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Homer
Ellie’s crush and a member of the original group who goes camping in Hell before the war begins. Corrie is surprised when Ellie wants to invite Lee on their camping trip, since he isn’t really one of their close friends, but Ellie wants an excuse to spend more time with him. Lee and his family live above their restaurant—Lee’s mom and dad are from Vietnam and Thailand, respectively, and their restaurant serves Asian cuisine. Lee is quiet and shy, and his Asian heritage makes him feel like an outsider in Ellie’s group of friends. Lee is different from Ellie and the other rural kids, and instead of working on a farm or raising livestock, he takes piano and violin lessons. When Ellie and Lee are just getting to know each other, Ellie is surprised to discover that Lee shares her affinity for horror movies, which seems at odds with his quiet ways and love for classical music. Lee is multilayered and complicated, and he teaches Ellie there is often more to people than meets the eye, which proves to be an important lesson for many of the characters as they grow throughout the novel. Like Fiona, Lee is a bit sheltered and privileged compared to the others, but he still grows and matures during the war. Lee is willing to step out of his comfort zone, and when he is shot in the leg by the enemy soldiers, he shows incredible strength and bravery. Lee is in considerable physical pain for most of the novel, but he still participates and contributes to the group effort, even if that means doing less physical work, like making a rationed list of their food. Lee also falls in love with Ellie during the course of the war, which underscores Marsden’s argument that love and life go on, even in the face of war and imminent danger.
Lee Quotes in Tomorrow, When the War Began
The Tomorrow, When the War Began quotes below are all either spoken by Lee or refer to Lee. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this. I might as well say so now. I know why they chose me, because I’m meant to be the best writer, but there’s a bit more to it than just being able to write. There’s a few little things can get in the way. Little things like feelings, emotions.
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Chapter 6
Quotes
Robyn took over. “We’ve got to think, guys. I know we all want to rush off, but this is one time we can’t afford to give in to feelings. There could be a lot at stake here. Lives even. We’ve got to assume that something really bad is happening, something quite evil. If we’re wrong, then we can laugh about it later, but we’ve got to assume that they’re not down the pub or gone on a holiday.”
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“Maybe all my mother’s stories made me think of it before you guys. And like Robyn said before, if we’re wrong,” he was struggling to get the words out, his face twisting like someone having a stroke, “if we’re wrong you can laugh as long and loud as you want. But for now, for now, let’s say it’s true. Let’s say we’ve been invaded. I think there might be a war.”
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Epilogue
Quotes
We’ve got to stick together, that’s all I know. We all drive each other crazy at times, but I don’t want to end up here alone, like the Hermit. Then this really would be Hell. Humans do such terrible things to each other that sometimes my brain tells me they must be evil. But my heart still isn’t convinced. I just hope we can survive.
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Lee Quotes in Tomorrow, When the War Began
The Tomorrow, When the War Began quotes below are all either spoken by Lee or refer to Lee. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this. I might as well say so now. I know why they chose me, because I’m meant to be the best writer, but there’s a bit more to it than just being able to write. There’s a few little things can get in the way. Little things like feelings, emotions.
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Chapter 6
Quotes
Robyn took over. “We’ve got to think, guys. I know we all want to rush off, but this is one time we can’t afford to give in to feelings. There could be a lot at stake here. Lives even. We’ve got to assume that something really bad is happening, something quite evil. If we’re wrong, then we can laugh about it later, but we’ve got to assume that they’re not down the pub or gone on a holiday.”
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Maybe all my mother’s stories made me think of it before you guys. And like Robyn said before, if we’re wrong,” he was struggling to get the words out, his face twisting like someone having a stroke, “if we’re wrong you can laugh as long and loud as you want. But for now, for now, let’s say it’s true. Let’s say we’ve been invaded. I think there might be a war.”
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Epilogue
Quotes
We’ve got to stick together, that’s all I know. We all drive each other crazy at times, but I don’t want to end up here alone, like the Hermit. Then this really would be Hell. Humans do such terrible things to each other that sometimes my brain tells me they must be evil. But my heart still isn’t convinced. I just hope we can survive.
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