True History of the Kelly Gang

Ned Kelly the Hero. Ned Kelly the murderer. Ned Kelly the rebel. Ned Kelly the Saint. Ever since his famous death in 1880 in Melbourne, an all out battle has been fought by Australian’s, and others from around the world who sought to have their point of view sounded, all would swear that their interpretation of the person, Mr Kelly, was the most accurate. The infamous story of a man who grew up in trying times and suffered great persecution from the Victorian Police Force, facing the frustration of living in a land where the son of a convict would always be labelled as so. The idea of a man fighting back against his oppressors is enough to inspire even the most timid of hearts, but can it ever be claimed that the person of Ned Kelly can be understood in the truest sense? Peter Carey, an author who won The Booker Prize in 2001 for his book, sought to give Ned Kelly a voice of his own, through writing True History of the Kelly Gang. This tale is told through the supposed eyes of Mr Kelly, whose desire was to inform his unborn daughter of his real story, which could not be tainted, for he would not be alive to tell her as his end was near. However, the question still burns: to what extent does Carey evoke the real Ned Kelly?
Many have formed the opinion that Ned was a murderous tyrant who took the law into his own hands and killed innocent people. The message that he sends to the following generations to some seemed as though he were condoning the use of violence to solve ones problems, for he retaliated against his oppressors in an extremely aggressive way. Can the children of today liken this man to that of a hero, taking on the righteous justifications that he gave so passionately in regard to his actions? Mr Kelly stole horses, robbed banks with his mates and killed policemen, all for the sake of his quest for justice. What is justice then? Who has the right to deliver it? Ned Kelly seemed to think that he was the one who should have that