98 pages • 3 hours read
Margaret Peterson HaddixAmong the Hidden
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1998A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Background
Geographical Context: The Setting’s Ambiguity
Although Among the Hidden’s narrative frequently references Luke’s country, the government, and the president, there is a deliberate omission of which county the novel takes place in. There are parallels between the pre-famine history of Luke’s country and the modern values of many developed nations across the globe. These parallels include the importance of freedom and personal liberty, the democratic structure of the pre-famine government, and the promotion of equality for all citizens. The intentional omission of a country name or geographical location is designed to provoke the reader to consider the possibility that government overreach, restrictions of freedom, and a dystopian future can happen in any country regardless of the freedoms and human rights the country champions in the present. The provocative effect of this ambiguity gives Among the Hidden an important place in young adult dystopian fiction by presenting readers with a grounded and realistic depiction of how a free society can topple into authoritarianism.
On a smaller scale, the tightly focused setting of Among the Hidden is restricted to Luke’s house, Jen’s house, and the limited space between them. This restriction contributes to a tone of isolation to emphasize the lack of freedoms Luke experiences and lack of socialization he’s grown up with. Luke has never seen the world beyond the forest, and when the forest comes down, the range of places he’s allowed to go slowly decreases until he’s confined to just the attic and the stairs leading to it. This limited setting also impacts Luke’s decision to go next door to Jen’s house—a risk he would have never taken before his life became limited to his house. The limited setting of Luke’s existence also influences his eventual decision to accept Jen’s dad’s offer for a fake ID. If Luke had lived a life like Jen, being able to ride in cars, visit the city, and go to stores, he may have been content enough with his limited freedoms to reject the opportunity to escape his situation.
Overall, the ambiguous broader setting of Luke’s unnamed country as well as the limited immediate setting of Luke’s home and the space immediately surrounding it provoke a broader discussion of the importance of protecting personal freedoms.
Authorial Context: Haddix’s Background and Family Life
The idea for Among the Hidden came to Haddix when she and her husband sat down to discuss having another child. They already had two children, and they weighed the options of bringing a third into the world. Both Haddix and her husband are concerned about the dangers of overpopulation, and in their conversation they discussed the law in China that limits parents to a single child. While ultimately, Haddix and her husband decided against a third child, Haddix came away from the conversation with the framework for Among the Hidden. Haddix had not intended for Among the Hidden to evolve into the full Shadow Children series, leaving the end of the novel in a bleak place when taken as a stand-alone work of fiction.
Haddix’s choice to make Luke the son of farmers came from her own upbringing. Haddix grew up on a farm and lived far from the two nearest towns. Her family had plenty of animals to care for, and Haddix showed hogs at the county fair when she was a teenager. Haddix’s experiences growing up in a rural setting allowed her to explore this setting and how it affects freedom and confinement for Among the Hidden’s protagonist Luke.
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