The novel, Tomorrow When the War Began, written by John Marsden, is about seven teenagers camping out and coming back home to find themselves confronted with a war. As the story progresses and the characters are forced to adapt to the different circumstances, they undertake vast growth and change in themselves. The central message of the novel is that adaption to different or unfamiliar situations lead to vast change and growth in the main characters. This message is explored in this novel through the changes in the main characters’ personality, outlook and life. The characters change drastically; through their actions, their way of thinking and way of communicating. Marsden uses literary techniques to further emphasise the central message …show more content…
All the characters’ personalities change dramatically in several aspects from the beginning to the end of the book. A significant change in the characters is their self-discovery in bravery and courage. At the beginning of the novel, many of the character’s personalities were described as very reserved with their courage, as none of them have truly experienced a life-threatening experience. When they are faced with pressing situations, they show their true bravery and courage in order to save their own lives. An example of this message is when Ellie was faced with her first dangerous situation, being exposed to the patrollers whilst moving forward to the Showgrounds. In this moment, she realises what true courage is. Her finding of her courage is shown when she says, “That was the first moment at when I started to realise what courage was” (Marsden, 81). Another example of the discover of bravery and courage is when Robyn put herself in a dangerous situation in order to protect Lee when she went back to save him in their escape. The central message is hidden in the characters’ discovery of their courage and bravery, when people are forced into a dangerous and unfamiliar situation they can transform into a more heroic person, with the intentions of protecting their loved ones or