Comparative Essay

COMPARITIVE ESSAY -

TOMORROW WHEN THE WAR BEGAN & THE LORD OF THE FLIES

When first comparing the two novels, Tomorrow When the War Began (TWTWB) and The Lord of the Flies, they appear to have similar themes. Some of these being the setting and the lack of adult supervision. However, in having a more thorough look there is a lot of diversity in the stories. Some of these differences include the ages of the characters as well as the relationships between the protagonists. The diversity is also seen in the gender of the main characters and also the hierarchy of the two groups of children.

There are two main similarities between the two novels. The first of these similar themes is that the books are both set in war time. The second similarity is that the protagonists in both of the stories are all children. They therefore have no adults for support, guidance or supervision.

In TWTWB the protagonists were aged seventeen years and above, with no smaller children to consider. The enormous difference between the protagonists in this novel is the fact that they all know each other and have relationships prior to being forced into isolation. The teenagers are friends with either other beforehand and although they certainly learn a lot about each other throughout the novel they have a basic understanding of each others characters and personalities. In TWTWB we see a difference in that the protagonists are made up of an equal amount of females and males. It is also apparent that the teenagers work together as a group, with each member's opinion valued, heard and taken seriously. Although Homer becomes the leader of the others he is definitely open to their suggestions.

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In The Lord of the Flies the protagonists are aged fifteen and under including a substantial number of younger children, who throughout