Melina Marchetta’s “Looking for Alibrandi” Essay

In Melina Marchettas novel, feeling for Alibrandi, the theme of identity is a process of discovery along a locomote for most of the characters. Although john Bartons journey is short by the end, he knew what he precious and he made sure that no one was hurt more than than requisite when he achieved it. Josephine Alibrandi discovers her identity after many a(prenominal) developments in her life, many of which include Jacob Coote, hind end Barton and Katia Alibrandi. Katia Alibrandi, Josies grandmother, (nonna) has experienced a lot in her time but still motives Josies help to permit go of her past. Jacob Coote went along with what everyone expected of him until he met Josie. She helps him to reopen the door to his journey of identity. Melina Marchetta has provided a text with the identity issues that many face and she has provided her readers with verbotencomes that ground to be perfect examples of the outcomes of discovery of identity. thaumaturgy Barton does non realise what he insufficiencys in life but he cuts what he does non want. He does non want to follow in his fathers foot grades to make promises I cant keepI jadet want a lot of responsibilities in lifeI dont want to climb to the top (pg 47). As rump Barton continues to discover his identity, he dis analogouss it more and more. He convinces himself that he does not want to live anymore. It is a fact that many teenagers face and Marchetta portrays it extremely well though toilet Barton. When John First tells Josie that he does not want to live anymore, she, like many teenage friends, did not fully find. At get-go I didnt understand watching those vacant eyes I get he meant no other life (pg 134). Many songs portray the feelings that John Barton fells, an excellent example being the chorus of Simple Plans Welcome to my LifeTo be hurtTo fell lostTo be left out in the darkTo be kickedWhen youre downwardTo feel like youve been pushed aroundTo be on the edge of break downAnd no ones there to save youNo, you dont know what its likeWelcome to my lifeThe next time that Josie and John are alone together, he seemed fine, there was a euphoria near him that was catching, (pg 228). Marchetta foreshadows John Bartons succeeding(a) with the link of I dont bring forward I want to live this life anymore, (pg 134) and Ive got my whole future planned out the mood I want it and there is nothing anyone can do to take that away from me, (pg 229). The journey of John Barton may arrive at been short, but that just made it exclusively the more necessary to understand.Josephine Alibrandi is a senior student, at St Marthas College, who is confused with her social and ethnic status. Josie considers herself to be stuck between two cultures, Australian and Italian. As far as the Italians are concerned we werent completely one of them. Yet because my grandparents were natural in Italy we werent completely Australian, (pg 7) Josie also feels that she does not fit in at school. The ones like me didnt belong in the eastern and Yankee suburbs, (pg 8). Josie hated Ivy Lloyd, yet envied her social status and desperately cherished to belong to her world. No matter how much I hate toxicant Ivy, I want to belong to her worlda world where I can be accepted, (pg 32). All she wants more than anything is to be free and see for myself. Not as an Australian and not as an Italian and not as an in between, (back cover). It was not until after Josie left the walk-a-thon that she realised, with Sister Louises help, that she and her friends were not as soci every last(predicate)y out of it as they thought.Socially we werent as shitty as we thought we were, (pg 184). With the mixture of JohnBartons death and Jacob Coote, breaking up with her Josie realised that she wouldnt wake up one day and everything would feel liberated. It had taken her a category to shape so. I just sat there recollecting back on the year and I realised that I was emancipated long ago. It wasnt one particular point either it was several, (pg 258). The walk-a-thon was one of those points, I intend feeling socially out of it at St Marthas, yet when the fiasco of the walk-a-thon happened, I realised I wasnt, (pg 258), after Nonna telling her nigh Marcus Sandford she realised that her bend sinister had never been my cross. I had only made it mine, (pg 258) and with her culture she realises that she is not where the mess stimulate placed her but an Australian with Italian blood period rapidly through her veins, (pg 259). Josie realises that no matter how perfect she is state allow for still talk. She realises that it only matters who I feel like I am and I feel like Michael and Christinas female child Sera, Anna and Lees friend and Robertss cousin, (pg 261).Katia Alibrandi, nonna, is always contend with her daughter, Christina Alibrandi, and her granddaughter, Josephine Alibrandi. Josie think ofs that it is because her grandmother loves to meddle and is forever worr ying about what people think and talk about. She tends to forget that all she does to mama when theyre together is nag her about the way shes bringing me up, (pg 34). Melina Marchetta foreshadows a hint of secrecy and betrayal in Nonna Katias past with I understand, Christina, more than you think I do, (pg 97) when they are fighting about her going out on a date. It was not until Josie gave in to the urge to ask about the photos in Katias house that Katia told anyone about the mysterious Marcus Sandford, even if it was only a fraction of the whole story.She told Josie about her life in a country where no one could understand her. You do not know how much I hated Australia for the first year. No friends. No people who spoke the same language as me, (pg 114) Melina Marchetta foreshadows the same hint of secrecy and betrayal with another clue Francesco couldnt afford to come home and then go away once againI wasalone for Christmas, (pg 200). Then when Josie was at her Mothers natal da y party it was said conceived a week before which was Christmas day, (pg 215) Josie was furious at her Nonna because she had been such a hypocrite, and it took her a week to realisethat she did not care. Katia told Josie all about the affair with Marcus Sandford and Josie realised Nonna hadnt live the life the way I thoughhadnt worried about what other people thought. She had taken chances. Broken rules, (pg 226). Katia Alibrandi, by discussing her journey of identity with her granddaughter, has re-established the relationship with her daughter and granddaughter.Everyone expects Jacob Coote amount to nothing and he would be more than happy to prove them right, he was proud of getting bad marks and thought that it did not matter because he was going to be a auto-mechanic. Right from the etymon he had decided what he was going to be because it was easy and no one expected more from him. That was until he met Josephine Alibrandi. She was smart, and he did not think he was. Youre intel lectual. Im an idiot, (pg 249). When the started going out he started to change, I think that during that year Jacob got a bit more aspirant than he used to be, (pg 260). He did not want to be a mechanic that worked all day and complained about house payments and petrol prices, he wanted to be a mechanic that has a variety of options, and he wants to discover his identity.Because you opened me up to this whole new world out there. I dont want to become a mechanic and work all day long and then at iniquity go to the pub and marry someone just like me and have two children and whinge about housing payments and petrol prices and the economy But this year I realised, because of you, that there is more to life I want to step outside my circle and look at other options. I dont want to be stereotyped because of the school I examine or the suburb I live in, (pg 251)Melina Marchetta has written a novel, Looking of Alibrandi, which shows the youth of today that in order to discover your id entity you need to have travelled the journey of life, however short that may be. She uses John Barton, Josephine Alibrandi, Katia Alibrandi and Jacob Coote to show that no matter how old or how bad you think you life is you can still make the decisions to make it better or worse. She cleverly states that when you no longer have the ability to dream you have nothing left to hope for. And to be that smart means you know the answers and when you know all the answerstheres no room for dreaming.