Haddix's Among The Hidden

Haddix's Among the Hidden is mainly about the challenges that third children face every day and how they overcome those challenges. In this book, the author Haddix envisions a near future where the totalitarian government its citizens to have only two children each. As Haddix writes, "But the Population Law became General Sherwood's proudest accomplishment. That's why even Barons aren't exempt. He points to that and says, 'See how much control I have over my people's lives'(p.137)" Unsurprisingly, the setting had an important effect on main characters. Actions and motivations of the main characters were strongly shaped and influenced by the confined setting they had.

One day, Luke sat in the attic with a vent as his only window to the outside world as usual but then he sees a face reflecting on the neighbor's window. After spying on the neighbor's house for days, Luke eventually concludes that they have a third child so he sneaks over their house taking a risk. In the neighbor's house, he meets a girl called Jen. Even though she is also one of the hidden children, she has strong mind and spirit. Luke thinks that she is the most …show more content…
I loved the way Haddix used to give us messages. Throughout the whole story, she not only showed the maturation of the character but also connected the story to our futuristic world. Using this story, she brings forth the possible problem of overpopulation in futuristic America and explains how totalitarian government corrupt. Along with the messages that author gave, the flow of the story was also astonishing. While reading the story, Jen's death gave me a refreshing jolt because I thought that she was one of the main characters who won't die in the middle of the story. However, I think through Jen's death, the ending of the story became more realistic and touching. To add, through this scene, I was able to deeply think about the costs of choosing to make a difference in the dystopian