Taronga is a novel written by Victor Kelleher, which is set in Australia in 1987, two years after Last Days, a tragedy caused by Chernobyl. Australia had been pushed into anarchy, and it had become a fight for survival. The weak were killed, and the strong became stronger. In the novel Taronga, by Victor Kelleher, there are many groups which are represented, and these representations either reinforce or challenge my attitudes on these groups. The groups represented that will be discussed are heroes, males, females, leaders and survivors.
Ben, the main character of the novel Taronga, is a representation of a hero which reinforces my attitudes regarding this group, yet challenges the stereotypical or society’s attitudes. Ben is constructed as being quiet and submissive, such as the fact that he stayed for a long time and put up with Greg using him for his telepathic gift, before finally coming into his own and running away. This is another example of Ben’s submissiveness – he chose to sneak away from Greg quietly in the dead of the night, instead of a fight or a loud confrontation. He is also a humanitarian, as he cares for other animals, even when killing them.
This reinforces my attitudes and views on heroes, as I believe that most true heroes are quiet, usually introverted, and do things to make the community better – often without receiving the recognition they deserve. The extroverted heroes, such as Superman, is what society expects, and because of this they often overlook the real heroes. On the other hand, Ben is not a passive character. He takes control of situations, such as when he arranges a meeting with Chas and tells him his plan (which was all untrue) which was the only way that he, Ellie and the animals would be able to escape from Taronga Zoo.
I believe that that is how a true hero would react – he would think over the situation carefully, come up with the best solution, and act on it. Society is always hoping for the more exciting hero, the one who would go out and beat up the villains and rescue the helpless girl. To look at Ben’s appearance, he is around 14, small, wears old, ragged clothes and has bare feet. Stereotypical heroes, again using the well-known example of Superman wear loud, colorful costumes and have a muscley body and broad shoulders.
I believe that you don’t have to be big and muscley to be a hero, that a hero can be anyone who takes control of a situation and puts someone else’s life before theirs. Therefore, the representation of heroes that is portrayed in the novel, through the main character, Ben, reinforces my views, yet challenges society’s view about this group. Ellie, the heroine of the novel Taronga, by Victor Kelleher, is a representation of a female which also reinforces my views on this group. Ellie is constructed as being caring, kind and compassionate, such as when she saves Ben from being eaten by the tigers.
I think that Ellie is a great representation of a female, as she contradicts society’s views on women. Many women rely on their beauty to get themselves through life – for instance, have you ever read a fairytale where the handsome prince rescues an unattractive, overweight woman? Ellie is described as being around 14, thin, Aboriginal and stick-like, yet she still is the heroine of the story, and she still is the one that the hero of the novel, Ben, goes walking off into the sunset with.
Like Ben, Ellie is quiet and submissive, yet she is not passive, as is shown when she and Ben cut a hole in the security fence and let all of the animals escape. I believe that women do not have to be beautiful to be able to take control of their lives and make a valuable contribution to society. Ellie was also proud of her heritage, and at no point was the fact that she was an Aboriginal a disadvantage to her. Her love and unselfish compassion for animals reveals a kind and loving heart, yet she still shows an inner strength which allows her determination and sense of responsibility to shine through.
Lastly, Ellie responds positively to responsibility, such as when she saves Ben from the tigers, and when she helps Ben cage the tigers for the first time, even though she was putting her own life at risk. Therefore, the representation of women that is portrayed in the novel Taronga, through the heroine, Ellie, reinforces my views, yet challenges society’s views regarding this group. Molly, the female villain in the novel Taronga, by Victor Kelleher, is a representation of a leader that reinforces my views on leaders, and also reinforces society’s views and attitudes on leaders, and those with power.
Molly is described as being impatient, an extremist, cold, tired, selfish and with total disregard for others. An example of these characteristics is shown when she tortures the two prisoners, for no reason except for personal pleasure, and to once again flaunt her power to those subjected to it. Society often views leaders and those with power as hypocrites, people who often put their own people in danger, and yet shield themselves from it. An example from the novel is on page 105, when Molly sends out a search party from her own followers.
Molly had conveniently hidden herself in the center of Taronga Zoo, yet she sends her people out to fight and to die for her. A real life example of this is the situation in Kosovar at the moment: President Slobodan Milosevic sends his men out to fight and be killed by the dozen, yet he and his family hide in a different house each to avoid being found and possibly killed. In the narrative, Molly was aiming to bring dictatorship into anarchy, and many people were following her, simply because insecure people often feel the need to take orders from someone.
Therefore, the representation of leaders, shown through the character Molly, the female villain in the novel Taronga, reinforces both my views and society’s view on this group. Chas, the male villain in the novel Taronga, by Victor Kelleher, is a representation of a male which reinforces my views, and also reinforces society’s stereotypical views on this group. Chas is described as being bold, strong-willed and persistent, which is a typical description of a man. An example of these characteristics in the narrative is on page 56, when Chas forces Ben to enter Taronga Zoo for the first time by threatening him and acting tough.
He is trying to intimidate Ben by acting strong and tough. This representation reinforces my views on males, as I believe that although men act tough, and would like to believe that they are, most are only pretending to make themselves feel stronger, and so that they do not have to deal with their emotions. I believe that men have been put into a difficult situation as when men are small boys they are taught that crying is a sign of weakness. I believe this is why men have so many stress related illnesses – such as heart attacks, strokes etc.
I believe that men resolve problems by fixing or doing, whereas women resolve problems by talking them through. Therefore, when a problem can’t be fixed, a man feels inadequate, and usually retreats further into himself. This is why a lot of men act tough – to make themselves useful again and to make themselves feel stronger. Therefore, the representation of males, shown through the character Chas, the male villain in the novel Taronga, reinforces both my views and society’s view on this group.
Steve, one of the people who follow and obey Molly’s orders, is a representation of a follower that reinforces my views on this group, and again also reinforces society’s views on this group. Steve, and other followers like him, are described as being insecure, cautious, and passive. Examples of these characteristics in the text is when Steve hit Ellie, only because he knew that that was what Molly wanted him to do, not because he felt the need to do it himself. Another example is when Molly was trying to organize a group to go out and kill some outsiders, only to stop the amount of break-ins and to keep the numbers down.
The people following Molly were begging her to choose them for the job, again, only because they feel that if they do as they are asked, they will be loved in return. I believe that lack of love in the family home is the most obvious and common reason that people search their whole lives through for the love they didn’t get at home. Thus, they are willing to obey anyone who is willing to order them around, to make themselves feel useful and to make themselves believe that they are needed and loved by the people leading them.
Therefore, the representation of followers, shown through the character Steve, reinforces both my views and society’s view on this group. In the novel Taronga, by Victor Kelleher, there are many groups which are represented, and, as shown, these representations either reinforce or challenge my attitudes on these groups. As can be seen, most of the representations reinforce my attitudes, which shows that my ideologies are very similar to that of Victor Kellerher’s, which means that we share very similar values and attitudes.
