Tomorrow, When the War Began Man and the Natural World Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

Hell is what's on the other side of Tailor's, a cauldron of boulders and trees and blackberries and feral dogs and wombats and undergrowth. It's a wild place, and I didn't know anyone who'd been there […]. (1.20)

The picture in our minds of Hell as "a cauldron" full of boiling, seething stuff gives us the willies. When Ellie describes this place, it doesn't seem like the kind of place to vacation with pals. But we are oh so wrong about this.

Quote #2

[…] Tailor's stitch seamed its way to the summit of Mt. Martin, a sharp straight ridge, bare black rocks forming a thin line as though a surgeon had make a giant incision centuries ago. (2.6)

This is a great image and one that isn't so far from the truth about how humans have treated nature. Ellie really is pretty good at metaphors.

Quote #3

"This is pretty nice for Hell," […]

"I wonder how many human beings have ever been down here, in the history of the Universe. […] Why would the early explorers, or settlers, have bothered? And no one we know has. Maybe the Hermit and us are the only people ever to have seen it. Ever." (3.32-34)

It is hard to imagine being in a place that so few people have ever been to, but it also seems pretty magical. There are so many people in the world. How would you feel if you were one of a tiny handful to see a natural place?