Blog Summary and Discussion Questions

Blog Summary and Discussion Notes 9/22/10

As a class we are very focused on the nature vs. nurture argument that presents with any criminal case, but especially in a case like Ned Kelly’s. Holly led a strong charge for the nurture side in her post, claiming that if Ned had been raised in different circumstances, especially if he had not been sold to Harry Power, he would have become a better man. Thomas, however, felt that the upbringing Ned received was at least an average one – his parent’s instilled in him a sense of morals and family, and his dad taught him how to survive in a harsh world. Roman feels that, given the nature of the society Ned was in, he actually did grow up to be the most contributive member possible – by breaking the law.

The society of Australia at the time is starting to occupy a distinctive form on our blog. As Yu pointed out, the horrid conditions that the poor, like the Kelly’s, live in play a major role in their identities and life choices. Status and wealth, as Morgan and Ashley relate, are closely tied to land. Having land means having the ability to support oneself away from the government. It represents the real life implementation of the do-it-yourself masculine ideal we discussed at length in class. The fact that Ned spends his entire childhood lusting after any land he can get, and pouring his sweat and blood into the unyielding soil of his family’s selection, but then ends up becoming a nomadic bushranger is both a large irony and a serious cause of his hatred for the government.

The true Nature of Ned’s character is a point of curiosity for our group. The beginning of the book and our limited knowledge of Australian history paint Ned as the most law-defying and dangerous outlaw to exist in a country originally populated by criminals. However, the first handful of parcels reveal many softer sides of his nature. His interactions with his siblings, especially his younger sisters, his vows to protect his mother, and the incident with the young boy in the river, all point to a kind and morally sound individual. Carey will do his best in this novel to make us fall in love with an outlaw, and I am very curious to see if any of us manage to resist.

Questions for discussion on unblogged section (approximately parcels 3,4,5,6)

Is Harry Power a real criminal? We mentioned how he is not always feared by those he arrests. However, how about the way he acts with Bill Frost? And what about the way he tricks Ned into thinking he’s a murderer when you can tell it’s eating Ned up on the inside?

Ned is “unable to kill” (132) at multiple places in the book. He has the opportunity to kill both Frost and Power at times when he hates them both, but he doesn’t. Where does he draw the line? What do you think will lead him to kill in the future?

Propriety – Ned can’t let Tom Lloyd go to prison for his own failings, so he gives himself up. On the other hand, he refuses money, the thing his family needs most of all, so as not to be a traitor. We know how much he loves his family, so what does this say? What would you guys do in that situation?

Ned “befriends” a couple of policemen in these parcels. What do you think about his relationship to Fitzpatrick? What about his relationship to Constable Hall? Can any policeman be trusted in this world? What do you think about Ned’s ability to trust a policeman even after everything he’s seen happen in his life? Is he too trusting?