Tomorrow when the war began

by John Marsden

QUESTION:

How does war take a toll on children's minds?

RESPONSE:

     War is a hard time for everyone, especially children. In Tomorrow When the War Began, when the children see their houses and dead pets, and feel very sad. As the book progresses, they mature very quickly and "lose their childhood". in the book they often remember how they "used to be children" and how they could "never go back to their regular lives". Ellie, the main character often said that after they went home from Hell, she was never happy again.

     War also makes children lose their sensitivity. For example, in World War II, children saw their parents, friends and relatives die in front of them. Those children were know to lose all sense of sensitivity. In the book, Fi starts out as an innocent teenaged girl, but war makes he significantly more tough and less sensitive. Also Homer, at the beggining of the book, is an annoying prankster. But he develops into a mature leader of the band of the seven children.

    Finally, war makes children into a form of soldier. For example, in wars that have been fought in the past, some children were forced to join the ranks of soldiers to fight for their contry. In the story, all of the children are forced to fight for their lives against the invaders. To conclude, war makes children loose their innocence, their sensitivity and turns them into a form of soldier.