Describe at least one way that a character or individual changed in the text.
Explain how this change was important to the text as a whole.
The novel Tomorrow when the war began by John Marsden shows changes throughout the novel but most importantly, changes within a person- specifically Ellie and her friends. Teenagers go through a lot of changes in their lives and it is an important factor in this novel because they had to change their style of living and adapt to their new environment and lifestyle. In this book, Homer Yannos goes through the most change, he goes from a rebellious and trouble-making teenager to a responsible and logical leader and a young adult. When he was at school and the workers went up on the roof, he used to steal their ladder and they used to scream, “help! Get us down from here! Some mongrel stole out bloody ladder!” Although, after all the incidents occurred and Homer had defeated all the challenges, he became a natural leader, making plans to survive and leading the team to survival.
Homer was a troublemaker and prankster before the war, who was described as “the guy that wasn’t even trusted to hand out the books at school.” He’s known as ‘the class clown’ or ‘the town’s bad boy’ because he gets up to a lot of mischief. However, after the war, he assumes leadership roles and progresses by taking command of the situation and assigning tasks to everyone. He matures into a more responsible individual who his friends can rely on. As the story progresses, Homer experiences significant changes. When the group is confronted with the realities of the war, Homer mans up and forgets about his old self. Ellie is the first to notice his transformation because she has known Homer the longest and understands him best. “Homer was becoming more surprising with every passing hour,” showing how much Homer evolves during the war. Homer had altered his personality in order to cope with the realities of war. His personality had changed dramatically as a result of this factor, as well as the circumstances in which he found himself. This change was important since having a personality like Homer did before the war, would not help him in the long run. Homer was irresponsible and immature and that would not help in any way, it would only worsen every situation they were in. After the war breaks out, Homer suggests hiding in Hell, and it is his idea to take the petrol tanker and blow up the bridge. Homer’s plan to blow up the bridge effectively eliminates one of the invading soldiers’ primary roads, delaying their progress in taking over the country. If he had the personality, behaviour and attitude he had before the war, he and the rest of the team would not have survived.
Another change in Homer was when he started catching feelings for Fi. While going camping he develops feelings for Fi where he asks Ellie, “what do you think of Fi?” This is the first time he has told Ellie that he likes a girl, and she is taken by surprise. Homer’s treatment of girls had led her to believe he wasn’t interested in them, but this was the turning point for him. When a guy likes someone, he usually goes out of his way to impress her or keep her safe so that they can start a relationship. Homer became more self-aware as a result of having a girl on his mind, and he continued to seek advice from Ellie, something he would never have done before. Homer’s sensitive side is brought out by Fi, making his acts less rash and more calculated, becoming less impulsive. When Homer considered his possibilities with Fi, despite his inflated ego, he looked down on himself.
Then there was also the occasion when Homer was looking for his parents when the entire town of Wirrawee disappeared due to the war. This had an effect on him because he was no longer spontaneous and was instead thinking logically. He had a lot of things planned out, such as meeting spots and restrictions. He acted more sensibly than he had previously. “Five people free and two locked up is a better equation then no people free and seven locked up.” Under Homer’s guidance, the group realised that they either had to work together to survive, or they had to work separately and risk being captured or killed. “We’ve got to stick together, that’s all I know.” Homer had adapted and stepped up to become a leader when he was needed the most, as shown by the following quote. If Homer hadn’t changed and become more responsible and stepped up to become the leader, the group would’ve fallen apart, especially the times when Ellie had lost control and had bursts of emotions when the situations had become too hard.
In the beginning of the novel, Homer did things when he wanted and didn’t care about what others thought of him. He was oblivious to the fact that he did wrong and kept doing wrong. He was very impulsive which causes objects to be damaged or even people. Overall Homer in the beginning was the impulsive rebel within the whole community. During the middle and the end of the novel, Homer evolved from his “wild and outrageous” personality, to someone who thinks logically, acts rationally and becomes mature in all situations although he tried to hold on to his childish side. He begins to express feelings, which he rarely does. He takes calculated risks while ensuring that everyone is safe. He often thought about it when he failed to protect the group or accomplish something right. “He’s so down on himself.” Knowing that Homer, who used to have a big ego, is now down on himself demonstrates that he’s finally letting his feelings out. This is how he has progressed throughout the entire book. He’s finally evolving into the compassionate individual he’ll become. Homer’s growth as a character was based on his ability to mature and express feelings. Homer’s character becomes more relatable and interesting as a result of this.