Is Ned really in love with Mary or is he just infatuated with her, infatuated with the idea of being in love. Ned hadn’t kissed a girl in all his life and when the moment arrived he was twenty four years old, well passed adolescence. How long had his hormones been in a frenzy waiting for any stimulation from the fairer sex? And when he met Marry he didn’t have to wait long to go from first base to home plate. Matter of fact Ned hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded in game seven of the World Series.
This intense and primal experience seems to overwhelm Ned Kelly, he speaks of love within their first meeting. Yet he doesn’t know her favorite color, band, book, whether she is conservative or liberal, if she can cook. I don’t doubt that Ned thinks he is in love, but I believe him to be under the influence of a serious dopamine rush. The fact that she’s easy on the eyes doesn’t hurt either. The early stages of most relationships are blissful; it’s the latter episodes when things sour. Once you really learn who a person is and how they think and respond to things. When they start to aggravate you with their mundane rituals, that’s when one has to decide if the pros outweigh the cons and it’s worth the trouble.
Mary is only seventeen; she isn’t even fully developed, mentally, psychologically. What I mean is that a person transforms throughout their lifetime with experiences and the wisdom that comes along with those experiences. She may not be the same person in five years. Maybe that’s looking too far into the future, but these kids are making major life decisions with little or no thought, acting on impulse and emotion. Not a good move.
If I were Ned I would like to consult Maury Povich on one of his DNA “Baby Daddy” Episodes. Mary seems to be a little on the promiscuous side. At seventeen she has a baby with a married man and seduces Ned in a single night without even knowing his middle name.
“In the case of Ned Kelly and Marry Hearns… Ned you are ______the father.”
I believe that Ned and Mary really loved each other. If it was just a physical, superficial relationship they had, I don't think they would have stayed together as long as they did. I don't think they would have tried to remain a family in the midst of all the danger and trials around them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm pretty sure Ned was the father of the baby girl. Mary expresses such a concern for the child having something to remember her father by. She encourages Ned to write out his story and states this is "So when our daughter comes into the world she will always know the proper story of her da and who he is and what he suffered" (277).
I think that Ned's connection to his daughter was a reflection of his true love for Mary. He stated that she "was [his] future right way from that moment [she] was [his] life" (277).
When Mary actually left Ned, I don't think it was an easy decision for her at all. As she was crying, she begged Ned to come with her to California so they could all be safe. She was genuinely concerned with his safety and wanted to settle down and live a "normal" family life. Once she left, she still informed him of the birth of his baby, which demonstrates that she still cared for him and had him on her mind.
While I usually don't believe in "love at first sight" which is what seems to be what happened between Mary and Ned, I think this was an exception and their love was real and lasting, even if it did not have a fairy tale ending.
(Also, I think this would have been more of a Jerry Springer case than a Maury case. Maury just isn't as exciting. Not enough screaming and fighting.)