Melina Marchetta's "Looking for Alibrandi": Concept of change and changing perspective
by
oossx (student)
Looking for Alibrandi is a novel which mostly deals with the concept of emotional change. Through a number of characters, the author, Melina Marchetta demonstrates clearly the concept of change and changing perspective. A variety of events happen throughout the novel to these characters which influence their lives and change their perspectives. Through these events Marchetta shows that change and change of perspective can be triggered by certain events and experiences, it can be gradual, it is a natural part of growing up, every person faces their own perspectives and that adolescence is a time of rapid change. A key event in the novel that changes Josephine Alibrandi’s perspective is the meeting of her father, Michael Andretti. Initially, before Josephine has never even met Michael, she resents him. She feels that he abandoned her mother while she was pregnant. When she first meets him however she gets the impression that he is intelligent and a decent human being, though she doesn’t make it known to him. After Josephine gets into a fight at school with Carly Bishop, Carly’s father threatens legal action. In the spur of the moment, Josephine says