Looking for Alibrandi in Meling Marchetta

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Recommended: Problems with racism in literature

Melina Marchetta

In what ways does Melina Marchetta comment on racial and cultural differences, and how effectively does her novel reflect reality?

Looking for Alibrandi is a novel that discusses many racial and cultural differences and portrays the issues with a perspective very similar to reality. Marchetta addresses these issues with a true understanding as she grew up in the same conditions as Josephine Alibrandi. The main issue is how racism affects Josephine Alibrandi and how it changes her social experiences throughout the novel. Being of Italian descent, Josephine finds it very difficult to blend in with everyone else without being considered an outsider. This is what really exposes Josephines’ emotions in a way that fully reveals how she looks at racism, cultural differences and being able to fit in.

The cultural difference Marchetta is trying to show is how Josephine does not initially think of herself as being from a different racial background even though she knows that she is no different from Sera as they have the same roots. “She’s the stereotype of a wog yet she doesn’t give a damn” (20). This really outlines Josephine and her character’s growth for the rest of the novel as she starts to accept the fact that she is of Italian descent.

Josephine envies Ivy Lloyd because of her being 100% Australian. Josephine feels smaller, weaker and less powerful overall just because of her cultural difference. “I want to belong to her world. The world of sleek haircuts and upper-class privileges. People who know famous people and lead educated lives. A world where I can be accepted.” (8)
Please, God, let me be accepted by someone other than the underdog” (32). The quotation directly addresses this point by showing Jos...

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...orld and in the novel. Marchetta used commonly found trends in teenagers, in Australia such as fitting in. The novel started off with Josephine was very unsure of her identity and because of this; Josephine started searching for acceptance through her grandmother, Nonna. The reason for Josephine’s creation was to show the reading audience someone who is truly struggling and it gives them someone to relate to in one social issue or another. Most teenagers reading this book would agree and say that they have had to go through one of the social issues mentioned in the novel which allows them to have a stronger connection to the novel. Every character in the novel was paired or matched with their own social issue which supports the author’s idea of creating this novel, where Marchetta discusses social issues of teenagers and reflects it upon teenagers in the real world.

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