The woods symbolize Luke’s coming-of-age process. When Luke recalls being a young child, he thinks fondly of his family’s woods. The woods protected him, shielding him from view of the road and of any nosy neighbors who might notice him and report his existence to the Population Police. The woods, in this sense, symbolize Luke’s youth, innocence, and sheltered upbringing. He begins to lose his innocence when Dad is forced to sell the woods to the Government, so that the Government can cut the trees down and build houses for wealthy Barons on the land. The sale of the woods creates an environment where Luke can learn more about his world than he might have otherwise. Not long after the housing development is finished, Luke meets Jen, another shadow child who lives in the new house closest to him. Luke begins crossing the open land between his house and hers to visit, a sign of his growing maturity, boldness, and desire to learn more about why he must hide all the time. And ultimately, because the woods no longer exist and so can’t protect him, Luke chooses to accept a fake ID and leave home to live undercover as a legal child. This represents the final step in Luke’s maturation process, and he leaves behind his innocence and fully comes of age.
The Woods Quotes in Among the Hidden
“Why?” he asked at the supper table that night. It wasn’t a common question in the Garner house. There were plenty of “how’s” […] Even “what’s” […] But “why” wasn’t considered much worth asking. Luke asked again. “Why’d you have to sell the woods?”
Luke’s dad harrumphed, and paused in the midst of shoveling forkfuls of boiled potatoes into his mouth.
“Told you before. We didn’t have a choice. Government wanted it. You can’t tell the Government no.”
And somehow, after that, he didn’t mind hiding so much anymore. Who wanted to meet strangers, anyway? Who wanted to go to school […]? He was special. He was secret. He belonged at home—home, where his mother always let him have the first piece of apple pie because he was there and the other boys were away. […] Home, where the backyard always beckoned, always safe and protected by the house and the barn and the woods.
Until they took the woods away.
He could have told her then about the vents—he didn’t see how anyone could object to him looking out there—but something stopped him. What if they took that away from him, too? What if Mother told Dad, and Dad said, “No, no, that’s too much of a risk. I forbid it”? Luke wouldn’t be able to stand it. He kept silent.
The Woods Symbol Timeline in Among the Hidden
