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
Harvest season arrives, so Matthew and Mark stay home from school to help Dad. Mother also starts working overtime at the chicken factory. Luke dutifully doesn’t complain, and he doesn’t watch the Sports Family’s house as much anymore. What’s he going to do, anyway? But despite knowing he and the other third child can’t just go out and play in the backyard, he starts to formulate an idea: to sneak into the Sports Family’s house and meet the other kid. It’s possible in theory. The Sports Family has a sliding glass door that they’ve been leaving open in the unseasonably warm weather. Luke thinks about going for days and finally, Luke decides he can’t wait. He counts as everyone leaves the neighborhood and then runs out the back door.
The novel again highlights how poor Luke’s family is when Matthew and Mark must stay home from school to help Dad harvest. The family’s focus is on survival, not on becoming educated. Gradually, Luke’s belief that he’s incapable of doing anything starts to give way to wondering if he could perhaps take action. His habit of watching and learning is helping him now, as he sees exactly what he must do to get safely from his back door to that of the Sports Family. And as time goes on, doing something starts to seem necessary—this may be his only chance.
Themes
