Tomorrow When the War Began

Tomorrow When the War Began

In John Marsden's novel 'Tomorrow When the War Began', the main characters undergo dramatic changes and develop throughout the novel; from naive teenagers to capable young adults. An unexpected invasion occurred in Wirrawee while a group of teenagers were camping at "Hell". When they returned, they realised that there was no sign of life and discovered that everyone was being held hostage. In order to save them, they prepared themselves to become guerrillas. Ellie, Homer and Fi have matured rapidly during a series of challenges that they encountered.

The story is told through the eyes of the protagonist, Ellie, which makes her immediately a sympathetic character. Her life on land built her into a strong, both mentally and physically, determined character which assists her to adapt to the rough lifestyle she is forced to live during the war. She is also very stubborn but humorous as well, "If I wasn't such a stubborn pig-headed idiot I would have surrendered by this point" (pg.26).

She develops from a typical teenager to a strong willed, courageous leader who fights to protect her family and friends. At the beginning of the novel where the snake appears, she panics and runs away: "My irrational brain told me to panic; I panicked" (pg.36). She discovered her courage when they went to the showground, "That was the first moment at which I started to realise what true courage was" (pg.81), which made her into a stronger person than she had ever been. From that experience her leadership qualities also assert themselves and it continues improving throughout the novel.

She killed a group of soldiers when she was forced to improvise an explosive with a lawnmower and a few matches. After a nervous breakdown, she accepts that she took a life and consoles herself by thinking that the soldiers had also tried to kill her, but she felt really guilty and confused as well; "I had probably just killed three people...I was so filled with horror I felt that my life was permanently damaged" (pg.95). After this experience she accepted the fact that she has to act like a soldier, so she gradually became more logical, mature and heroic.

Homer changes dramatically throughout this story. Before the invasion, he was an immature, crazy troublemaker but during the war the joker side of him disappears and the intelligent, brave, reliable leader emerges.

When he realises their desperate need for survival, he has to drop the pretence of years, discard the stereotype he has hidden behind and show who he really is; a leader with the capacity to inspire, to encourage, to invigorate. He astonishes everyone with his level headed approach: "Homer was becoming more surprising with every passing hour"-Ellie (pg.104).

He shows more initiative and plans carefully when he suggests setting "Hell" as their base; "That was