring strength and innocence to others. The novels resembled each other, yet they compared and contrasted quite well.