Preview

Tomorrow When The War Began Character Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
692 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Tomorrow When The War Began Character Analysis
Tomorrow, When the War Began
John Marsden's novel ‘Tomorrow, When the War Began' identifies, that some people's reactions change when they are faced with difficult situations. These situations can bring out the leadership skills of some characters in the book, the courage which they posses, new found friendships and how these situations can also have a negative affect on some people.

Formidable circumstances in ‘Tomorrow, When the War Began' bring out the leadership skills of some of the characters in the book. Homer has changed from being known as a rebel at school, to being one of the main leaders of the group. Before the war, Homer did not seem to worry about school or his reputation. He liked being involved in mischief and playing childish
…show more content…
Kevin shows great courage towards the end of the novel where he risks his life to take Corrie to the hospital. "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 going to dump her and run. It has to be me or Ellie because we're the only drivers and Ellie, if you don't mind, I want to do it." Kevin has shown great courage, as he has risked his own life to make sure one of his closest friend's life is safe. This displays that troublesome occurrences can effect some people and uncover the courage which they …show more content…
Ellie has a breakdown, as she has bottled up all her true feelings for a long time and when it all gets too much for her she breaks down and does not eat for days. "'Hungry?' ‘Yes, I am a bit.' ‘I'm not surprised. You haven't had anything since teatime the day before yesterday'." (Robyn to Ellie) The impact of the war has all been too much for Ellie to handle at once, so instead of letting out all the emotions she is feeling, she bottles them up inside her. This shows that sometimes when people come across difficult situations they can have a negative affect and make people do things they wouldn't normally

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    As Corrie and I sadly drove away from the others in Ellie’s Land Rover, I started to question myself whether or not I truly wanted to risk my life for a girl that could potentially die at or on the way to the hospital. My head was bursting with questioning thoughts, that I wasn’t quite sure how to answer, “What if Corrie dies?”, “What happens if we get caught and become prisoners of war?”, “How will I carry on in life all on my own?.” In order to get to the hospital with minimal risks, I needed to get my head together and carry on with this sceptical drive, however, still keep in mind all of these threatening possibilities. I turned my head to the back of the car to see Corrie; you could tell she was very uneasy and slowly drifting away from normality. “Corrie” I said, “You need to try and stay awake, we aren’t too far from the hospital. You’re going to be okay, just hold on for a little longer.” She replied with “Kevin, hurry please. I don’t know how much longer I can hold on for. This material isn’t going to stop the bleeding for much longer.” I was going 100 k/ph but then rapidly sped up to 160 k/ph.…

    • 1204 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Gary D. Schmidt’s The Wednesday Wars, Schmidt shows us the good and the ugly of being a middle schooler. The book introduces us to Holling Hoodhood and his friends as they go through the thrills and wonders of being in the seventh grade. Although his love interest stands out the most to me. Throughout the novel, Meryl Lee faces a lot of inner and outer struggles, but she still maintains an intelligent, considerate and emotional personality.…

    • 331 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In chapter thirty of The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck highlights the most destitute moment of the Joad family during their exodus to California and the transformation of many characters. Steinbeck opens the chapter by describing the flood is taking over the boxcar. Pa urges other men to build an embankment because Rose of Sharon begins to experience labor. While the men work on building the embankment, the cotton tree is uprooted, cascades into the embankment and destroys it. Steinbeck continues to show the Joads’ struggle to overcome the hardships as Pa goes back into the box car, and Mrs. Wainwright informs him that Rose Sharon has delivered a stillborn child. The Joads send Uncle John to bury the child. Because the water level keeps increasing,…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    During the sixteenth century, the role of men and women within society were distinctly determined and demonstrated in France. When it came to marriage, men had to remain faithful to his wife, while women also had to remain faithful to her husband. It was the man’s job to take care of his family and wife by being the provider. It was the woman’s job to keep honor to the family by being loyal wives and attentive mothers. Both the husband and wife were responsible to uphold these roles because divorce was not an option through the eyes of the church. In the sixteenth century, marriages were usually arranged at a very young age for both men and women in order to gain prosperity and property. In the novel The Return of Martin Guerre, Natalie Zemon Davis uses characters such as Bertrande and Martin/Arnaud to represent gender and marriage roles that were common during the sixteenth century in rural…

    • 1009 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In conclusion Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden showcases how war can change people. Homer starts of as a good for nothing troublemaker (Australians). During the novel Homer changes into a leader who everyone trusted to make the shots. This novel displayed that war doesn't usually change people for the better as Ellie and co were changed in a negative way. Finally this novel taught me that war can change people in many different…

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    This book embodies all of the facets that go along with love and death, during a volatile time of war. O 'Brien captures the theme of emotional conflict and how strongly it affects soldiers in a brilliant way. By correlating mundane goods with intangibles like feelings and emotion, he successfully points out all of the angles of war that the lay person generally cannot comprehend. He compels the reader to understand not just the daily grind of war, but how the little things can bring important things in life into perspective. He digs under the surface of the tangible items to demonstrate a much greater meaning to these mens lives. In essence, the soldiers are defined by the things they…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt is a coming of age story about a young man, Holling Hoodhood, who learns over the course of his seventh grade year that there is more to life than what he sees in his own world. With the help of a strict but caring teacher, Mrs. Baker, his flower child sister, Heather, a host of friends and heroes, and even Shakespeare, Hoodhood learns lessons about discrimination, becoming an adult, war, and determining one's own…

    • 82 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story “Field Trip”, the text shows an example of how some people in a community can expect a man to go to war and how it affects…

    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, a black man by the name of Jefferson is convicted of murder because he was tricked into joining an armed robbery. Jefferson wason trial and was sentenced to die by the chair. In his lawyer's defense, he is called Jefferson a hog, and Jefferson starts to realize he will be nothing more than a hog. Jefferson's godmother, Miss Emma, would not let Jefferson think of himself as hog. Miss Emma wanted her godson to die a man not a hog. So, Miss Emma seeks out help from a man named Grant to educate Jefferson. While in jail, Jefferson meets deputy named Paul change the perspective of everyone.…

    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Criticism In Catch-22

    • 1723 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Without struggle, life is pointless. The men in Joseph Heller's novel “Catch-22” are extremely familiar with the concept of struggle. No matter how hard they work, there is always a set-back. No matter how good it seems to be going for the men, the bad is soon to catch up with them. This novel follows the course of several men in the United States Air Force that are stationed in Italy during World War II. The vast majority of war stories rely heavily on emotion in order to convey the intended message. To look at a war story with the guidelines of New Criticism calls for the removal of any emotional attachment to the novel and purely focus on the text itself. There is no need to incorporate any background on the author or include personal reactions.…

    • 1723 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    How do you decide what is true and what is false? In war the line blurs even more. We hear war stories and wonder about the truth of these stories. We love to believe the stories of heroism and bravery. Now how do we know that these stories are real and not created propaganda? The Things They Carried by Tim O?Brien is a fiction book that shines some light on war stories. This complex book focuses on a complex war. The Vietnam War was complex for the reasons surrounding it. Some of the reasons were; the question why we were over there, governments that told half truths on what was going on, and the style of fighting was totally different compared to the past wars. This new style is called guerrilla warfare. O?Brien writes stories that make you…

    • 1709 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Facing fear, danger, or adversity in the physical or moral realm shapes a person’s identity and core values and often influences the psychological effects of a person. Courage, bravery, and responsibility often define the results of fear relative to the situation a person has overcome or failed. Military personnel experience a substantial amount of diverse situations which forces dynamic impacts of emotions with fear and courage the prime focus on the spectrum. To include war in the lives of military society adds an intense stress to address courage and fear in order for self-preservation of mind in those affected. In Tim Obrien’s If I Die in a Combat Zone, fear and courage are often relayed as a constant struggle frequently pushing the soldier’s…

    • 253 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This meant that even though they were required to carry the physical load and bear the emotional consequences, they still had to “fight” for survival. Every characteristic or thought was taken in a positive manner and helped them develop confidence and motivation that lead them to overcome the devastation of war. For example there was an epiphany for Jimmy Cross at the end of the story when he realized the predicament of not being focused in war. This lead him to burn the letters, which shows a great deal of confidence and motivation, developed during war. The act of him burning the letter made sure that he was willing to forget the fantasies about his girlfriend Martha and become focused in war. He had managed to acquire the courage by simply an incident that could have potentially proven to be fatal. Therefore this helped in developing confidence and the ability to be focused while also motivating him to be alert in war. Therefore this gives us insight that the author provides details about the consequences of war faced by the soldiers not only physically but also mentally such as fear, love and grief. The ability or mental strength required to overcome the atrocities of war is immense and this is intensified by gravity of the precarious situation. “They carried their reputation.” Thereby leading to this conclusion that war has many social and personal consequences that are reluctantly compelled onto a soldier but it undeniably lead to the development of confidence and…

    • 1501 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many times when there is war some people do not consider the effects that can occur because of war. In “Do Not Weep Maiden For War Is Kind,” by Stephen Crane the audience is presented with some of the effects of war. The author presents what occurs to a family during war.…

    • 376 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “How to Tell a True War Story,” Tim O’Brien presents many themes within his story. One major theme is the negative effects of war on a soldier. Many situations arise in the story that bring out the theme to make it easy to understand for the reader. The effects of war can be very harmful to a soldier’s life, and he or she can be scarred forever.…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics