Tomorrow When the War Began is a fictional novel that includes war related events, that are presented to us through numerous themes,

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GCSE English

Tomorrow When the War Began Essay

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Tomorrow When the War Began is a fictional novel that includes war related events, that are presented to us through numerous themes, Written by John Marsden, this novel introduces us to eight young Australian teenagers who encountered life-changing events during their journey which significantly impacts their lives. The author of the novel John Marsden incorporates the themes of love, sacrifice, and faith throughout the novel. These themes run throughout the novel and affect the character's outlook on life. This essay will discuss the importance of the themes shown throughout the novel, this can be supported by the further paragraphs.

One indisputable theme that is included in Tomorrow When The War Began is Love. As defined by the Oxford dictionary love is ‘a very strong feeling of liking and caring for somebody/something, especially a member of your family or a friend’. The plot presents the aspect of love in numerous circumstances. This is illustrated when Ellie said “we’ve got to stick together, that’s all I know. We all drive each other crazy at times, but I don’t want to end up here alone, like the Hermit.” (pg. 285) This represents Ellie’s attachment to the group, which one must argue means Ellie cares and worries for the safety of the group. This can be supported by the definition of love given. Another example includes when Ellie states, “Cold, fear, excitement. They were all contributing generously. But the greatest of these was fear. That rang a bell -- a quote from somewhere. Yes, the Bible: ‘and the greatest of these was love’. My fear came from love. Love for my friends. I didn’t want to let them down. If I did, they would die.” (chapter 11) This symbolizes the reason for her fear. This quote fundamentally outlines the authors view on love. In the novel Tomorrow When The War Began, all the characters want is to live their lives, however because of the dangerous events that take place in their lives, their wishes were merely dreams, these events impact their values, morals and lives greatly. As shown by the evidence given, the author clearly implies that love is a consistent theme throughout the novel. In addition to love another prominent theme displayed in the novel is sacrifice.

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The narrator explores the aspect of sacrifice throughout the novel Tomorrow When The War Began. Sacrifice is portrayed as a major theme throughout the novel. As specified by the Oxford Dictionary sacrifice is ‘the fact of giving up something important or valuable to you in order to get or do something that seems more important;’ This is apparent when Ellie declared “I felt guilty even thinking about love while our world was in such chaos, and especially when my parents were going through this terrible thing” (pg. 178). This suggests Ellie is experiencing relatively normal feelings for a teenager, but as a result of the situation she had to give up the right to feel such emotions and focus on surviving. Therefore, Ellie and her friends are sacrificing their “normal-teenage experiences” because of the invasion. Alternatively, one could argue the aspect of sacrifice using a different quote. Ellie stated "I had blood on my hands, like the Hermit, and just as I couldn't tell whether his actions were good or bad, so too I couldn't tell what mine were. Had I killed out of love for my friends, as part of a noble crusade to rescue friends and family” –"Or had I killed because I valued my life above that of others? Would it be OK for me to kill a dozen others to keep myself alive?” This symbolises Ellie giving up a part of her humanity in order to survive and save her friends. As displayed by the statement given, the author clearly implies that sacrifice is a continuous theme through the novel, this is supported by the evidence given. As well as love and sacrifice, another prominent theme displayed in the novel is faith.

The author conveys faith as a undoubtably salient theme throughout the novel Tomorrow When The War Began. As outlined by the oxford dictionary faith is ‘trust in somebody’s ability or knowledge; trust that somebody/something will do what has been promised’; this is displayed when Ellie states "Human laws, moral laws, religious laws, they seemed artificial and basic, almost childlike. I had a sense within me-often not much more than a striving - to find the right thing to do, and I have to have faith in that sense." (pg.217) This implies that Ellie once, or one could argue still holds onto the concept of laws which could furthermore be described as having faith in said concept. In addition to the quote already given, one could say that Homer moreover has faith. This accusation can be proven when Homer said "I never thought I'd have to hurt other people just so I could live my own life... If I have to do it, I hope I'll have the strength, like Ellie did." (175) in the situation displayed one could illustrate that Homer had faith within himself that when the time came, he could protect his friends. As emphasised by the evidence given, the author conveys the aspect of not only love and sacrifice but also faith being a significant theme demonstrated throughout said novel.

Tomorrow When The War Began is a novel that explores the harsh reality of life for teenagers in a war environment coupled with the challenges, they must face in order to survive. The eight Characters’ strength of Faith combined with their love ensured their survival in a difficult and challenging world. This novel furthermore explores how sacrifice impacts their Identity, morals, values, and plan of survival. In the conclusion of the novel the characters rise up and lead each other to safety, which leaves the reader with a sense of gratitude about their childhood and future.