Best murder in literature – Ellie?
An excellent post appeared recently on one of the several million blogs in existence which discusses Ellie’s reaction to murder.
Strangely this made me smile as I remembered a particular post on the Tomorrow-Movies forum where several members planned to blow up a lawn mower Ellie style. Now that’s commitment.
Best Murder in Literature – Confessions of a Watery Tart
There are an awful lot to choose from and I have by no means read every book in existence, but my favorite murder in literature was committed by Ellie in Tomorrow When the War Began. Why? Because it truly and deeply changed her and how she looked at herself. Her sense of right and wrong underwent intense scrutiny. She was a leader of sorts, however unofficially, of a group of teens when Australia has been invaded by an enemy. She and her friends are running for their lives, being chased by people who are shooting… she devises a simple explosive out of a riding lawnmower, and guess what… it works. She and her friends are safe. The book, wisely, instead of glorifying her success in keeping her friends safe, sends her into a tailspin about the enormity of this one event—the change it makes of her.
It was incredibly moving, and one of the reasons I love the series so much. Something like that WOULD change a person. But it doesn’t make them a monster—she was forced into doing something awful, but arguably for the right reason. It doesn’t remove her humanity. I think this is true of more murders in the world than it is NOT true for. Murder is more often done by loved ones for a reason—murderers aren’t all heartless psychopaths, but people who either get into really messed up reasoning, or people who feel they are forced into something.
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yeh i guess the lawn mower incident is quite moiving.
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but they didn’t die it says tha in the nex book
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Oliver replies:
January 21st, 2010 at 7:21 pm
Actually, it says at least 1 died and 2 were injured…
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Maarten replies:
January 21st, 2010 at 8:33 pm
“She grimmaced but told me ‘Those three soldiers hit by the ride-on mower, two of them died, they think. And two of the people we ran over.’”
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dan replies:
January 25th, 2010 at 7:43 pm
fail!
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How random is this, to find myself quoted on Marsden’s fansite? I’m honored! I wondered why I’d gotten all the Australian traffic recently.
To Daniel-I think my point isn’t so much the murder EXACTLY as Ellie thinking of herself as someone capable of killing. I’m a writer, and I find so often the psychology of killing is glossed over. I think Marsden does an amazing job of exploring her emotions over the matter… as I said–the best I’ve seen.
Hart (Watery Tart)
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I think the lawn mower incident was moving, because it’s the first real war-like experience for Ellie and everything. But I think seeing Robyn die and seeing the soldiers you shot die, is alittle more dramatic and scary. To me at least.
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“Things we need for next TWTWB Forum Jamboree”
- Lawnmower
Check
- Matches
Check
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Oliver replies:
January 21st, 2010 at 7:22 pm
-Petrol-soaked T-shirt
Check
-Brick wall, to hide behind
Check
-Victims
Check
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yea that bit was 1 of the best parts of the book, but in the third day the frost where lee kills the man in cold blood worst than ellies lawmower.
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dan oh my gosh that was gorey as haha
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It was a good part of the book
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do any of you remember the “bad smell” coming from the mans boddie just after he got murderd?
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no i wasnt there… but i remember reading about it
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dan replies:
December 10th, 2009 at 11:11 am
another part also that was in the 2nd book where ellie has 2 shoot that dying soilder, wit the sawn off shotgun.
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ohhh wt about the 5th book where ellie has 2 kill those 2 soilders in the barracks.
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yea she got a taste for blood aye haha
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M replies:
January 2nd, 2010 at 8:51 pm
I hope that the special effects for the movie are good. I mean, like life like. But not to scare the wits out of us. There is a fine balance. Twilight went way over the scale. I haven’t even seen the movie and I hate it. It’s been WAY TOO modernised. I hope, for god’s sake that these movies come out ok. I don’t want anyone at my school to know about them. At least not he plastics. God they annoy me.
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dan replies:
January 25th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
yea i knw wt u mean! ppl who havnt read the books b4 seeing the movie piss me off.
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ah not forgetting the two soldiers and the officer at baloney creek after blowing up cobblers bay? ha just read it again
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dan replies:
December 13th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
yea the 3rd and 5 books r my fav. coblers bay and the airfeild there biggest attacks!
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I was horrified at Ellie when she first killed someone but I understood her reason.
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i love the series personaly (best books ive ever read) but i reckon by far the best murder was in then last book when ellie was fighting the man on the train. she showed how strong she was and in many ways how she had developed a mind to think of different ways to kill the guy like pouring the flammable liquid everywhere and also using tin lids as frisbee’s to hit the guy in the head. then she just blew up the train. what an adrenalin rush!
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dan replies:
January 25th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
yea! she thnks the guy has fallen off the train but then he comes bak.haha she gets him in the, when ellie got shot i thort she was goin 2 die even tho the books r frm her point of view!!lol
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owain replies:
January 30th, 2010 at 7:47 am
At the risk of being pedantic, I thought Ellie didn’t kill the man on the train? She had two opportunities to do so when he was unconscious, but couldn’t/wouldn’t kill him in cold blood, even though she risked him recovering and attacking her again.
To my mind that’s important – it shows that even after all her experiences during the war she hadn’t become a natural killer; her essential morality and humanity remained.
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i loved the books. but wen robyn blew hersef up i absolutely hated john marsden. i was silently screaming and bawling. but its a good thing i kept reading. they were amazing books, completely mind capturing. some bits gave me nightmares, and whenever i got a spare moment it was al like: i wonder what it felt like when…..i wonder what homer looks like……i wonder how they found courage etc.
ANYWAY thanks john for an unforgetable, life changing read that changed my perspective on everything
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I read late at night so if i read somthing scary or grusome or sad ect.i tend to screm or cry or grin like a mainiac at the book and some of ellies merders/killings had my parents running into my room thinking there was an intruder, they were that life like to me esecialy at 3 in the morning while it rained on our tin roof
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dan replies:
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:20 pm
lol awsme! thy fav 2 b my fav books ever 2!
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