To install StudyMoose App tap and then “Add to Home Screen”
Save to my list
Remove from my list
The novel "Tomorrow when the war began" tells a story of seven teenagers and their amazing struggle to survive in a time of great crisis. The story is told through Ellie the main character and shows her hopes, fears and reactions to the war. It's a tale of great survival and this is shown through the great bond they develop and various themes like the value of solidarity with friends and when is it right to kill.
Before the war they are seven ordinary teenage friends, they feel they know each other well but the bond between them becomes so great they are like a family.
The first sign of a bond forming between the group is shown on page 75" Then homer made the unpopular suggestion.
I think we should split up. There was a whispered howl of protest, if you can have that. It was different to Kevin and Corrie offering to go on their own before." The group does not want to split up because they give each other strength and confidence but Homer gives reasons for them to split up.
It takes a lot of strength and trust in each other to be able to split up and to place your life in the hands of your friends.
Verified writer
Proficient in: Free Essays
4.7 (235)
“ Amazing writer! I am really satisfied with her work. An excellent price as well. ”
Homer convinces them to split up on page 75 "Again two's better than seven. I hate to mention the fact, but five people free and two people locked up is a better equation then no people free and seven locked up."
Ellie's perspective on her friends and the war changes in a big way on page 81 when Ellie steps out of the protection of the dark and shadows and into the light of the showground.
"I suddenly made myself leave the darkness and go for it, in four quick light steps, a dance that surprised me, but made me feel light-headed and proud.
That's it I thought. It was the dance of courage. I felt then, and still feel now that I was transformed by those four steps".
The dictionaries definition of friends is (a)"a person whose company, interests, and attitudes one finds sympathetic and to whom one is not closely related"
(b) "Somebody or something not hostile; an ally" Yet there friendship is greater then any dictionary could begin to describe. There friendship could fall under family, family in the dictionary is explained as group of people living under one roof then goes on to say a group comprising of a set of parents there own or adopted children. In The New penguin dictionary the sixth definition of family is a group of people united by their common convictions, e.g. religion.
The group becomes a family because they have to they have to be able to lay their lives in each other's hands. Their great bond towards the end of the book is shown when Corrie is shot and she and somebody else have to walk into the hands of the enemy for help page 281 "Kevin stood. 'No,' he said. 'No. I don't give a stuff what's rational and what's logical. Corrie's my mate and I'm not just going to dump her and run."
This leads on to another given theme, when is it right to kill, when is it right to kill is not the question, When is it Justified to kill is the question, it is never right to kill. Ellie feels guilt and has nightmares of killing people. Ellie kills to save herself and the people she loves and cares about. Ellie learns from watching a dragonfly that evil and cruelty are human inventions and nature knows nothing of evil and cruelty and that all living things kill to survive and that is when she begins to calm and her nightmares ease. Ellie kills to save her friends and that is where her killing does not become right but understandable.
The first proof that Ellie doesn't want to kill is where she subconsciously refuses to light the petrol trail that leads to the lawn mower. She is shaking so much she can't. An example of the is on page 90 "My hands, which had been steady till then, got the shakes. We're going to die, just because I couldn't light a match. It seemed so unfair almost ridiculous. I tried again but I was shaking too much. The soldiers were almost past the mower. Kevin grabbed my wrist. Do it he mouthed fiercely in my ear."
Ellie seems to have a link with the hermit of Hell. They were both put in situations where they had to kill out of love. The hermit had to kill his family because they were mortally injured and there was no medical help for miles and he could not stand their pain and suffering. This you have to remember was in the past when medical attention was not as advanced as it is today. Ellie kills to protect herself and her friends; there friendship has become more then friendship, and Ellie kills to protect her family.
On page 97 Homer says something that almost makes it ok to do what they are doing and this comforts Ellie. "The Greek side of me understands these things. The moment they left their country to come over here they knew what we were doing. They're the ones who tore up the rule book, not us." The definition of okay is "to be quiet good or outstanding, right" killing is neither of theses. So the topic must really be when is killing justified.
Ellie fears that all the killing she is doing is turning her into a monster. Only does Ellie realise that she is not becoming a monster when she sits down and realises she is afraid of doing it and as long as she is always afraid of killing and has her doubts on killing she will not become a monster. Robyn says early on that neither side is right and that both are wrong and she doesn't want to kill but she has been forced too. Gets her strength from the bible and Ellie seems to draw her strength off Robyn to do what she has to do.
The others look to Ellie and Homer and they become the leaders of the group and Ellie is put in situations where she has to kill it is her or the enemy and it is human nature to kill the enemy. It becomes the survival of the toughest. Ellie finds herself hoping she doesn't stuff up because her making a mistake could lead to her friends dying. In the end it comes down to do I value my friends, my families and my life above the enemies and the answer is always yes, after all it is only human nature to value your lives above all others.
A Summary of the Novel, Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden. (2022, Feb 06). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/a-summary-of-the-novel-tomorrow-when-the-war-began-by-john-marsden-essay
👋 Hi! I’m your smart assistant Amy!
Don’t know where to start? Type your requirements and I’ll connect you to an academic expert within 3 minutes.
get help with your assignment
