Looking for Alibrandi Essay Questions

How does Josie's story represent a traditional coming-of-age arc?

Josie is very conflicted about her future throughout Looking for Alibrandi: she doesn't know whether she wants to attend the optional Year 13 at her school, and doesn't have concrete plans for her future. A large part of her arc is coming to terms with that uncertainty, and being able to understand that while life is hard and presents more problems than she ever thought possible, it's okay not to have all of the answers yet, and to embrace uncertainty and the potential for failure. She also experiences growth in her relationships, as she comes to understand her parents and grandmother not just as black and white caricatures of themselves, but as nuanced people with strengths and weaknesses. As she comes to understand her family and who she is in relation to them, she matures and understands her place in the world and her family history, solidifying her coming-of-age storyline.

How do Josie and her mother parallel each other?

Both Josie and Christina grew up with single mothers and have strained relationships with those mothers: Josie's father left Christina when she found out that she was pregnant, and Christina's real father (the man Nonna Katia had an affair with) wasn't present in her life. Because of this, both of them spent the majority of their time with their mothers, and have complicated relationships with them because of that. Josie and her mother are close, but that closeness occasionally gives way to arguments and tension because they understand each other so well. Christina and Nonna Katia have very different opinions of the world, and argue a lot because of that, arguments that are caused in part by the guilt that Nonna Katia feels about her affair. Furthermore, Josie and Christina experience a desire to reconnect with their fathers as they get older: although her relationship with Michael is strained, by the end of the book she remarks that she can't imagine what her life would be like without him in it, and Christina also remarks that even as an adult, she wishes her father was there for her.

How does Josie come to reconcile her cultural heritage?

Josie's mother's family is Italian and her father's is Australian, and because she grew up in Australia, she grew up with more Australian influences than Italian ones. Her grandmother's dedication to her Italian heritage irritates her at times, because she finds that her strict rules make it difficult for her to live the life she wants to. However, as she comes to know her father better and understand her family as people rather than just her parents, she grows to enjoy spending time with them, as reflected in scenes like the one where she makes tomato sauce with her mother and grandmother. She grows to understand that her life is a mixture of two different cultures by understanding the real-life faces of those cultures, and is able to reconcile them.

Compare and contrast Jacob and John.

As the two young men Josie is closest to, Jacob and John are rivals for her affection and regard. It doesn't help that in many ways, the two boys are polar opposites of each other. John is ostensibly a "good" person—he earns top marks at his school, he's captain of various school sports and clubs, and he comes from a well to do family. Personality-wise, he's kind, polite, smart, and honest. Alternatively, Jacob on the outside appears to be the quintessential bad boy. He's brash, at times rude, skips school, drives a motorbike, and doesn't care about his grades. The only things the boys have in common is their affection for Josie and their status as captain of their respective schools. And yet, Josie is attracted to each of them, and forms close bonds to them. Perhaps she subconsciously recognizes that each boy, despite their outward differences, are both natural born leaders who care deeply about their principles and the world around them. Not even Jacob or John realize their similarities. In fact, they are at odds with each other for the entirety of Looking for Alibrandi. Ironically, it is when Jacob finds out about John's suicide that he finally realizes that he and John did have common ground: Josie. Tragically, it took John dying for Jacob to realize that they could have all been friends, but it's far too late.

Explain the novel's title.

Looking for Alibrandi is a bildungsroman, and the title couldn't be more apt because the bildungsroman is a coming-of-age novel where the main character goes on a journey of self-discovery and growth. As the title suggests, Josie is on a journey to find herself. But as the novel unfolds, Josie has experiences and learns things about herself and her heritage that troubles this pat explanation. Most shockingly, she finds out that her grandmother had an affair with an Australian man named Marcus Sandford, and he is the true father of Josie's mother Christina. Suddenly, Josie no longer feels a strong connection to the name Alibrandi, as by many estimations she should be a Sandford. In addition, her absent father Michael Andretti comes back into her life after a 17-year absence. Though they remain estranged from each other at first, over time Josie and Michael develop a close and loving relationship. So close is their bond that Michael asks Josie if he can adopt her, and give her his last name. Suddenly, Josie goes from being Josephine Alibrandi to Josephine Sandford, then to Josephine Andretti. How can she find herself, if she's not even sure what her true name should be? Fortunately, by the end of the novel Josie realizes that it doesn't matter what her last name is. Whether she has an Italian last name hinting at her Italian roots, or an Australian name demonstrating her partial assimilation into Australian society, or even her father's name, that doesn't change who she is as a person. When she goes looking for Alibrandi by listening to her grandmother's family stories, by pushing herself to let go of petty issues and people, and by learning how to forgive, she discovers who Josephine is. What matters is not her name, but how she connects to the people around her.