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Alibrandi’s

the romantic dilemmas between two very different young men.

Fingerprint By Kumaresh Muthubalasuriyar Identity is like a fingerprint; a unique identifier of who you are. In the book, “Looking for Alibrandi” by Melina Marchetta, Josephine Alibrandi is experiencing an identity crisis. The author takes the reader on a journey through the life of this central character, a teenage Italian/Australian girl who deals with the traumas of growing up. Throughout this journey, the author skilfully casts her in a number of relationships which challenge her identity from the conflicts of cultural heritage with her single mother and her Italian grandmother to the unexpected return of her long lost father. She also has to deal with the acceptance of her school mates and

On the journey of finding oneself and belonging, relationships can create, or hinder. The author’s message is that people must create their own identities and do so through the decisions they make. When people allow themselves to be influenced by others, their sense of identity is compromised. People must be true to themselves in order to

develop and maintain a strong sense

one of many situations where

of self.

Marchetta uses her skilful

Marchetta skilfully entwines Josie’s feelings, beliefs and values into

manipulation of key characters to develop Josie’s family’s identity.

relationships of clash, , love

Her relationships with her boyfriend,

and loss which enhance character

Jacob Coote, allows for her deep

building and eventually leads to

inner thoughts to be expressed, and

acceptance of oneself.

provides an insight into her heart

The relationships Josie experiences with her mother, Christina and grandmother, Katia or Nonna, are pivotal pieces of evidence to overtly demonstrate strength of Italian women. They believe that their strong personalities are part of their genes and the author develops their

and mind, “[Josie] ‘I’d like to be a rebel Italian… But I can’t.’ [Jacob] ‘Why not?” … ‘Because I have no father. Because if I did all those things hypocrites would shake their heads smugly and say, “See, I told you she couldn’t amount to anything.””

persona throughout the novel very

Marchetta also uses events such as

obviously through their interactions

the slapping of Poison Ivy to impact

as mother and daughter just like

upon Josie’s life as whole, where the

when Christina stands up to her

rivalry of those two characters are

mother, portraying her strength as

used to consistently draw out Josie’s

an individual being, “ ‘People? What

inner thought about present events

people? Italians? Mama, I have

in her time such as her stubbornness

already disgraced myself in their

and where she stands on the theme

eyes and there will never be

of racism when she is confronted by

anything to change that, so who

the nun’s for hitting Ivy because she

cares if they talk about me?’ ” This is

was called a “wog” or “ethnic”, [Josie

to Ivy] “ ‘I’m not an ethnic,’ I spat

be, then maybe I could stay for that,

out furiously. ‘I’m an Australian and

too. If I could be what you want me

my grandparents were Italian.

to be, I'd want to stay. But I am what

They’re called Europeans, not

I am, and all I want is freedom.” The

ethnics. Ethnic is a word that you

author uses these situations to turn

people use to put us all in a

Josie’s outward strong personality

category.’ ” (p. 166).

into that of a frail emotional girl, who

All though Marchetta uses characters

cannot control all aspects of her life.

to impact upon Josie’s identity

Marchetta creates a depressing,

throughout the book, she also uses

solemn reality when John Barton

climaxes such as John Barton’s death

dies, and uses the situation to

and Michael’s return as a father into

deepen the relationship between

her life to portray a softer, weaker

Michael and Josie. The depressing

and more honest side of Josie.

mood is continued by the breaking

Marchetta makes Josie’s soul hearted thoughts be conveyed when she is crying in pain to her father about the death of John Barton but then Michael says to Josie, “You’re going to go on living. Because living is the challenge Josie. Not dying. Dying is

up of Jacob and Josie’s relationship which symbolised Josie hitting rock bottom because she states to her mum, “I feel so terrible Mama. I’m more upset now that I’ve split with Jacob that I was when John died. What kind of person am I?”

so easy,” (236), for consolation.

Marchetta uses skilful manipulation

When she talks about her dreams

of key characters throughout the

with the recently deceased John

novel to place Josie in a cultural

Barton, “If I could be anything but

identity crisis.

what I am, I would be tomorrow. If I could be what my father wants me to

The author positions Josie on this

probably never let go either, simply

journey of discovery as a descendant

because like religion, culture is

of Italian migrants in a power

nailed into you so deep you can't

struggle of multicultural Australia,

escape it. No matter how far you

where she has to find her place in

run.” (p. 174).

society and define her identity. Josie expressed her realization of cultural unacceptance when she stated, “My Mother was born here as far as the Italians were concerned, we weren’t completely one of them. Yet because my grandparents were born in Italy we weren’t completely Australian,” (p.7). The Italian community continue their gossiping about Italians who don’t follow traditional, cultural expectations of values such as divorce. Hence Josie, even within

Josie is a working class student among many wealthy ones and the author orchestrates her clash with Ivy Lloyd to show how strongly she wishes to be accepted, “I want to belong to her world. The world of sleek haircuts and upper-class privileges. People who know famous people and lead educated lives. A world where I can be accepted. Please, God, let me be accepted by someone other than the underdog,” (p. 32).

her own culture, is met with critical eyes because of her single mother parentage. Josie expresses the deep seated cultural expectation of the Italian heritage when she states, “Like all tomato days we had spaghetti that night. Made by our own hands. A tradition that we’ll never let go. A tradition that I will

Melina Marchetta ended the book by revealing Josie’s true identity, exposing her true grown up self as the resolution. Marchetta portrays Josie as a whole by the end of the book because she finally realized that she should just be herself and not try to be someone other people want her to be, ““One day came.

Because finally I understood.”” With Josie having found herself, her problems have been resolved and her hope and faith in life has been restored. Therefore throughout the novel, the author, Melina Marchetta, resolves all themes of identity, racism and societal class differentiation.