tomorrow when the war began Essay

Tomorrow When The War Began is the first book in a series of seven that were written by John Marsden and published in 1993. This novel is set in present time, outback Australia. The story is written in 1st person (using past and present tense) by a girl named Ellie. It is about her and her seven friends, six of whom when returning on a camping trip with her into a supposedly impenetrable ravine called Hell, find that their homes have been invaded and their family and friends held hostage at the Wirrawee Showgrounds by an unknown foreign army. They have no homes, no family, and no one to help them. They can run, they can hide, or they can fight, but whatever they do, theyll have to do it together.

The group of eight teenagers find themselves drawing strength from each other and dont want to split up at the beginning. Then Homer made an unpopular suggestion, I think we should split up, There was a whispered howl of protest, if you can have that. P75. But although they split up sometimes out of necessity, they always meet up again as soon as is safely possible. We are stronger as a group then as singularities.

The group can be divided evenly into two obvious groups, the girls and the guys. The guys,

Homer, Lee, Kevin and Chris, are all very different from each other.

Chris is a type all of his own. He doesnt really talk to anyone about his feelings, instead he pours it into his writing-poetry in particular. He is an only child, like Lee, and is really into drugs and alcohol, both of which he was well known for at school.

Like Ellie she is an only child, and like Lee she can play the piano. Compared to her rural friends, Fi doesnt know much about bush survival. Fi, why were you standing in the creek?

Everyone looked at Homer P174-5. Luckily they had all been thinking about that subject prior to the conversation, and had already figured out what they wanted to do. Their next discussion was later on in Hell about what they wanted to do, or not do, next. The way I see it these are our choices;

All day and all night I pray for my leg to get better so I can go find my family. said Lee. Im with the majority said Kevi