Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Among the Hidden, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Propaganda, Fear, and Control
Privilege, Wealth, and Perspective
Protest and Resistance
Coming of Age, Independence, and Family
Summary
Analysis
As Luke watches the first tree in the woods fall, Mother calls for him to come inside. Luke always obeys this order and has since he was tiny. Today, though, he hesitates and reminds himself that he might never feel the warm dirt under his feet again. Silently, he goes inside.
Luke doesn’t seem to have much agency—he’s spent his life obeying Mother when she tells him to come inside. For now, it’s unclear why Luke has to come in, and what this has to do with the woods coming down. But reminding himself that he might never feel dirt again is ominous—the implication is that he might never go outside again.
Themes
That night, over supper, Luke asks why Dad sold the woods. Asking why something happened is unusual at the Garner house, where most conversation is about how or what to farm, but Dad answers anyway—the Government wanted the woods, and the Government gets what it wants. Luke figures his parents defied the Government as much as they could when they had him. He whines anyway that the Government isn’t going to live in the houses that will replace the woods, but Mother notes that Government employees will probably live in the houses. Luke tries to imagine rows of houses where the woods once stood. He’s only snuck one look outside; already, with half the woods gone, he feels scared and exposed.
This passage establishes several important ideas. First, Luke’s family doesn’t usually think critically about things—they concern themselves with how and what they should do, rather than questioning why they should do something. Dad’s response also suggests that the Government in this world is all-powerful and perhaps dangerous. Luke reads as young and vulnerable in this passage. The Government seems like his enemy, particularly since they’ve taken the woods that made Luke feel safe and secure.
Themes
Sadly, Luke asks if he has to stay away from the windows once people move into the houses. Dad loses his temper—Luke has to stay away from the windows now because if someone sees him, something bad will happen. Luke isn’t sure what, exactly. Maybe he’d die. He knows what death is—runt pigs die all the time on the farm—but he can’t imagine himself dying.
Here, the novel starts to clarify why Luke has to hide and come inside now that the woods are gone: something terrible will happen to him if his existence is discovered. This is still a pretty abstract idea for Luke, which highlights his youth. Dad, however, seems fully committed to keeping his son safe—as well as terrified that he might not be able to do so.
Themes
Luke’s older brother, Mark, grumbles that he and Matthew will have to do Luke’s chores now. He asks if Luke could come outside to work at night, but Matthew snickers that Luke doesn’t help much anyway. Mother assures her sons that Luke will do what he can, just like he always has. Just then, the family hears a car in the driveway. Luke instantly rushes for the back stairs. Mother, he knows, will hide his supper in a cupboard and push his chair away. Within moments, it’ll look like Luke doesn’t exist.
Matthew and Mark are far more concerned with fairly distributing chores than with keeping Luke safe, which may reflect that they’re young and naïve. Mother, meanwhile, emerges as Luke’s protector—both when she speaks to her sons and when she hides Luke’s existence. The tone here suggests that while Luke knows it must look like he doesn’t exist, this is a heavy thing for him—it’s emotionally difficult to know he shouldn’t exist.
Themes
Get the entire Among the Hidden LitChart as a printable PDF.
