Looking for Alibrandi chronicles a year in the life of Josephine Alibrandi, a third generation Italian-Australian on the verge of adulthood. We share her experiences at a wealthy Catholic school, her relationships with friends and family, the discovery of her grandmothers secret and the return of her unknown father. More importantly, we see her struggle with identity, acceptance and the cultural differences within her society. By the end of the novel however, we see her emancipation from the inhibitions of society and tradition. Perhaps Josie's emancipation would not have occurred without the issues she encountered within the last year. The changes come about through the interaction of characters in the novel with their varied social standings, and act as a catalyst towards Josie's growth and freedom.

Through Josie's journey of discovery she learns the secret of her Grandmother's past; that she too gave birth to an illegitimate child, Christina. This reaction of Josie leads her to question the ethical teachings of her grandmother, considering the sinful past. She views this as hypocrisy on the part of her grandmother but later in the novel Josie comes to

In the beginning Josie is over dramatic, and whose problems are given such importance because of her perception of them. By the end of the novel we have seen profound change. Josie is seen to be achieving her emancipation, she has learnt that she has blown her hang-ups out of proportion and that not everyone is about to crucify her for being Italian and illegitimate. Her journey to emancipation reveals much about herself, her family and the many lesions she is yet to learn in life.

There is an inbred weakness in John, not being able to fight for his own emancipation. John felt the only way he could achieve his emancipation was to end his life. After Johns death, Josie shows that she still doesn't completely understand that wealth and a high social class doesn't make someone happy. "How dare he kill himself when he's never had any worries! He's not a wog .... how could somebody with so much going for him do that?" (p234). Michael explains to her that wealth and social class has nothing to do with happiness. " A person doesn't necessarily have to be happy just because that have social standing and material wealth Josie" (p235). When John told her the opposite to what she believes, Josie begins to realise that being of a higher social standing doesn't make your life easier. "It's different for you, you haven't got any pressures in life. I've always had to be the best because it's expected of me." (p46) His death is an important part of Josie's emancipation process as she comes to realise that while she is of a lower class, she does have freedom to pursue any sort of life she desires.

Josie's mother Christina Alibrandi, plays a part in her daughters emancipation. Their close relationship, Christina's strength and her belief she is not a victim leads towards Josie's freedom and away from the hang-ups she has brought upon herself. The return of Josie's father, Michael Andretti, appears at first to be an added burden on Josie's already confused world. his return comes with the assertion that he does not want a complication in his life

Some common words found in the essay are:
Josie John, Josephine Alibrandi, Josie Jacob, Michael Andretti, Jacob Coote, St Martha's, Nonna Katia, John Barton, Michael Josie's, Barton Ivy, social class, john barton, josie's emancipation, josie comes, wealth social class, jacob coote, wealthy catholic, journey discovery, josie's journey, growth freedom, school captain,
Approximate Word count = 1381
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)