Among the Hidden essay response

Imagine yourself unable to leave your house and if you do you have the risk of being shot. In the tragic story of Among the Hidden this is exactly what it’s like for Luke Garner, because families are only able to have two children and Luke is a third child. For this reason his entire life must remain a secret.

In this book the plot line follows that of a tragedy with a tragic flaw, a tragic fall, and in the end passing. The first thing that points out Among the Hidden as a tragedy is the tragic flaw, which is that in the country where Luke lives, there are no families aloud to have three or more children. Secondly a tragic fall comes when Luke meets another third child, Jen, in the house right next door and she plans a rally for all the hidden children but Luke can’t go. Last comes death when at the rally, all of the hidden children that go are shot by the population police. What makes this even worse is that no one even knew about them, outside of their families, until the rally.

Symbolism also did a lot in this book for the tragic plot line. It is an important part of the book from the moment you read the title. Even the front cover starts to tell the story without you even knowing it. For example, on the cover, the attic window is basically Luke’s only window to the world and the attic is one of the few places he can be without being discovered. An additional example is the use of dark colors on the cover that symbolize distress and sorrow which happens throughout the manuscript, like in the beginning when the government takes away the Garners pigs so it is harder for them to make income to pay their mortgage and other bills.

Among the Hidden was a very well written book. Its interesting plot line and use of powerful symbolism simply take over the reader. The use of tragedy was obvious but the book remained unpredictable. Although you suspected something bad was going to happen with all of the twists and turns of the plot the author always kept you guessing.