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 human

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.

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.

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

Some common words found in the essay are:
Victor Kelleher, Taronga Zoo, Ellie Molly, Slobodan Milosevic, Ben Ellie, Lastly Ellie, Chernobyl Australia, , novel taronga, reinforces views, Victor Kellerher's, victor kelleher, taronga victor, novel taronga victor, Taronga Victor, taronga victor kelleher, villain novel taronga, society's views, society's view, villain novel, themselves feel, shown character, views society's view, representations reinforce, reinforces views society's,
Approximate Word count = 1648
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)