The novel ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ centres on Josie, her experiences and growing up. The novel also focusses largely on Josie’s relationships with her family, her friends, John Barton and Jacob Coote. Melina Marchetta explores various themes in ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ through dialogue, actions, reactions and relationships. Marchetta extensively explores the themes of family, tradition and culture/identity using different relationship, reactions, actions and dialogue. Throughout the novel, the theme of tradition is shown thoroughly using relationships, actions, reactions and dialogue. Tradition is hugely important in this novel, as it is a big part of both John’s and Josie’s lives. Marchetta compares two different reactions to tradition, and …show more content…
Family is extremely important throughout the novel, as it is a big part of Josie’s culture, and is focussed on during the book. Josie’s family also influences her greatly, especially in her traditions, culture and identity. This is evident in the relationship between Katia and Josie, as it shows both the good and bad aspects of family. “I realised that maybe I loved her as much as I disliked her” (page 38) This shows that although she fights with her grandmother, she loves her a lot because she is her grandmother. This is especially prominent towards the end of the book, as the relationship between Katia and Josie, grows and becomes stronger. Their bond is stronger because of Katia’s stories, and as Josie finally understands her actions, and accepts her. Marchetta used this relationship to relate to readers, as most families fight, but ultimately love each other very much. Christina’s actions show how much she loves Josie, and her family. Christina has sacrificed a lot for Josie, because she loves her and she is her mother. Furthermore, through Christina’s actions, the readers see how her parents (Francesco and Katia) react to family. Francesco resents Christina because she isn’t his daughter, but Katia loves her and wants to keep her family together. Josie reacts to her illegitimacy badly; she absolutely hates that she is illegitimate. Additionally, when she meets her father, she reacts angrily and passionately. Josie also thought she was fine without a father, however once Michael comes back and they start building a relationship, she realises that she needed a father. Josie also finally understands “how it felt walking alongside one’s father” (page 96) Josie’s relationship with Michael shows the bond that families have and also how families can change each other. Josie changes throughout the book, in large because of her different experiences and
The family dynamics of the household changed throughout the years of Dominic’s childhood. When Dominic was born, we lived in a rural neighborhood apartment that was not completely safe (My Virtual Child). Once Dominic’s sister Alexandra was born, we began saving more money and purchased a house in a safe rural neighborhood. At the end of Dominic’s childhood the household consisted of both parents and two children, Dominic and Alexandra. Throughout his childhood, his uncle stayed a summer and on another occasion a different uncle stayed for a few weeks. Both parents were employed throughout the entire childhood which resulted in placing Dominic in child-care as soon as possible (My Virtual Child).
Josie feels as if her traditions will only give her more problems. “She wants to know why other Italian girls have Italian boyfriends and I don’t. If I want to go out with Australians, she objects. ‘What do they know about culture?’ she asks. ‘Do they understand the way we live?’”Nonna wants Josie to marry an Italian man in the future, but she herself had an affair with an Australian when she was young. She decides to hide the guilt and take the frustrations out on Christina and Josie by saying that “a daughter’s behaviour always reflects on how a good mother is.”. Josie’s relationship with Jacob lets her understand how relaxed the Australian culture is. Josie doesn’t want Jacob to meet her parents as she knows that they won’t accept him as he lives “without religion and culture.”, but it has let Josie understand that Australia is a multicultural country and that living there with another background does not make you
Through the protagonist, Josie the audiences learn that being an illegitimate and meeting one’s parent is hard to tackle but that feeling will eventually change once the individual has known their parent. “How dare you think that I want to be in your life! I don’t want you anywhere near us, especially my mother.” is the dialogue that Josie has told Michael when they had their first conversation.
Firstly, being in an Italian in an Australian society has affected Josie in many different ways because the way people view her affects her in the start of the novel because she doesn’t know who she is because she hasn’t developed her cultural identity. Later in the novel, she accepts that she is a ‘wog’ and this affects
Sone describes the relationships she had with her parents and siblings. She seems very pleased with and delighted by the differing, yet caring personalities of each person in her family.
‘In the best monodramas, (…) the audience is offered an intensity of focus and a special intimacy with character’ (Harmer, W., 1996:47) which helps to establish the relatable themes found in both Box the Pony and What is the Matter with Mary Jane?. Despite the contrast of the monodramas, both raise critical topics of survival, inner strength and escape. Yet, the personal and confronting nature of both storylines are tackled in humorous ways removing any sense of pessimism. Box the Pony unearths a journey through the highs and lows of “(…) Aboriginal women, mother, sister, daughter, actor, singer and activist,” (Sheahan-Bright,R., 1996:127) Leah Purcell. In spite of Leah having an arduous upbringing and nearly disastrous adulthood, she sends herself up...
The writer incorporates a lot of repeated names for the characters which made it difficult to distinguish the certain characters a different given times and their connection to Josie in the script. For example, in the beginning, the writer shows Josie in a soon to be ended relationship with
The points that will be discussed to do with the novel I have read called ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ written by Lina Marchetta, will involve me talking about how Josephine Alibrandi being the child of a single mother, Australian, female and being Italian which effects Josephine in all those points. I will be writing about how she copes being a bastard child in an Italian culture and how Josephine’s relationship with her dad is. I will talk about how Josephine being Italian and Australian effects her and why it effects her and I will talk about how Josephine copes being female in an Italian culture and how it effects her personally.
In the final scene in Looking for Alibrandi the theme of the search for identity is portrayed through the resolution of Josie's issue of not feeling like she
In Alice Walker’s story “Everyday Use,” symbolism, allegory, and myth stand out when thinking about the characters, setting, and conflict in the story. The conflict is between the mother and her two daughters (Maggie and Dee). There is also the conflict between the family’s heritage (symbolized by the quilt, bench, and butter chum) and their different ways of life. Dee chose a new African name, moved to the city, and adopted a new way of life while Maggie and her mother have stay behind. The quilt (the most important symbol) represents the family’s heritage in that it is made of scraps of clothing worn by generations of family members. The quilt has been sewn by family hands and used on family beds. It has seen history and is history. Maggie and her mother see that that history is alive but Dee thinks it is as dead as her name. Dee does not see that name as part of her heritage. By analyzing these symbols, a number of possibilities for a theme can be seen. Walker could be suggesting that to understand the African-American heritage, readers have to include the present as well as the past. However, the theme could be that poverty and a lack of sophistication and education cannot be equated with ignorance. Lastly, she could be telling her readers that dignity or self-respect rise from and are virtually connected to one’s entire heritage- not just a selected part of it.
Since Ma’s kidnapping, seven years prior, she has survived in the shed of her capturer’s backyard. This novel contains literary elements that are not only crucial to the story, but give significance as well. The point-of-view brings a powerful perspective for the audience, while the setting and atmosphere not only affect the characters but evokes emotion and gives the reader a mental picture of their lives, and the impacting theme along-side conflict, both internal and external, are shown throughout the novel. The author chooses to write the novel through the eyes of the main character and narrator, Jack. Jack’s perception of the world is confined to an eleven foot square room.
Family is one of those words that have a significant meaning to various individuals. Family may be viewed one way to an individual and another way to someone else. Family consists of those who have played a particular role in one’s life, whether it is positive or negative. In this paper, I will assess Reymundo’s family both nuclear and extended and speak of how his family has become significant in his life and how they have played a role in his decisions. I will also speak of my personal reactions to the story as well as address ways that as a social worker I could work to impact the gang problems in Orlando.
Josie's father has had very little immediate impact on her life thus far. When her father did arrive in back in Sydney Josie is naturally angry at him. This is a totally acceptable form of behaviour considering the circumstance, but her anger not only stems from her own personal experience. Josie had to grow up knowing that her father had abandoed her and her mother, pushing her Christina into being a single parent bringing up her child alone.
Nina is one of the main characters in this movie and Josie is her best friend. A scene where their friendship is characterized is one where Josie and Nina are riding in a cab. Josie gets upset with Nina (briefly) when she finds out that Nina has had sex with Darius (the other main character) on the first night they went out. The haste in which they have had sex does not bother her as much as the fact that Nina does not tell her. This example is a direct correlation to one of the themes of women?s friendship that intimacy is cultivated through dialogue. This suggest that women build closeness in their friendships dialogue and by Nina not telling, it breaks the code of intimacy in a way. The establishment of a new relationship something like this that is an important part of Nina?s life, and excluding Josie from that is what is troubling her. Even though I do not believe that to be true in this example, that can be argued as a reason Nina doesn?t share.
Regretfully, though readers can see how Mama has had a difficult time in being a single mother and raising two daughters, Dee, the oldest daughter, refuses to acknowledge this. For she instead hold the misconception that heritage is simply material or rather artificial and does not lie in ones heart. However, from Mama’s narrations, readers are aware that this cultural tradition does lie within ones heart, especially those of Mama’s and Maggie’s, and that it is the pure foundation over any external definition.