Marsden’s Tomorrow When the War Began (Marsden, 1993) is a xenophobic narrative that aims to convince the reader of the friendship and courage that would develop in a group of teenagers if they were to be confronted with several life threatening situations. The main theme that is found throughout the novel is the conflict between friendship and the instinct of self-preservation. This leads to many of the situations that affect the group of teenagers.
The instinct of self-preservation leads to many scenarios found within both the novel and the movie. For example, at the beginning of the movie, after Ellie is spotted at the showground, Kevin runs off without thinking about anybody else but himself. Another example of this instinct of self-preservation is shown after the snake escapes from the sleeping bag in Hell. Ellie’s instincts tell her to
…panic; I panicked. It told me to run; I ran. It told me not to give a stuff about anyone else; I didn’t give a stuff. It was quite a few moments before I looked around to see if they were OK… (Marsden, 1993, Page 36)
This is an example of the self-preservation that is found in each of the characters. However, towards the end of the novel, friendship appears to have more effect on the characters than self-preservation. Kevin is willing to take Corrie to the hospital even though he knows that his life will be at risk upon his arrival. This is an example of one of the situations when the conflict between friendship and the instinct of self-preservation results in friendship ultimately winning out between the two.
The friendship between the characters develops throughout the entire novel. For example, at the beginning of the movie, Homer, who has assumed a leadership role in the group, treats Lee with disdain, giving him menial tasks like collecting firewood while he and the rest of the group relax and have fun. However, towards the end of the movie, Robyn, who has previously refused to kill somebody as it is against her Christian beliefs and values, takes up a gun and shoots the soldiers so that her friends can survive. This shows the further development of friendship that Robyn feels towards the group as during the earlier dump truck scene, Robyn refused to shoot any of the soldiers even though the lives of her friends were at risk.
During the course of the novel, the characters show great courage in multiple situations. For example, any of their trips back into town could have resulted in them having their
…guts blown out and spread across the dirt of the Showground car park, to have flies feed on us as we turned rotten in the sunlight… (Marsden, 1993, Page 233).
Despite this, they continue to return to the town, showing great courage. For instance, on their first trip into town, Robyn shows great courage when she saves Lee after he has been shot. Much of this courage is a result of the sense of loyalty and friendship felt towards the other characters in the book. For example, Robyn could have just left Lee and saved herself but she felt compelled to save Lee as well.
There is a subliminal message of xenophobia that is felt by the watcher throughout the movie. The enemies pictured are always Asian in appearance and their language in the movie, though unclear, is not English. In fact the conclusion can be drawn that they are Chinese as The Australian points out that …most viewers will assume the only Asian nations capable of mounting an invasion of this audacity and scale are China and Indonesia, and the actors clearly look much closer to Chinese than Indonesian. (Barber, 2010, The Australian, Unsettling echoes of yesterday, when the yellow peril hysteria began)
Similarly, Lee, the only Asian in the group, is the only one who is forced to do any chores during the group’s camping trip in Hell. In the latter part of novel the group attacks the bridge, acting offensively in comparison with defensively as they had done before, despite the fact that their and their families’ lives were not at risk. The conclusion can be drawn that they attacked the bridge for the reason that they resented that someone ‘different’ and not from their country was controlling it.
The theme of the conflict between self-preservation and friendship is important in Tomorrow When the War Began (Marsden, 1993) as it affects many of the situations that occur in both the text and visual forms. This narrative shows the reader the courage that is found in every teenager even as it shows the xenophobia that is in each of the characters.