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Chapter 20
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 and Fiona wait and talk to pass to the time. Fiona is completely in love with Homer, and she can’t stop talking about him. They still seem such an odd couple to Ellie, but she also knows there is so much more to both Fiona and Homer than meets the eye. Fiona is perfect, but she is also fierce, and Homer is the biggest surprise of Ellie’s life. Fiona admits that Homer finally kissed her just the other night. Fiona was afraid that he would never do it, and Ellie is secretly ashamed of how far she has already gone with Lee.
Ellie and Fiona’s talk about boys again suggests that there is no escaping love and emotions, even during the stress of war. Ellie’s discovery that there is more to Fiona and Homer than meets the eye further underscores how much Ellie has grown, as she is able to look at people more deeply and form her own opinions, rather than simply holding the opinions of others. However, Ellie’s shame that she has gone too far with Lee too early implies that she is still very much concerned with the opinions of others and her own morality.
Themes
Fiona says that she wants to learn all about farming so she can help Homer when they get married one day. Ellie admits that she loves Lee, too, and she silently realizes why she has been so jealous of Fiona and Homer. Homer is like Ellie’s brother—she doesn’t have a brother, and Homer doesn’t have a sister, so they are pretty much it for each other. Now, Ellie feels like she is losing him to Fiona. The hours drag on, but no convoy comes over the bridge. Homer wants to wait for a convoy so there would be more confusion, but they have only seen sentries for the last couple of hours.
Ellie’s realization that she is jealous of Fiona and Homer’s relationship because she feels like she is losing her brother highlights how friendship can fill the role of family in one’s life. Ellie doesn’t have any siblings, which means she relies on Homer even more than she otherwise might. Fiona’s feelings for Homer also suggests a deeper connection, since she dreams of marrying him and starting a life together as a family.
Themes
Suddenly, the sentries begin to urgently move to one end of the bridge. Something is happening, Ellie says. It is the cattle, she calls to Fiona and takes off running toward the truck. Fiona follows, and they both jump in. Ellie starts the truck and grinds it into gear, running down the slight hill, until the truck is resting just below the bridge. They get out, and over 100 prime Hereford cattle thunder over their heads. Ellie just stands there, frozen, and Fi yells for her to get moving. Ellie snaps into action just as Fiona begins to run to the tree line. The run is what Ellie is afraid of; it is completely exposed.
Surprisingly, it is Fiona who proves to be braver than Ellie when the action starts. Ellie does well until she gets out of the truck and is frozen under the bridge at the sound of the cattle charging above her. Fiona must yell at Ellie to snap her out of her trance, which undoubtedly saves them and gets Ellie moving. Even though Ellie is initially worried about Fiona, Fiona is quickly proving how much she has matured and how valuable she is to the group.
Themes
Ellie runs to the tanker and grabs the rope, which all seems to be happening in slow motion. With the rope in hand, Ellie runs for the tree line. She hears the sound of a motorcycle starting up, and then bullets begin to whiz past her. The tree line seems impossibly far away, and then Fiona appears, yelling for Ellie to hurry up. At the sight of Fiona, their “friendship, love, whatever you want to call it,” catches Ellie and “reels [her] in.” Ellie crashes into the tree line and runs to the motorcycle just as Fiona lights a match. The clearing lights up, and Fiona turns around, smiling. Ellie wonders if Fiona is really a secret pyromaniac, and they take off on the motorbikes.
Ellie is given strength to keep running when she needs it most by the sight of Fiona and the implication of their friendship and love. Ellie shouldn’t make it—she is running through an open field with trained marksmen shooting at her—but she is fueled by her love for Fiona, which proves the motivating power of love and its importance within the novel. Like Homer, Fiona smiles at the thought of blowing up the bridge, which reflects her childish nature, even though she has been forced to grow up so quickly.
Themes
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