In the beginning of this novel Ned Kelly was a father, provider, and a hero to us all. In the beginning of the book we see that at an early age that it was his "job to replace the father" (41). Ned seems to be the upstanding guy that every story needs. To me Ned was someone that I was rooting for to face, and overcome, all the obstacles that stood in his way from achieving happiness. The author, Peter Carey, skillfully puts us in the mindset that Ned is the one that we can rely on in this novel. Unfortunately as the book begins to progress, so do the characteristics of our valiant Ned Kelly. With the introduction to Harry Power I believe that Carey begins placing our hero down a very slippery slope, that will soon show our hero turning into the dastardly villain that we all have been hesitant to admit to seeing the characteristics of. I believe that Harry Powers purpose within this novel is to somehow unlock, or push, the moral boundaries that have been set for our protagonist. Taking under the wing of a Bushranger not only showed me that Ned's morals could be shaken, but that there was actually some sort of darkness within him that would allow the silence/destruction of his own conscious. Now in the current parts of the book we see that our hero has taken aid, and befriended, the police within his local community. The very people that beat, embarrassed, and incarcerated him and his family members are now the ones that he looks to for help (part 6). I can not help but see that Ned has fully broken down and accepted the hands of the dark side as his friend. I could see him under the wings of the Bushranger, but becoming teammates for the side that we as the reader were rooting against I believe to be inexcusable. My prediction is that our hero will not be a hero in our eyes much longer. The transition from Anakin to Darth Vader is a quick one.
I really like the connection between Ned and Anakin. While I still believe Ned will continue to posses his high moral code, it is true that the road to hell is paved with good virtues. Just as Anakin fell victim to the dark side while trying to be 'good', so can Ned.
ReplyDeleteTo me, Ned Kelly’s morality isn’t changing throughout the novel. Up until the point that we’ve read, he still holds the same beliefs about what is right and wrong, what is acceptable and unacceptable. What changes, and causes him to commit crimes, is his notion of what is worthy of punishment.
ReplyDeleteThroughout his life, Ned Kelly has been propelled forward by punishment, and by the desire to avoid punishment. Normally, one’s morality deters one from wrong actions because they are wrong, not because they inflict punishment (well, a sincere morality at least). But it is obvious to the reader, and obvious to Ned Kelly, that right and wrong are independent of punishment under the present government. When he goes to return a dress to Mrs. Goodman, she swears that it were him who stole it in the first place. I think because of this, Ned Kelly is driven to criminal acts out of desire uphold justice, and to preserve his notion of what is fair, and to restore what is owed to him. I think his morality is the same, just now it has an object, and that object is what he and his family deserve. The ‘wrong’ things that he decides to do, are in all cases so far, are done in order to improve his life and the life of his family in lieu of the unfairness he and his family have thus far suffered.
Which may not be exactly like Darth Vader, but it is pretty close. Darth Vader didn’t go over to the dark side because he was evil; he went over to save his dear Padame. Granted, he got a little sucked in, and I am very worried that may happen to Ned Kelly. But I’ve always sympathized with Darth Vader and the Republic, so I sympathize with Ned Kelly too. No matter how fixed someone believes their morality is, it is always subject to environmental force.
Also:
http://www.motifake.com/demotivational-poster/0808/darth-vader-star-wars-darth-vader-jesus-pope-pedophile-catho-demotivational-poster-1218773821.jpg
I disagree with the comparison of Ned Kelly to Anakin and his change into Darth Vader. To me, Anakin fell into the Dark Side because he was weak and because he saw it as an easy way out to getting what he wanted. Chancellor Palpatine even pushed him a bit in this direction, which allowed Anakin to fall easier into the trap of the Dark Side.
ReplyDeleteI think Ned Kelly is having a difficult time keeping his moral values while he is also trying to defend himself agianst a corrupt government. However, I do believe that he is doing the best he can in his mind, and that, instead of being weak and letting the government walk all over him, he is fighting back and exposing the government's problems. Though he may be stealing or killing people, he is also holding on to his values, such as not being a traitor. With regards to the conversation on Friday on whether or not he is a hero, I do not think he is a villain, nor do I think he is exactly a hero. But I do think he is taking the best action that HE can with HIS background and HIS situation at present.