The first parcel of True History of the Kelly Gang is laden with brief moments of innocence that are found scattered throughout most typical examples of childhood and which seldom occur later in life. One example of such a moment occurs when Ned experiences the birth of his younger sister Grace, immediately after which he refers to her as "our precious baby" and "love[s] her as if she were [his] very own." Despite the fact that the audience knows that Ned Kelly will grow up to be a murderous outlaw, he is presented as no more malevolent than any other boy of his age. This view of his character is likely to contrast sharply with soon-to-come presentation of the criminal he becomes.
The choppy, unsophisticated style of Carey's writing contributes to his depiction of Ned Kelly's innocence, a technique that isn't often seen in novels that detail the life and exploits of a single person. Ned Kelly's inarticulate prose may prove to be a product of semi-illiteracy resulting from an inadequate education, and it is likely that his writing style will not improve greatly over the course of the novel; the confusing effect his diction has on the reader, however, might still call to mind the childlike qualities associated with the Ned Kelly of the earliest portion of the book. This, in turn, might serve to humanize the murderous image of Ned Kelly that is yet to come. After all, all criminals were once children and are, even as they approach the gallows, still human.
I think this book is going to take a very different turn from the one you are outlining here in your first paragraph. We've all heard the saying "history is written by the winners," and while I imagine it's an overused reference, it's a true statement. Carey is writing a novel from the viewpoint of the losers, and therefore, will probably not portray history in the way it is laid out in authoritative documentation.
ReplyDeleteThis book is written from the viewpoint of an Irish man in a time when the Irish were below second-class citizens. Carey is going to portray "the injustice [the] Irish suffered" (7), not the reasons by the British persecuted them. I highly doubt that Ned Kelly will ultimately be portrayed as a "murderous outlaw," as you say, but rather, that we will be given the human side of a criminal already smothered in legend; I have predict that the human side of Ned Kelly's story may make us doubt the fact that he was ever a horrible outlaw. Just going off the basis that he is the protagonist, I imagine Carey will do his best to make us fall in love with him.