Review on the Book Tomorrow When the War Began

In the novel tomorrow when the war began by John Marsden, many of the charters have gone through a significant change during their experiences. Both Ellie and Homer have changed dramatically during the novel. We see the change in the character of Homer. At the beginning of the novel we learn about Homer’s behaviour at school. He was an irresponsible, troubled teen who enjoyed being the class clown. Ellie says “He was wild and outrageous. He didn’t care what he did or what anyone thought…” Homer always seemed to be in trouble.
Halfway through the novel we start to see Homer changing into the leader of the group. Ellie says “It’s hard to think that this fast-thinking guy [Homer] was once hardly even trusted to hand out the books at school.” At the end of the novel we find Homer being the leader of the group, coming up with plans and giving people orders. Ellie says about Homer’s latest plan to blow up a bridge in Warrawee to stop enemy movements, “It was a high risk plan, but a brilliant one.” From start to finish in the novel, Homer becomes a trusted, responsible leader who is very mature and quick thinking.
We also see the change in the character of Ellie. At the beginning of the novel we learn about Ellie’s life as a country girl who is a ‘tomboy’. Ellie was brought up on the farm and had no trouble doing l farm things like: driving the land rover, tractor, milking the cows and maintenance. Ellie however, is unsophisticated and not that in touch with her feelings. She has never faced a war situation where she has had to hide, dodge bullets and murder to keep herself and her friends alive.

We see the first sign of change in Ellie’s personality when they are sneaking to the showgrounds where all Wirrawee’s residents have been held prisoners. Ellie doesn’t know if she will have the courage to go into the showgrounds, but she does. She says, “I felt then, and still feel now, that I was transformed by those four steps. At that moment I stopped being