Have you every heard of the book: “The betrayed” by Margret Haddix? It’s a well written book with many plots and twist. And, one quote that comes to mind when I read that book is found in chapter 13, it states: “I have keys. I have food. I have 24 hours. I need a plan.” This quote is very interesting, it’s the very foundation of the story itself. Nina who is a “shadow child” also know as an illegal “third born child” is fighting to survive the era she lives in. She knows that if she doesn’t focus enough to plot a plan to runaway from the police she will die along with three more children. So, this quote is a perfect demonstration of her circumstance.
Also, the quote: “I have keys. I have food. I have 24 hours. I need a plan.” Presents Nina speaking, it shows Nina desperation to runaway. In a way she is saying in a very subtle tone to herself: “Hurry Nina hurry!”. She has no time to spare, the clock is ticking and time moves fast. She knows that there are no do overs to her plan, if she fails she will suffer terrible consequences. But, if she succeeds then she will a free child away from the prison she is forced to be in. But, not only that she will be able to free the three other children trapped with her. So, it’s not only herself she is concerned about. She is concerned about the well-being of the three other children as well. The book says their names are Alia, Percy and Matthias.
Some literary terms inside the book are characterization, dialogue, genre, imagery, plot, etc. Let’s begin with genre, the book is a psychological thriller that keeps you hooked till the very last chapter. Every word and every quote is valuable to the foundation of the plot of the story. The characterization is also very important; the main protagonist in the story is Nina. She is a pretty, brave, and courageous girl who wants to escape from the custody of the police. The reasons are obvious, she is treated poorly in very unsanitary conditions. She is also given unappealing meals to eat, meals that only a pig would eat. And, she knows if she stays there she has to betray Alia, Percy and Matthias to save her own skin, or she would probably be used for the dirty work and later be murdered.
Based on the book Nina is absolutely sickened by the conditions she is living in. She doesn’t stand the cell she sleeps in day in and day out, and the food is awful. She is treated like a captive and not a human being, as if her being born had been a mistake. Page 1,2 of “Among the Betrayed” Nina thinks that being detained by the police is a dream so she tries to wake up. However, it’s not a dream; everything that’s happening to her is real. It’s possible that she suffered an episode of solipsism syndrome, where the person thinks that the reality they live in is not real. Chapter 1, page 1, states: “You were suppose to wake up from nightmares. That’s what Nina kept telling herself as she cowered on the floor of her concrete cell”. Here Nina is being hard on herself, she thinks that what she’s going through is a dream. Now, page 2 states: “Nina banged her head against the cement wall beside her”. Here, she is trying to wake herself up. However, to no avail she is still trapped in hell.
As you read more in Chapter 1 you can see the tormented conditions Nina is going through. She is physically and psychologically suffering, page 2 states: “Nina’s wrists and ankles were rubbed raw from the handcuffs and ankle cuffs that chained her to the wall. The skin had been whipped from her back; even the slightest touch of her skirt against her spine sent pain shrieking through her body. One of her eyes seemed to be swollen shut from the beating. Everything hurt.” Here you can see Nina has been beaten by the police and she suffers in the prison cell alone. Her body is in a tremendous pain and it’s hard for her to keep her stance as described in Chapter 1, page 4: “How hard it was to to keep her feet moving”. On Chapter 2, page 9 you can read how badly she detested the police: “Nina opened her eyes, angry enough to face the hating man without flinching”.
There are more passages that state the horrid situation Nina was facing while she was captured by the police. Chapter 3, page 10 states: “If morning came, Nina had no way of knowing it. She sat for hours, stiff and sore and heartbroken, huddled underneath the the harsh light of the one bare bulb”. Nina was completely in the dark, she couldn’t see daylight even if she wanted to. She only had one lightbulb to light her entire cell. Can you imagine the lack of illumination in her cell? Next, the food was in poor condition. Chapter 4, page 17 states: “Two thick crusts of black bread… and a wormy apple” you can tell the people having her captive doesn’t care about her having a proper diet or nutrition. With this kind of diet she can have serious health problems if she continues to eat this every day. With all these horrible conditions she was bound to yearn escaping and want her freedom.
