This is an excerpt from a Study Guide to the Novel Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I have attached my plot summary so that you’ll understand the context when characters are mentioned in other sections.
Setting
While the author doesn’t give us a year, technology similar to ours today indicates that the story is set in modern times. The author also never reveals the location of the story. But like the time, the location reflects a land very similar to ours. This familiar setting could be the author’s way of informing the reader that what happens to the characters could also happen in real life. In the story, a totalitarian government has taken power and controls every aspect of life.
Plot Summary
As twelve-year-old Luke watches the woods behind his home cleared to make room for houses that the Government is building for the Barons, people belonging to the Government’s privileged upper class, his mother screams at him to come inside. The woods has been the cover Luke needs to stay hidden from the outside world, but now that it is gone, he knows that he will have to remain indoors.
He must stay hidden because he’s an illegal third child. Twelve years earlier, the Government made a law that forbade parents from having more than two children. As the third child in the Gardner family, he must remain a secret. As a result, Luke’s brothers, Matt and Mark end up doing the chores that Luke can’t do, his father lives in fear of Luke being discovered, and his mother bears the guilt of having a son who can’t live a normal life and who isn’t truly a part of the family.
As construction begins on the new houses where the woods once stood, Luke’s dad further limits Luke’s freedom. Being restricted to the house isn’t enough. Fearing that Luke’s shadow could be seen through the blinds, Mr. Gardner limits Luke’s activity to the attic and the stairs leading to it.
When the Government taxes the family beyond their means to survive, Mrs. Gardner takes a job at a local factory. While she works in the factory and Mr. Gardner works in the fields, Luke is required to stay in the attic. Desperate to keep himself from boredom, he discovers that he can look out the attic vents without being detected. As the days go by, he becomes quite familiar with the neighbors who bought the houses behind his.
While looking out the vent one day, Luke spots a face in a nearby house that he doesn’t recognize as one of the two children who live there. He spends days contemplating the notion of another third child living nearby. After he procures more evidence, such as lights and a TV on when no one else is home, his need to know for sure exceeds his need for safety, and he leaves his house to determine the truth.
At the neighbor’s house, he discovers a girl named Jen, who is indeed a third child. He learns that Jen has been talking to many other third children over the Internet. Thirsty for freedom, she is organizing a rally at the president’s house to demand that the law be changed. Over the next few months, Jen gives Luke books and articles to read. Then, the day before the rally, Luke tells her that he can’t go—that people like him don’t do things like rallies. That night, she sneaks into his house and says goodbye.
The next morning, Luke wakes up and looks for the signal from Jen’s house that it is safe to come over, but he gets nothing. Days go by, and not only is there no signal, but there is no evidence at all that Jen is even there. After a week and a half, his need to know what’s happening overwhelms him, and he bolts to her house.
Luke searches the house, but finds nothing. He turns on the computer and uses it to find out if any other “third” knows where Jen is. Jen’s father, George, notified of the home intruder, arrives and stops him. He explains to Luke that Jen and the 40 “thirds” who showed up were killed at the rally, and all evidence that they had been there was cleaned up before anyone noticed. He also informs Luke that he has been able to keep Jen safe and even to get her some special privileges because he himself works for the Population Police. It isn’t long, however, until the Population Police barge into the house, having been alerted when Luke accessed Jen’s computer. Jen’s dad hides Luke and bribes the officers to leave.
Once the police have gone, George tells Luke that he and his family are no longer safe. George tells him that his position and authority within the Population Police won’t last much longer, and he persuades Luke to take advantage of what sway he currently has. George secures Luke a fake ID and even finds him a place to live where he won’t be known as a third child. Luke tells his parents everything that has happened; hesitantly, they agree that he has to go. As Luke rides off in George’s car, he watches his old life fade into the distance behind him.
Themes
Totalitarianism: A totalitarian government is a system of government in which a single party has complete control of every aspect of life. The government is usually driven by an ideology and led by one man—supported by accomplices—who has complete control over a military that maintains his power. A totalitarian government rejects the idea of individuality and emphasizes a collective goal for society. Some totalitarian governments are formed when the majority of the people voluntarily give up their rights and property to an elected official, such as the 1933 elections in Germany, which made Adolf Hitler Chancellor of Germany. Other totalitarian governments are formed when a party takes control by force and establishes a figurehead.
The tools that a totalitarian government uses to achieve its goals are:
• Fear
• Public executions
• Dissimulation (concealment of the truth about a situation)
• Propaganda
• Theft of property
• Simulation (displaying the false)
• Police control
• Theft of privacy
• Social Compliance (authority/obedience)
• Imprisonment
• Need and greed
• Establishing a class system
This is the kind of government mentioned in the story. While the Government in the story is fictitious, there are many governments around the world that have very similar ways of ruling.
North Korea: A totalitarian country that follows two ideologies. Juche, an idea created by the regime’s first leader, Kim Il Sung, states that man is the master of his own destiny. However, in order for man to be successful, a wise, flawless, and loving leader must guide every aspect of man’s choices. The second ideology is Songun, meaning “military first.” This concept enabled the leader to take complete control over the army, and through the army, gain cooperation from the people.
There are three main classes of people in North Korea. A person’s class is inherited from his parents. The Loyal class consists of approximately 25% of the people. These people are descendants of the people who helped Kim Il Sung resist the Japanese occupation during World War II. They are highly favored. They get the best jobs, medical care, education, and housing. Even during times of food shortages, these people never go without. They also are the only ones allowed to have machinery and technology of any kind. Only the loyal class can live in the capital city. They also receive lighter penalties for non-political crimes. The ruler is able to maintain these people’s loyalty through both rewards and fear. They don’t upset the order of things so that they can continue their life of luxury, but they also don’t rebel out of fear of being banished to a lower class. This class and the government form nearly a symbiotic relationship in which the government relies on the loyalty and obedience of the people, and the people rely on the government for sustenance.
The other two classes don’t receive any of the benefits of the loyal class. The wavering class consists of 50% of the people. These are the workers and the peasants. Even the children work alongside their parents. The hostile class contains approximately 25% of the people. These people are descendants of political prisoners. They are highly discriminated against and receive none of the benefits that the other two classes can access. They are mainly kept in prison camps far from view.
Cambodia: The Khmer Rouge used communist ideology to create a classless society in which everyone farmed the land. They emptied the cities and forced the people into the fields. Anything that was not considered agricultural was considered a threat to the regime, including education, music, and industry. Any educated person was an enemy of the state. All hospitals, universities, factories, and businesses were shut down. Money was done away with. People could not choose their own marriage partners or even their own clothes. Children were separated from their parents at eight years of age and taught that the state was their parent. The children were indoctrinated to obey orders and become soldiers, considering anyone who didn’t conform perfectly as an enemy of the state. Over one million people were killed as the Khmer Rouge sought to cleanse the country of any resistance. Often, the brainwashed children were used to inform the state about perceived insolence. All educated people, ranging from teachers to doctors to attorneys, and any other person deemed an enemy of the state were executed. Over a million people in 20,000 graves called the Killing Fields were killed during the Khmer Rouge regime.
China: After more than 50 years of civil war—some of which was interrupted by Japan’s conquest of the coastal cities during WWII, Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong declared the country the People’s Republic of China. To gain favor with the peasants, the government executed over a million landlords. While the government has relaxed a little control over its people’s lives, there is still much that it does control.
One-Child Policy was part of the Family Planning Policy introduced in 1979. It limited the number of children a family could have to one. This policy was instituted because a government official attended global debates over a possible overpopulation catastrophe. He hired a group of mathematicians to determine the correct population for China and planned to reduce China’s population to the desired level by 2080. To enforce this law, The Family Planning Policy was established within all levels of government, and any family violating the law was subjected to large fines. All children were required to be registered with the government at birth.
Many parents of second children chose not to register their child with the government. Consequently, the second children cannot go to school, receive health care, or receive protection under the law. Some first-born children, mainly girls, are unwanted. To get a chance at having a boy, the parents of these girls would abandon them or have them adopted. These girls are referred to as the “missing girls.” In 2015, the one-child policy was relaxed to a two-child policy, for those couples who wish to apply for the permission.
Peaceful Assembly is not a freedom protected by a totalitarian government. In 1989, nearly 100,000 students gathered in Beijing to protest the government. They gathered at the Monument to the People’s Heroes in Tiananmen Square. The students, with the support of many residents, wanted the Chinese governments to acknowledge their human rights and agree to a separation of powers. Instead, the government declared martial law and had the army clear the square. Approximately 300 people were killed, and over 7,000 were injured. The surviving leaders of the protest were either jailed or exiled.
The State of Nature, as explained by John Locke in the Second Treatise of Government, is the perfect state of freedom in which all people exist naturally. In this natural state, there is no need for people to ask for permission or to depend on the will of others in order to act on their own behalf. Included in this state is the natural conclusion that in order to enjoy perfect freedom, everyone must have equal rights. No one is born with a higher or lower rank, and no one has power over another. Everyone enjoys the rights to life, liberty, and property.
To protect and dispose of their property as they see fit, individuals make agreements with other individuals and enter into society. They agree with each other not to harm one another in their active pursuit of life, liberty, and property. Individuals within the society become specialists of different skills, each trading freely with one another.
These individuals, as they agree on how to live in their society, may choose to establish a government for the purpose of protecting their rights. This government should be confined to the declared laws of the community established by the individuals living within it. The government does not become a more powerful entity than the people. The people elect government officials, but they can only grant them the power that already exists in each person as an individual. Therefore, the government is only a group of individuals who are limited to the same powers that everyone else has. For example: since one person can’t steal another person’s property, the government can’t steal property either. Thus, any ruling power can only execute the law, but they do not have the power to dictate new laws at their whims.
Governments based on the principle of individual rights derive their power from the consent of the governed and protect the freedoms of each individual. Because these governments are based on correct ideas, a false notion cannot sway the actions of the individuals granted power. If this form of government existed in the story, the Gardner family would not have been forced to sell the woods or to get rid of their hogs. People could have proposed the sale of the property, but what to do with the property would have been the Gardner’s choice. Mr. Gardner would also be free to plant whatever he choose to on his property, and he would be free to sell it at a price that he concluded was just. A free market would indicate whether or not his price was something everyone was willing to pay, and he would be free to adjust his prices accordingly. He would also be free to pursue hydroponics at his leisure. Additionally, there would be no restrictions on the number of children a family could have.
Democracy is a threat to this state of nature, and it is closely related to a totalitarian regime. Whenever a majority of a people decide that their beliefs, customs, traditions, etc. are more important than those of the smaller group, these people can exercise their will against everyone else. Whereas a government formed on the precepts of Natural Law is governed by correct principles, a democracy is governed by the will of the majority, which can change in favor from one to another at any time. Therefore, like a totalitarian regime, any false notion, popular belief, ancient custom, or bias may become the law by which the majority of the people exert force upon the rest. In the story, before a general took control of the government, the people believed in democracy.
Near the end of the story, Jen’s dad tells Luke that before he was born, a famine caused the people to take over the government. There were riots and killings and panic. When a general promised order and food, the majority of the people supported this and allowed the general to fulfill his mission. They traded their freedom for security. And once a group of individuals has traded in their rights, it is very difficult to get them back.
Freedom vs. Security: Benjamin Franklin once said, “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Since freedom is a natural right of each individual, man can only lose his freedom in two ways: One, he can have it forcibly denied him from a stronger power; or two, he can voluntarily give it up. Quite often, when a society fears that their rights are being threatened, they grant some of their individual power to a ruling body, and once this body has the power, they are not too willing to give it up.
Aside from the constant fear of being discovered, Luke does lead a relatively secure life. He has a room to himself, a bed to sleep on, and food to eat. All of his basic needs are met. This security has come at a cost: his freedom. Luke has even less freedom than his family has, and he longs for the day when he can enjoy what little freedoms they have. But he is not willing to do anything about it. This is where he clashes with Jen. She yearns for total freedom and refuses to sit idly in the safety of her home. She is willing to give up her security to fight for her freedom, and if so, die for it. Luke is not willing to do this and views it as marching off to certain death. He wishes that she would consider another option. From Jen’s perspective, it is either liberty or death, and she is hopeful that the rally will be successful.
Life vs. Being Alive: When a person is alive, he is breathing air. Blood is pumping through his veins. He was created through no effort of his own, and he can be kept alive through no effort of his own. Life, however, requires effort. And it requires natural rights. In order to have life, a person must be free to do as he pleases (without harming others or their property.) He must also be able to keep that which he has earned. If he is able to act on his behalf without constraint, then he is able to experience life. Over and over again, in our present day and throughout history, we have seen groups of people denied life. The people who live under totalitarian rule do not have liberty or the ability to create or keep their property. As a result, they do not have life. The slaves in the United States were also denied life. It doesn’t take a totalitarian government to keep a person or people from having life. A person can be deprived of life by any kind of force. Jen recognizes the difference. She believes that as long as she is hiding, she isn’t living. She may be alive, but she does not have life.
The importance of asking why: The process by which we learn new material is by stimulating our minds to action. An authority figure, such as a teacher, a parent, a leader, etc. leads the student to discover truth through a series of how and why questions. A popular phrase among scientists is “question everything.” This is because scientists encourage people to study and learn and question everything about their environment. It is only through this process that we recognize contradictions, find errors, develop new theories and technology, and progress toward increased freedom.
A child is naturally inquisitive and asks a lot of why questions. Often, this natural thirst for knowledge is shut down by people who want blind obedience. In order to stop a person from asking why, an authority figure must prevent the person from thinking. This can only be done through a use of force. When confronted with a question, the authority figure can use shame, guilt, fear, physical force, or the classic appeal to authority “because I said so” to begin the process of preventing a person from asking questions in the future.
Ethan's Journal 