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Chapter 16
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Tomorrow, When the War Began, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
War, Law, and Morality
Family, Friendship, and Love
Coming of Age, Transformation, and the Loss of Innocence
Writing and Storytelling
Summary
Analysis
Ellie is relieved when Corrie, Kevin, Robyn, and Chris return from town. They didn’t tell Homer and Fiona much on the way into Hell, since they don’t want to tell the story twice. The minute they sit down for breakfast, Robyn begins talking. She is sort of their unofficial leader, and she is certainly running things now. Ellie sits holding Lee’s hand, and Fiona sits between Homer’s legs. Kevin has his head in Corrie’s lap, and Ellie thinks that if they can fix up Robyn and Chris, they will all be “Perfect Partners.”
In wishing they were all “Perfect Partners,” Ellie is again focused on love, which further suggests love can’t be avoided, even during war. In Homer’s absence, Robyn steps up to the plate to lead the others, which reflects Robyn’s own growth and maturity. Like Homer, Robyn is proving herself more than capable under the stress of the war.
Themes
Chris has “souvenired” a pack of cigarettes and couple bottles of wine, and Ellie thinks about how far “souveniring” can really go. She considers her thoughts from the night before. If they were going to ignore official laws, shouldn’t they at least set some for themselves? She has broken so many laws already, and Ellie is okay with that, but she isn’t sure about stealing cigarettes and liquor, which aren’t exactly necessities. Ellie decides to stop thinking about her morals for a while and looks to Robyn.
Chris has “souvenired” cigarettes and wine, which is to say he has stolen them, and Ellie obviously has a moral objection to such behavior. Ellie struggles greatly with the laws she has broken, but she ultimately accepts them because they were necessary for their survival. Chris’s “souveniring” is needless (not to mention illegal on several levels), which is where Ellie clearly draws the line.
Themes
Robyn explains that they didn’t see their parents, but they know their families are safe at the Showground. They have plenty of food and are being treated well. They are eating the livestock that was entered into the Show—some of the best in the country—so their meat supply is obviously very good. They even bake fresh bread every morning. The soldiers have begun to send out work parties—teams of eight or ten prisoners with a few soldiers—to go around and clean up town and make the houses habitable again. They are even assigned to help at the hospital, which is still functioning, especially since Ellie has been keeping them so busy.
Robyn’s implication here is that Ellie keeps killing people, which is keeping the hospital busy in town. Robyn’s comment is clearly meant to be a joke, but it suggests that she is having difficulty accepting the moral implications of Ellie’s actions as well. They act as a group, and what one does, they all do—kind of like Chris and his “souveniring” of cigarettes and wine. This not only reflects their moral dilemma but also underscores the connection they share as friends, and now a family.
Themes
Ellie asks Robyn what she means by such a comment, and Robyn says she means nothing. Ellie pushes a bit more, and Robyn finally talks. Of the three soldiers Ellie hit with the lawnmower bomb, two died; and two soldiers were also killed when Ellie ran their Jeep over with the big shovel truck. Robyn says it is no surprise—Ellie must have known she killed them—and continues with her story.
Up until this point, Ellie didn’t know for sure that she was a murderer, she just suspected as much, but now she—and the others—know it for sure. Robyn tries to downplay this fact by making a joke, but even she is looking at Ellie differently now that they know definitively that she has killed people.
Themes
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Robyn says that there are a few groups out there running around, kind of like they are, evading the soldiers and attacking patrols when possible, but town is mostly under control now. Soon, the United Nations and the Red Cross will be snooping around, and the soldiers are looking to enact a “clean invasion,” so they are treating people well. They went to Robyn’s old music teacher’s house to hide (Robyn knew where the key was), and a man Robyn recognized from the post office came in. She approached him, and he told her what he knew while he worked. They are supposed to be cleaning out the houses and securing any valuables. The soldiers plan to colonize the entire country.
Again, the invading soldiers are trying to take over Australia without violating any laws or rules of war imposed by the United Nations, the Red Cross, or the United States. The term “clean invasion” implies that war and invasion can be approached morally and within reason, but Marsden ultimately argues otherwise. The fact that the soldiers are looking to colonize the entire country suggests that they want to take over completely, and that they will be there for a very long time.
Themes
Kevin talked to another woman, who let him in on more information, and then they moved on to another house. Robyn was hiding under a bed when a woman entered the room, and Robyn stuck her head out, not bothering to stand as they talked. The woman said one of the others told her about teenagers running around, and she expected to see them. The woman worked as she spoke and told Robyn that she was hiding family heirlooms when she found them, although she wasn’t sure it really mattered. Suddenly, boots entered the room, and a man asked the woman who she was talking to. She said herself, and Robyn was nearly caught but managed to hide behind the bed.
The fact that Robyn was nearly caught when she hid under the bed is another example of her bravery and the risks they have taken to avoid capture and find out about their families. Hiding in the houses when they know soldiers will be near is an incredible risk, but they do it to find out information about their families. Furthermore, the woman’s attempt to hide family heirlooms from the soldiers also underscores the importance of family within the novel. The woman will likely be punished if she is caught hiding the heirlooms, but she does it anyway to protect them and the families they represent.
Themes
Kevin suddenly speaks up. What if they are the only free Australians left? They might be all that is left of the country. In that case, Chris says, he wants to be Police Commissioner. They decide to make Homer the Minister of Defense, and Lee is Pensioner of the Year. Fiona is the Attorney General, and Robyn, who wants to be Minister for Health, is given Archbishop. Corrie offers to be the Minister for Kevin, and Ellie is made the Poet Laureate, which she is rather proud of.
Ellie’s nomination as the Poet Laureate of Australia again underscores the importance of writing within the novel. Homer is the Minister of Defense because of his obvious capabilities and leadership skills, and Robyn wants to be Minister for Health (not Corrie, even though she has always wanted to be a nurse) because she has enjoyed taking care of Lee. The others, however, nominate Robyn as Archbishop because she is religious.
Themes
