True History of the Kelly Gang essays

True History of the Kelly Gang essays Ned Kelly, the narrator of this fictional account of his life, was a real-life outlaw in the outback of Australia. He lived during the 19th century, and wreaked havoc with his gang, but captured popular attention. Many saw him as a modern-day Robin Hood, who tried to care for his poor relatives by stealing from the wealthy and powerful while evading the inept police for years. Some historians saw him as a brutal and violent man, but Carey's portrayal makes him seem more like a man who was part victim and part determined youth who hated the police, and thus sealed his fate. To make the book more realistic, Carey employs narration that is at times illiterate and yet imaginative. He attempts to portray Ned as what he was, a semi-educated man with the capacity to dream and look forward to the future. For example, Ned "writes" early in the book, "Tis not poverty I hate the most nor the eternal groveling but the insults which grow on it which not even leeches can cure" (Carey 8). His sentences are sometimes difficult to decipher until the reader gets into the rhythm of the book, but one the cadence becomes clear, the reader is caught up in the vivid descriptions of outback life, and the difficulties these settlers had to face. Carey portrays Ned as a kind man who is a victim of circumstance, prejudice against the Irish, and the British colonial rule of Australia at the time. He does not enjoy killing, but can certainly theorize why outside forces consistently influence his actions. When he kills Strahan at Stringybark Creek he says, "What choice did I have' This were the ripe fruit of Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick" (Carey. 250). Kelly is a national folk hero in Australia, and this book only enhances his image. Carey seems to idealize the man whose legend has never died down under, and this book is certainly sympathetic to Kelly and his notorious gang, using the langu...