Initially, Melina Marchetta delves into the topic of bias in her work. In the novel, the character Josephine is consistently subjected to prejudice, whether from her family or at school. This often makes her feel isolated and despondent. Moreover, Josie too exhibits signs of preconceived notions about others in her life. She initially perceived her Nonna as a self-centered, overbearing woman who only had her own interests at heart. However, as the novel 'Looking For Alibrandi' unfolds, Josie is enlightened about Nonna’s past involving Francesco and Marcus Sandford.
Josie comes to realize that Nona's life wasn't as cushy as she initially perceived. She discovers the hardships that Nonna had to endure in her early life with her husband Francesco, who whisked her away from her family and home in Sicily to Northern Queensland where she was often
...treated as an outsider and badly by others. Often, she was treated no better than a farm animal under Francesco's hand. Josie recognizes that Francesco cannot be her father based on Nona's admission that she spent four solitary months, from November to February, a period indicating the time of her conception.
Nevertheless, it felt improbable when everyone today was jesting about Mama getting conceived on New Year's Day. I found it hard to believe Mama could have been conceived on such a day when Nonna was away in the North, and the genuine grandfather is Marcus Sandford. The phrase "You slept with Marcus Sandford", resonates with her. Upon discovering this, she wishes to inflict pain, shame Nonna as she had done to Christina when it was revealed that Christina was expecting Josie’s child. However, upon hearing Nonna's narrative and understanding
how Francesco treated her poorly, Josie commences forgiving Nonna and understands that Nonna's intentions were always to shield Christina the best way she could throughout her life.
Josie starts perceiving Nonna not as a doting, self-absorbed grandmother, who only cares about her own wellbeing, but as a mother who attempted to guard her daughter in the most effective manner she knew. A fresh camaraderie blossoms between Josie and Nonna, pledging to keep this a secret from Josie’s mom Christina. Josie recognizes that she is “cherished by two of the most formidable women she would ever encounter.” As Josie navigates through life, particularly during her H.S.C year at St Martha’s, she modifies her perspective about several people in many unexpected ways.
During the progression of Looking For Alibrandi, Josie starts to understand that people's true nature may not always align with their appearances, as instances like John's suicide, the surprising return of Michael Andretti, and the revelation of Nonna's hidden secret show. She realizes that people change over time, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. Another significant theme in the novel is Josephine's social interactions whether they are friendly or romantic, which is unequivocally important in the book. Among all her relationships illustrated in the novel, her bond with her father, Michael Andretti, stands out as the most crucial one.
A connection between Michael and Jose is absent until a pivotal moment where Josie assaults Carly with her science textbook, damaging her nose and potentially destroying her prospects in modeling, despite Carly being the instigator of this incident. Even so, her relentless father is intent on suing Jose. Experiencing pride in having a father as Micheal steps in
to defend her, Josie expresses, "I knew how it felt walking alongside one’s father. It was a great feeling". Their relationship deepens when Michael comes to pick up Josie after an unsuccessful ten-minute date with Jacob. The bond continues to thrive as the story unfolds.
In the early parts of the novel, Josie is drawn to John Barton, often addressed as "John, love of my life, Barton". However, John's frequent grumblings about life, specifically "This life is shit" and "I hate this shit life", in combination with the introduction of both Michael Andretti and notably Jacob Coote in the storyline, prompts a change in Josie's affections towards John. Josie's attraction towards John lessens - "I don't know if it was Jacob, but I wasn't attracted to him as I used to be", and she starts seeing him more as an elder brother figure.
John's self-inflicted death profoundly impacts Josie. She had envisioned a future with him, with both of them pursuing law at Sydney University together. She believed John's dissatisfaction with life was temporary until he ended his life. "John's dead. John Barton is dead". Initially, Josie held herself responsible for his death, thinking, "I should have noticed," but Michael and Christina reassured her to the point where she realized it was his own conscious decision to end his life. She realizes it's not about whether she identifies as Josephine Andretti who was never an Alibrandi, or whether she should have been a Sanford or may never be a Coote. What truly matters is how she identifies herself - as Michael and Christina's daughter, as Katie’s granddaughter; a friend to Sera Anna and Lee and a cousin
to Robert. Upon reflecting back on her year, an extraordinary thing occurred. The 'one day' arrived and she finally comprehended its significance.
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