Courage In Tomorrow When The War Began

In John Marsden’s Tomorrow When the War Began, the quote from David Seabury “Courage and convictions are powerful weapons against an enemy that depends upon only fists and guns”, is evident throughout the novel with the character’s various successes. Conviction (willpower) is very strong in the main characters, as the stakes are high with their entire town invaded leaving very few free. This conviction is also essential for courage, which as Ellie explains in the book, can only be found amidst fear. “I guess true courage is when you're really scared but you still do it” p.25. There are various frightening moments in this book, like when the ride on mower was used like a bomb or having to rescue Lee using heavy machinery. These are all moments the characters used their will to survive to propel them to do something that they were terrified to do. The characters also face daunting themes head on despite the previous stress. This is courage, found within conviction, and it has proved to be a good weapon against those with physical weapons.

Rescuing Lee using construction vehicles is a great example of this. The protagonists took a brave leap by using a machine they had never handled in a way that is

Tomorrow When The War Began explores some heavy themes; good vs evil, death, conflict, war. In such a stressful and sudden situation, it would be easy to try and ignore these extra topics. It is courageous for the characters to take in and think about these things head on. Through all the pressure and constant fear, the characters persevere and continue their journey with a need to survive. They think about the horrors around them and learn. That is true courage. To stop resenting things and be honest with yourself. It gives them the strength they need to fight back against the invaders and gain their own little victory over