Among the Hidden

Luke’s house represents imprisonment and restriction of freedoms. This symbolism is developed over the first 13 chapters and maintained throughout the novel. After the forest surrounding Luke’s family’s property is leveled, Luke must now be confined to the interior of his family home to be protected from the Population Police.

Once the forest is gone, Luke’s freedoms even within his home begin to dwindle. The first of these freedoms is Luke’s ability to look out the window. In Chapter 1, Luke asks if he’ll “have to stay away from the windows” once the houses are built and inhabited (3), but his father responds angrily that Luke must “stay away now! Everybody and his brothers going to be tramping around back there, to see what’s going on” (3). When Luke tries to sneak peeks outside, desperate for a view of the outdoors he used to love, he is scolded each time and eventually gives up. In Chapter 4, Luke loses more of his freedoms. Worried that it will look suspicious if they keep the shades pulled down all the time, Luke’s parents force him to give up his place at the dinner table and instead eat his meals sitting on the bottom step of the stairs that lead to the attic. Luke notices that “[h]is chair wasn’t even in the kitchen anymore” (22), solidifying the fact that this is a permanent change for him.

Once he’s confined to just his attic and the stairs, Luke’s life becomes more like that of a prisoner. His space is limited and “[h]e hated having to duck under the rafters on the far side of his bed” (15). His only view of the outside world is through the grated vents at the top of the attic walls on either side. This limited view parallels the barred windows of a prison unit, further developing the symbolism of Luke’s home as a prison. Luke acknowledges this link in Chapter 13, after he leaves his house for the first time since the forest came down. While at first he feels he “should go back. He’d be safe there” (55), Luke then acknowledges, “It wasn’t a sanctuary. It was a prison” (55). 

In Among the Hidden, Jen functions not just as a character but as a symbol of hope for Luke, particularly after her death. When Luke first discovers Jen in Chapter 8, he becomes filled with hope and wonder. It is the first time in his life he has known about another child like him. The idea of a potential child who understands what Luke goes through gives Luke enough hope for “a crazy idea [to grow] in his mind” (51), leading Luke to take a risk and discover Jen.

Upon meeting Jen, Luke gains new perspective on his situation and on the lives of other shadow children. At the end of Chapter 15, during Luke’s first meeting with Jen, Jen tells Luke, “You have come to the right place. Forget that hiding-like-a-mole stuff. I’m your ticket out” (65). This moment instills hope and curiosity within Luke and motivates him to continue to get to know Jen. Although Luke does not agree with Jen’s plan for a rally, thinking it’s going to be too dangerous, her hope is infectious. When Luke tells her, “It’s people like you who change history. People like me—we just let things happen to us” (117) in their final conversation, Jen encourages Luke to change his perspective, replying “No. You’re wrong. You can make things happen” (117). This motivation from Jen, along with her infectious hope for change, stays with Luke after Jen’s death.

When faced with the opportunity to get a fake ID from Jen’s dad, Luke recalls his final conversation with Jen, thinking “But maybe that was wrong. Maybe he could succeed where Jen had failed” (146). The hope Jen has instilled in Luke gives him the strength to agree to a fake ID. Luke acknowledges Jen’s role in his hope for the future as he rides away from his home. He whispers to her, “I’m doing this for you, too, Jen” (152), promising that “[s]omeday when we’re all free, all the third children, I’ll tell everyone about you. They’ll erect statues to you, and name holidays after you” (152-53). Luke’s promise to Jen shows that he believes there will be a day when third children are free, and he contributes this hope for future to Jen. Luke carries Jen in his heart as a source of hope going into his new life as Lee Grant, showing how Jen is not just a character but a symbol of hope in the novel.