In the 1992 novel Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta the plot charts the developing maturity of the protagonist Josie Alibrandi. Her personal growth and quest for freedom is shown through her relationships with Michael Andretti her father, John Barton her best friend and Nonna Katia her grandmother. As Josie states early in the novel “I’ll run one day. Run for my life. To be free and think for myself. Not as an Australian not as an Italian and not as an in between. I’ll run to be emancipated. If society will let me” page. The reader is rewarded with finding out if this goal is achieved. Josie’s relationship with her estranged Australian father begins as one of resentment, but as the novel progresses so does Josie’s acceptance and later love for her father. Her initial bitterness stemmed from Josie’s belief that her father abandoned her pregnant, teenage mother and her unborn self. It is …show more content…
Throughout the novel they spend time together and discuss school, relationships and life. John Barton and Josie have very similar personalities although John comes from established wealth and superiority and Josie comes from a different cultural background. Josie expresses her desire for emancipation and freedom from all social pressures and standards. However, when John committees suicide she realises that her perception of John’s life is nothing like the reality it truly was. “I remember when we spoke about our emancipation. The horror is that he had to die to achieve his. The beauty is that I’m living to achieve mine” page 240. Overall Josie’s interactions with John contributed to mould Josie into the young woman she as seen at the end of the novel. John helps Josie to grow and mature by sharing with her new experiences and expanding her knowledge of the world. Through John she learns to let go of her insecurities and to be proud of her culture and background as it is a part of the identity she is still yet