Their homes are abandoned, their livestock dying, and their families are being held captive out of their reach. Tomorrow when the war began, by John Marsden, focuses on a group of Australian teenagers who go for a camping trip during their town’s Commemoration Day. They spend five days in the mountains known as “Hell”, only to return to find their entire world’s been turned upside down. Their entire town is being held captive and their country has been invaded by a foreign country. Finding themselves in a war zone, they all must learn how to adjust to accommodate this drastically unfamiliar situation. Throughout the novel, one character in particular, Homer, has adapted the most by maturing into a leader and gaining stronger confidence and …show more content…
She is astonished by the transformations of her friends. She distinguishes Homer in particular, “He even seemed better looking these days, probably because his head was up and he walked more confidently and carried himself differently. He had such imagination and sense I could hardly believe it” (267). At the start of the novel, Homer was not only immature, but also insecure. He was definitely boisterous and stood out from the others. However, he seemed to use this as a defense mechanism to cope with his insecurity. As he takes up this role as the leader he begins to gain the confidence to step up and bring out his imagination, sensibility, and show his more emotional side. Through the duration of the novel, while all the characters experience some form of modification to their personal traits, Homer specifically stands out for this. He starts out as the quintessential, immature, emotionally-reserved, prank-pulling teenage boy. However, as he faces these unique and challenging circumstances he is forced out of his comfort zone. This in turn allows him to reveal his true character without fear of ridicule. Being able to utilize his maturity and sensibility with beneficial outcomes really helps to establish a strong sense of confidence in