The novel "24 hours" by Margaret Mahy, sees the main character. Ellis as a rather predictable, withdrawn person. Through such little time frame as 24 hours Ellis changes significantly. At the very beginning of the novel Ellis "promised himself wild adventures and no apologies."(p.18) By the end of the novel Ellis defiantly changed, he had got drunk and couldn't remember half of the night. He also physically changed, learnt and understands why some people are tempted to commit suicide, "all we can truly understand is real life, and in real life Simon was a fool . . .a dead fool."(P.173)
Ellis at the beginning of the novel appears quite conservative, he looks well groomed, new and tidy, but Ellis wasn't happy with this appearance he wanted to look more scruffy and rebellious. He wants to change but is unsure how to and is unsure as to which direction he wants to take his life.
Margaret Mahy: Christchurch children's librarian, ...
Christo (left), wrapped the Reichstag in Berlin, t...
English: ChristoEllis didn't want his life to be quite so boring, he wanted to go wild and have adventures he also wanted to physically change as well, "for he did not want to look quite so wholesome - quite so new."(p.11) Ellis comes across as a geek and as unworldly, we get the strong impression that he doesn't break any rules, does what he's told and he wanted to change that.
After Ellis promised himself that he was going to change with no apologies he got drunk which we get the feeling he doesn't do very often at all. Ellis woke up in the morning with a very vague idea of what had happened the night before, he remembered meeting Pandora and Phipps, dancing with Leona, "this was an adventure, he was dancing with a beautiful woman" and not all that much after that.