Looking Fo Alibrandi :: essays research papers

Growing up is complex, especially in a society with different cultural background. This is the major issue the novel â€Å"Looking for Alibrandi† discusses. A realistic view through the eyes of a seventeen-year old Italian girl, Josephine is presented. Josephine’s like many teenagers that have learned from their mistakes. This is the long road that everybody meets while growing up. Learning to become an adult has many different responsibilities and every teenager has to deal with these issues. Once they pass a certain age different responsibilities have to be dealt with. Taking care of yourself is necessary before you can begin to help others. Most teenagers have to know what they want. In reference to â€Å"Looking for Alibrandi† Josephine had trouble taking her responsibilities seriously. Either being a school captain for example, on school sports day Josephine was supposed to look after a group of students but instead went to the city with her friends. Her goal in life was to become a lawyer and after getting a scholarship she tried everything to get good marks. However she did not know how to be mature in front of adults. She kept proving that she was immature by the way she acted with her parents, Sister Gregory, grandmother and her boyfriend. By the end of the novel Josephine reflects on the way she has acted throughout the year and why she has act ed that way. The relationships within a family influence the way a young person grows up. Children who grow up without either parent will lack part of their growing up. For instance a male growing up without a father misses out on male companionship. Without a mother he will lack a part of his caring side. On the other hand a daughter growing up without her mother will miss the neutering and caring side, basically a mothers love. If she where to grow up without a father she would have a confusing time trying to relate to most men and the protection of a father around. In Josephine Alibrandi’s case she never knew what it was like to have a father around. In some parts of the novel she recounts the time when she felt he was needed most. There is the conflict between the Italian cultural traditions and values compared to the Australian way of life. Growing up can be difficult and confusing trying to adapt from one culture to another.