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Tomorrow When The War Began By John Marsden

Decent Essays

In Tomorrow When the War Began, John Marsden uses many narrative features to make Ellie's World real for readers. Setting and themes are both vital to the plot, as well as the overall atmosphere of the story.

The main themes in Tomorrow When the War Began are ambiguity, friendships, and personal growth. These themes both make the story relatable to readers, and forces them out of their comfort zone. The setting of the novel, at least for Australian readers, is incredibly familiar and real.

The places and culture John Marsden describes is uniquely Australian. Australian readers would usually have trouble seeing a war situation as real and relating it to their own lives, but with Australia as the backdrop, this book makes it much easier to envision. The setting is very important to the plot of Tomorrow When The War Began, as the bush that surrounds Wirrawee provides a hideout for Ellie and her friends when they are invaded. John Marsden describes the setting of the book with immense, realistic detail, so much so that the scenery becomes it’s own character that plays vital roles in many key scenes of the book, such as the blowing up of the bridge, or the camping trips into Hell. …show more content…

The characteristics of the foreign soldiers fit the criteria for no country on earth, which gives the impression that the story could be happening to anyone. This is a clever tactic as it avoids pointing the finger at any one country by writing them as military invaders, while exploring concepts like privilege and race within Australia. This is highlighted in a scene where the protagonists are discussing the recent invasion, and Robyn mentions how she can see how someone in a developing country would be angry at the wealth that Australians refuse to share with near by

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