61 pages • 2-hour read
Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make This Country Work
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Workers vs. Management
There are no true heroes or villains in this text; everybody Laskas encounters is complex, multivalent. She presents them as characters, of course, but none of them become flat, stock characters. The only hint of this is in the opposition between the worker and management. At all times, workers are presented positively, whether the worker is a coal miner, a migrant farm worker, or an air traffic controller.
If any of the workers are unhappy, it is not because of the work that they do, but because of unnecessary or irrational restrictions placed on them by management. This is most obvious in the section on the air traffic controllers, but is evident as well in Sputter’s section, when Laskas discusses the shortage of truck drivers and the restrictions under which they labor.
Lists
Throughout the text, Laskas uses lists in a variety of ways. In the section on migrant workers, for example, she ends the chapter with a list of things Urbano and his sons see on the way to buy school supplies: “pots of petunias hanging and American flags flapping and banners strung lamppost to lamppost” (76). Here, the list demonstrates the ways in which Juan and Pedro are part of the same community as everyday Americans, even though they are treated differently.
While describing the world of the Ben-Gals, Laskas uses lists to provide the reader with a sense of the chaos going on, and the complexity of their preparations. In the sections on truck driving and the landfill, on the other hand, Laskas lists the many things that Americans purchase and dispose of, tying into that theme of excess.
Narrative Voice
Although Laskas uses the first-person throughout, she also alternates between narrating things from her own perspective and from that of the worker on whom she is focused, and it is often difficult to tell whether Laskas is speaking as herself or speaking on behalf of the worker.
For example, in the section on migrant farm work, Laskas narrates Urbano’s thoughts, without ever indicating she is doing so: “Keep a low profile. Don’t ever make a scene. Not even if someone robs your tent; just hide your money better next time. If the family in the cabin next door is drunk and dancing and fighting and you can’t sleep, put earplugs in. If the rain comes and soaks your bedroll, get up and sleep in the car” (48). This reflects her project overall, which is to remind the reader (and herself) of what they have in common with the people she meets on this journey.
Unlock the meaning behind every key symbol & motif
See how recurring imagery, objects, and ideas shape the narrative.
- Explore how the author builds meaning through symbolism
- Understand what symbols & motifs represent in the text
- Connect recurring ideas to themes, characters, and events