Tomorrow When the War Began

The novel ‘Tomorrow When The War Began’ is not only an adventure novel, where the characters fight to overcome many hurdles in life, but it is a novel that questions ethics and moral dilemmas. Whilst these teenagers are forced to cope with the harsh reality of war they find themselves in difficult situations causing them to react quickly in something they later question and often regret. These rural adolescents question their morality in causing pain and destruction with their actions in order to maintain their lifestyle, and the ethics to murder a person in a atrocious situation for the own peace of mind. Throughout the vicious war the timing of romantic involvement is questioned and the ethics of risking yourself then saving another is put to the test.

War is a brutal and challenging place where people are forced to cause grief and devastation to others in order to look after their lifestyle. During the book, the characters face the brutal war causing them to make quick decisions. The group was forced to take action with the ride on mower incident that caused an explosion and led to the possible death of the three enemy soldiers. Killing the soldiers meant that the group would be safe. Although the group felt “guilty and ashamed” to take action and injure or possibly kill others for their own safety, they knew they had to do it in order to survive. The group harmed the soldiers to help themselves and in order to do this the group had to acknowledge that “this is war and normal rules don’t apply.” The group was confronted with the morality of this situation where they destroyed others in order to remain safe and protected.

People face moral dilemmas when they expose others to harm or murder for their own peace of mind. When Ellie learns the truth about the Hermit she begins to understand how the painful experiences of life “can be either a small hell that we barley notice or a crushing weight that must be suffered forever.” The Hermit’s experiences caused