Homer Yannos
Character profile for Homer Yannos from the Tomorrow series by John Marsden
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WARNING: Partially
blows plot of each and every book
Please don't read on if this concerns you
Reptile, troublemaker, problem, slob, loud mouth, macho, wild,
crazy, immature; Homer Yannos is all of those things. He is also;
a leader, a thinker, a planner as well as careful, innovative, caring,
supportive, brave and indomitable.
In his teenage years Homer Yannos has built a front to hide behind,
a front as a disrespectful, insensitive, uncaring guy. It takes
a lot to crack that shell, but the first crack does not come from
a smashing blow, instead from a refined and delicate girl. Fi gets
round his defences and Ellie is stunned by the realisation that
she has let one of her best friends trick her for years about who
he really is (1). The next blow is smashing, the
end of all they know, the destruction of their previous lives, the
return from Hell to find disaster. Faced with this, and the group's
desperate need; Homer has to drop the pretence of years, discard
the stereotype he has hidden behind and show who he really is; a
leader with the capacity to inspire, to encourage, to invigorate.
He astonishes everyone with his level headed approach, though the
wildness in his heart is still there - a wildness he uses to innovate,
outthink and surprise. (2)
He saves the group, he gets them going, he inspires, he supports
and he encourages.(3) His leadership is complete
and unchallenged until the ambush of the ammunition convoy in Buttercup
Lane early in "The Dead of the Night" when
two blows land. He is discovered to have deceived the group, diminishing
his authority and at the same time he learns what it really is like
to kill up close and personal, cracking his composure (4)
(he very rarely kills directly again - not till "Darkness,
Be My Friend" when he rides down the soldier about to
shoot Ellie and Fi) But he has done what was needed. Robyn and Ellie
are hitting their stride and the group can now survive without his
pushing them on and on.
Homer has a very forceful, even domineering, personality and while
he despises weakness he also has a lot of trouble dealing with others
who also have strong characters.(5) One of the
constants of Homer's life is his competition with his best
friend, Ellie. They compete continually and have done so all their
lives.(6) At the same time, Ellie really is the
best friend he has in the world, someone who respects and admires
him, a respect and admiration that he returns.(7)
While they compete, continually and hard, when one or the other
reaches the end of their tether, the facade of competition is dropped
and they reach out to help each other.(8)
Hiding behind a shell has its costs. Homer has built his life around
being a guys guy and doesn't have a clue about how to treat
Fi. He is terribly insecure and manages to make a hash of their
relationship.(9) During the initial crisis Homer
shows how he feels(10) but from the time that
has passed until near the end Homer internalises his problems and
we only get an occasional glimpse of what is happening for him(11).
At the same time this toughness helps the others cope.
Homer two dramatically different sides to his personality and they
pull him in different directions. On one hand he is a wild and crazy
guy and on the other a careful, thoughtful planner. His planning
is responsible for the groups survival in "Tomorrow, When
The War Began" and his wildness for its near destruction
in "The Other Side Of Dawn".
Following the confrontation with Ellie about taking a gun to Buttercup
Lane and again about keeping score of kills, Homer starts to mature.
He eventually admits he was mistaken about taking the gun and then,
when preparing to attack Cobbler's Bay, he shows such good
sense that Ellie is relieved.(12)
Then comes the actual attack on Cobbler's and its aftermath.
For the first time Homer is pushed past his limits. In the water
he gives us and waits to die, only being saved by the explosion
of the ship, then he is quickly captured by the three soldiers and
saved by Ellie arriving suddenly and killing them all single handed.
These experiences crush him, and the others take the lead. He is
a mess from then till they are captured (13)
In New Zealand Homer has to confront this, plus the other great
blows of Stratton Prison and Robyn's sacrifice. They are all
affected by these two events, but for Homer, who had taken a dislike
to Robyn, to then have her give her life to save his must have been
devastating. His response is to revert to the wild and crazy guy
and, when the question comes, he decides for the group that they
will return to Australia.(14)
By the end of "Darkness, Be My Friend" Homer
seems to have recovered but the contest is over. Ellie is now the
leader of the group, generating ideas, Homer is now more supporting
and encouraging her.
The stresses are starting to take their toll though, particularly
in "The Night is For Hunting" and the start
of "The Other Side of Dawn". Homer starts to
break.(15) He has shown an extraordinary resilience
in the face of a series of terrible challenges, but no-one can take
this sort of stress for ever and Homer starts to lose contact with
reality. He still has flashes of extraordinary good sense and resilience
(16) but the careful, considered planner is fading
away and the wild and crazy guy gains the upper hand (Compare Homer
planning the attack on the bridge to his last plan for the power
station, or the motor cycle patrols or the truck stop). With Ellie
having also cracked and her restraining influence thus gone, Homer's
plan for the truck stop, and its failings, directly leads to the
loss of Ellie.
Losing Ellie - his best and oldest friend - and the way she was
lost must have been crushing for him. It was his bad planning that
got them into this mess, it was Ellie's self sacrificing diversion
that saved them. Now she is gone, likely dead, and realising that
is likely the worst moment in Homer life. The last totally crazy
plan for the attack on the power station may have been the result
of this. The plan is so bad you have to wonder if he wanted to die.
Similarly, finding out that Ellie had survived was likely the best
moment he had ever experienced.
Rest, a lack of stress and plenty of affirmation are the primary cure for Combat
Fatigue. As with the rest of the crew, the remarkable, loyal, brave
Homer; who saved them all at the start, who kept them going, who
inspired, who lead, who enlivened, who struggled till the end; this
very accomplished young man is in desperate need of all of the above
by the end of "The Other Side of Dawn".
Supporting Extracts
- Used with permission
There is some good stuff in here, have a browse.
Extract
1: Ellie realises she has let Homer trick her for years as to who
he is.
"Tomorrow, When The War Began" p44
"It was the same with Homer,
the way for all those years he'd been hanging a big sign around
his neck, and like a fool I'd kept reading it."
Extract
2: Homer's transformation
"Tomorrow, When The War Began" p104
"Homer was becoming more surprising
with every passing hour. It was getting hard to remember that this
fast-thinking guy, who'd just spent fifteen minutes getting us laughing
and talking and feeling good again, wasn't even trusted to hand
out the books at school"
"Tomorrow, When The War Began" p111
[Homer] "He leaned forward.
'Here's what I suggest. They load Corrie's Toyota with everything
useful they can find. Then they go to Kevin's and do the same. And
to my place and Ellie's if there's time. They pick up the Land Rover
at Kevin's and fill it too. I'm talking food, clothes, petrol, rifles,
tools, everything. By dawn we want to have two vehicles fuelled
up, packed to their roofs and ready to go'
'To go where?' Kevin asked.
'To Hell' Homer answered.
That was Homer's genius. He combined action
with thought, and he planned ahead. He sensed, I think, that inaction
was our enemy. Anyone seeing us at that moment would not have thought
we were in the most desperate positions of our lives. We were all
sitting up excitedly, faces flushed and eyes gleaming. We had things
to do, positive definite things. It suddenly seemed so obvious that
if we had a future, it would be in Hell. And we began to realise
that there might still be a life for us."
"Tomorrow, When the War Began" p138
[Homer]"'Problem
two then. Where would we get it?'
Robyn interrupted. I'd forgotten she hadn't
seen Homer in action at Corrie's.
' Homer, are you on something?'
' Sorry?'
' You keep going like this, you'll lose
your reputation, Aren't you meant to be just a wild and crazy guy?'
He laughed, but then went straight back
to being serious. Robyn made a face at me and I winked back"
"Tomorrow, When the War Began" p152
"Lee laughed. 'Homer
hasn't changed.'
'Yes he has.'
'Has he? I'll be interested to see that.
He's a pretty smart guy, Homer'"
"Tomorrow, When the War Began" p140
"Homer looked at me,
eyes shining with joy. I realised the wild and crazy guy wasn't
so far away. 'We pick him up in the shovel,' he said, and waited
for our reactions."
Pretty surprising guy, Homer.
Extract
3: Thinking, supporting, encouraging, inspiring
"The Dead of the Night", p3
"… once again I'd underestimated Homer. He did so much
thinking - not that he ever said so himself, but it was obvious
from the way he spoke in our meetings. There'd been a time when
a thinking Homer would have seemed as likely as a flying platypus,
and I was kind of slow adjusting to the change. But from his words
that day, when we gathered again at the creek, it was obvious that
he hadn't stayed in a slump like some of us.
… [they react to his words, p9] …
To anyone watching (I hope
there wasn't anyone) it must have resembled an outdoors ballet class.
We all began to slowly unfurl and turn towards Homer. Lee dropped
his piece of wood. Chris put down his pad and pen and stretched
out. I stood and moved to a higher rock. Find Kevin and Corrie?
Of course. The idea infused us with hope and excitement and boldness.
None of us had thought anything about it because it seemed impossible.
But Homer's saying it had brought it within the realms of possibility,
till suddenly it seemed like the only thing to do. In fact, his
saying it made it seem so possible that it was almost as if it had
happened already. That was the power of the spoken word. Homer had
put us back on our feet and got us dancing again. Words began to
pour from all of us."
Extract
4: Homer at Buttercup Lane.
He never really gets over what happens here.
"The Dead of the Night", p57
"I ripped Homer's
shirt open and felt around his chest and shoulders but I couldn't
find any wound.
'No, no' he said, pushing me away. 'I'm
not hurt.'
'What happened? I shouted at him. I was
completely bewildered. 'Did you grab their guns?'
He shook his head and waved his arms around.
He didn't seem to be able to answer. But Chris, who was trembling
but becoming suddenly and amazingly calm, answered for him. 'Homer
had a shotgun in his pack,' he said. 'Sawn-off.'
Fi gasped. We all looked at Homer in shock.
We'd talked about our meager little stock of weapons a few times
and agreed that with such limited firepower we were better off with
nothing. We knew if we were caught with weapons on us we were gone,
one hundred per cent certain.
A willy-willy of feeling stormed up inside
me - anger, confusion, disbelief."
I did't really noticed for quite a while, but Macho, 'the Man'
Homer is not a "up close and personal" killer. He never
really gets over Buttercup Lane, unlike Ellie.
Extract
5: Homer's dominating personality
"The Dead of the Night", p91
"I've always had this feeling
with Homer that I must never back off or it'll be the end of me.
He's so strong and he intimidates so many people, and then I think
he despises them because they're too weak to stand up to him. So
I always stand up to him, and I did it again this time."
"The Third Day, The Frost" p32
"I was shocked at anyone criticising
Robyn. She was one of my role models - along with Marilyn Monroe
and Emily Dickinson. But Homer always had trouble getting on with
strong-minded people. Except me. No, even sometimes me."
"The Third Day, The Frost" p30
Ellie about Homer "… I'd been finding him suffocating
in recent months … Wherever there was Homer there wasn't room
for much else…"
Extract
6: Homer and Ellie competing
"The Dead of the Night",
p222
"I couldn't
help a little nasty thought, which had stuck in my mind like worm,
that maybe the reason Homer had been so adamant about doing the
first day was Robyn's comment that I was the bravest of our group.
Homer wouldn't have liked that. In his thinking , guys were always
the heroes, always that little bit better than girls"
"The Third Day, the Frost",
p54
"Eventually I was
the one who got everyone moving again. … I never liked it
when Homer took command too much or for too long. I always had to
assert myself when that happened. It's always been that way, even
when we were little kids."
"Darkness, Be My Friend",
p16
"'Where going
back,' he said.
That's Homer. If you want to understand
Homer, and sometimes I don't know why you'd bother, those three
words tell you everything you need to know. 'We're going back.'
Even as I write them again now I can feel myself starting to scowl
and grind my teeth. The thing about Homer is that he'd known exactly
how angry it'd make me when he said that, but he couldn't stop himself.
He'd say it to prove to himself that he was the Man, no one was
going to tell him what to do. And of course the 'no one' he was
worried about was me. All our lives we'd been competing. Even now,
at this critical moment, he wasn't going to give me the satisfaction
of letting me think I had any say."
Extract
7: But Homer and Ellie share a great respect for each other
"The Dead of the Night", p218
"I gave him
a wink and felt for his hand, getting a good grip on it. I was now
touching the two boys I loved most in the world, and I thought how
lucky I was"
"The Night is for Hunting"
p134
"I needed to
hear what I guy thought, and the guy I respected most in the world,
outside my father, was Homer. ... I was grateful to Homer. I found
myself getting quite sentimental about him. Once again he had proved
himself to be a true friend."
"Darkness, Be My Friend",
p268
"'Lucky you're
such a bully, Ellie, because we were stuffed. If we'd tried to come
the direct way, like we would have if you hadn't driven us along,
we might have walked into those soldiers. They were smart. I reckon
they'd have been sniffing around a lot longer than some of the idiots
we've seen in action in the past. But last night I wasn't thinking
of that. I was just cursing you for nipping at our heels all the
way here.'
Homer said all this while casually tipping
Twisties into his mouth but I sat there burning with pleasure. Homer
simply didn't pay people compliments. If God appeared in front of
us Homer would say, 'Listen mate, you've done a lousy job on my
belly button. And what do what'd you give us toenails for? I mean
what's the good of them? They're a bloody nuisance.'
Extract
8: And every so often they drop the games
"Tomorrow, When the War Began",
p62
"Homer nodded,
his face full of misery. I wanted to hug him, looked for Fi to see
if she might be going to, then went ahead when I realised she'd
left the room again."
"Tomorrow, When The War Began" p94
"I stopped in front of the
Mackenzies' porch and stood there, trying to find the energy to
lift my foot and get off the bike. I stood there for a long time.
I knew eventually I'd have to raise that leg but I didn't know when
I would be able to do it. Finally Homer said kindly, 'Come on Ellie',
and I was ashamed of my weakness and managed to stumble off the
bike and even wheel it into the shed."
"The Third Day, the Frost", p54
"Grimly, hating them all.
I shouldered my pack.
'Not yet, Ellie,' Homer said gently. 'It's
still too early'"
"The Third Day, the Frost", p58
"When we stopped I was too
tired to feel any relief, to tired to feel anything. I stood there
waiting to be told what to do. … After a few minutes Homer
came out of the darkness and reached for my hand. I gave him the
wet cold heavy thing. It must have been like picking up a dead fish.
'Come on, Ellie, old mate,' he said wearily. I let myself be lead
like a helpless child"
"Darkness, Be My Friend" p267
"I grinned. Didn't matter
what mood I was in, Homer could always make me laugh. It occurred
to me that maybe that was why he'd come into the entrance hall,
because he sensed that I was depressed and needed cheering up. It
wouldn't be the first time. I hated to accuse Homer of being warm
sensitive guy, but deep down inside he did have a trace of it at
times.
Only a little trace mind you."
Extract
9: Homer is, however, a guy's guy
"Tomorrow, When The War Began",
p213
"'He so down on himself,'
she complained. 'Everything I say about him he brushes off or puts
himself down. Do you know', she looked at me with her big innocent
eyes, 'he's got some weird thing about my parents being solicitors,
and living in that stupid big house. He always used to joke about
it, especially when we went there the other night, but I don't think
it's really a joke to him at all.'
'Oh Fi! How long did it take you to work
that out?'
'Why? Has he said something to you?' She
instantly became terribly worried, in her typical Fi way. I was
a bit caught, because I wanted to protect Homer and I didn't want
to break any confidences. So I tried to give a few hints.
'Well, your lifestyle's a lot different
to his. And you know the kind of blokes he's always knocked around
with at school. They'd be more at home hanging out at the milk bar
than playing croquet with your parents.'
'My parents do not play croquet.'
'No, but you know what I mean.'
'Oh, I don't know what to do. He seems
scared to say anything in case I laughed at him or look down my
nose at him. As if I ever would. It seems so funny that he's like
that with me when he's so confident with everyone else.'
I sighed. 'If I could understand Homer
I'd understand all guys.'"
"The Dead of the Night",
p95, Fi about Homer.
"'He's so difficult. Some
days he's so loving and beautiful and other days he treats me like
I don't exist. Its very frustrating'"
Extract
10: Initially Homer is shows how he feels
"Tomorrow, When The War Began"
, p241
"'No, it's a big problem.
None of us knows how we'll react when the fan gets hit. I know what
it's been like for me so far, just doing little things, like waiting
in that car in Three Pigs Lane. My teeth were chattering so bad
I had to hold my mouth shut to keep them in. I don't know how I
didn't vomit. I was absolutely convinced I was going to die.'"
"Tomorrow, When The War Began"
, p278
"The only thing
Homer had left out was the way he'd wept when he found us both safe.
I saw the sweetness of Homer then, that he'd had as a little guy,
but which some people probably thought he'd lost as a teenager."
Extract
11: But not for long. He keeps feeling but hides it.
"The Third Day, the Frost", p123
when the container truck is lifted by the tow truck
"And suddenly the container
moved. Even though I'd been half expecting it, I took a grip on
Homer's arm so tight that I felt the bone. The container gave a
quick lurch, then started moving … A container of diesel not
restrained by the fertiliser slid slowly down hill … I grabbed
it … Homer grabbed me and I realised on the fear scale we
were rating about the same figure."
Then a few pages later (p125) as the container is
hoisted onto the ship.
"A thump on the roof … I jumped
up in panic, choking back a scream … I looked for Homer …
He too was standing with equal anxiety, looking up … [they
are lifted up] … I gazed at Homer. I saw the gleam of his
teeth as he smiled at me but even in the little light we had I could
tell his smile was forced, probably to stop his teeth chattering."
"Burning For Revenge",
p37 - 39 when they are surprised at the tip
"It had been such an
innocent situation, but suddenly we were completely trapped. A drop
of liquid fell on me: it was Homer's sweat. It felt hot. I couldn't
do anything about it; it didn't matter anyway."
…
"I felt Homer move, but he still didn't
say anything. His sweat rained down on me".
"Burning For Revenge",
p52 Homer looks out at the building they are in and realises they
are on Wirrawee Airfield
"He looked shocked. He started
at me without saying anything. It was hard to tell in the dim light
but I actually thought he looked pale, which is not easy for Homer,
being Greek and all."
Extract
12: Homer does mature, though it takes a while
"The Dead of the Night",
p218
"'I was wrong about those
guns,' Homer said. 'I shouldn't have had them with me without you
guys knowing, that was dumb.'
Homer was quite red in the face and looking
over our heads. It was so rare for him to admit he was wrong about
anything that I bit back the joke I was going to make."
"The Third Day, The Frost",
p115/116
"'But we haven't got
time to sneak along in the bush.' Fi said. 'It'll be light soon.'
'We have to', Homer said. 'Don't forget, this raid is a chance in
a million. If anything goes wrong we can call it off, no harm done,
no need to feel bad. It's much too big for us, anyway. I think we
should put our own safety higher than going on with this.'
I was really staggered. I'm sure Homer wasn't scared. His voice
was steady and strong. I think he'd just weighed the risks and made
a scientific judgment. For hot-headed Homer this was very cool.
Something about it pleased me a lot, though, and not only the fact
that it slightly increased my chances of staying alive. I think
it was the hope that maybe Homer no longer felt a great macho need
to prove himself by leaping wildly into action at every opportunity."
Extract
13: Cobbler's Bay just about wrecks him, though
"The Third Day, The Frost",
p206
"Homer was
still the quietest but he did say a few things, each of them making
me realise how much the time in the container and the escape across
the Bay, into the arms of the enemy, had affected him. I remember
hoping desperately that he wouldn't get caught again, because I
didn't think he would be able to stand it. It had really fazed him,
the swim, then being grabbed by those guys at the creek. It had
damaged his confidence.
'I'd given up,' he said, when I asked him
about the time in the water.
'You'd given up?' I said, shocked.
'They'd seen me, and I was too tired to
dive anymore.'
'Who'd seen you?'
'The guys in the boat, and the ones in
the chopper.'
'So what happened? Were they shooting at
you? How'd you get away? You hadn't really given up?'
He shrugged. 'I was just floating there,
watching them come for me. Then the ship blew up.'
He wouldn't say much more."
Extract
14: Reverting to the wild and crazy competitive guy.
"Darkness, Be My Friend",
p16
"'Where going back,'
he said.
That's Homer. If you want to understand
Homer, and sometimes I don't know why you'd bother, those three
words tell you everything you need to know. 'We're going back.'
Even as I write them again now I can feel myself starting to scowl
and grind my teeth. The thing about Homer is that he'd known exactly
how angry it'd make me when he said that, but he couldn't stop himself.
He'd say it to prove to himself that he was the Man, no one was
going to tell him what to do. And of course the 'no one' he was
worried about was me. All our lives we'd been competing. Even now,
at this critical moment, he wasn't going to give me the satisfaction
of letting me think I had any say."
"Darkness, Be My Friend",
p52
"'What about Homer? Why
don't they want to ask him?'
Again Fi paused, searching for the right
words.
'I think they got the idea
back in New Zealand that he was a bit irresponsible. Too much partying.'"
Extract
15: Eventually, Homer starts to come apart
"The Other Side of Dawn"
p16 as Homer comes back from looking at the patrol about to abseil
into Hell
"I sneaked up the hill and
met Homer behind a boulder. When I put my hand on his forearm I
felt he had a thousand volts running through him. If we'd wired
him up to the Wirrawee electricity grid they could have turned on
the streetlights and still had enough left over to heat the pool.
...
He was panting, then he added: 'God, I
can't take much more of this.'"
Extract
16: Homer's last good idea
"The Other Side of Dawn" p24. About
the soldier who is loose in Hell
"Homer came to join us.
'Leave him,' he said briskly. I was about to interrupt, to protest
strongly, but Homer went straight on.
'He hasn't got a rifle. We could waste
a week looking and still not find him. We'd be better off to get
Fi and the ferals and join up with Kevin and Ryan again. In the
long term that's the only way to go.'
As so often happened, Homer had seen the
problem clearly and figured out the solution. Well, maybe not the
solution, but the best plan."
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