Looking for Alibrandi: What are the causes of change in text?
Uploaded by sallyanne on Sep 17, 2002
What are the causes of change? The causes of change are both internal and external. Internal causes of change are those that occur within a person. The person initiates the change and is in control. External causes of change involves a person’s surroundings changing. There is little control over this type of change. In the texts looking for Alibrandi by Melena Marchetta, “The Door” by Miroslav Holub, “What women Want” directed by Nancy Myers and song “father and son’ composed by Cat Stevens both internal and external causes of change can be seen.
The novel looking for Alibrandi by Melena Marchetta is about Josephine Alibrandi, a Catholic girl, in her final year of High school. As the year progresses Josie alters her perspective on many issues including her culture, family, own identity , and the importance of social standing and wealth. The causes of these changes are internal, external and a combination of the two.
Josie's perspective of her grandmother changes from viewing her as nagging old women to having a loving, caring, respectful relationship with her .The episodic narrative which is written in first person enables the reader to see the stages in which her perspective changes as she gains knowledge about her grandmother and also how it is her own actions that allow the change occur. Initially Josie dreads having to spend time with her grandmother, as she states
“my main objective in life at the moment is to get on my grandmothers nerves.”
But as the novel progresses Josie learns more about her Nonna’s life and abut her affair with Marcus Sanford she finds out that her grandmother
“Hadn’t lived life the way she thought, she hadn't played by all the rules”
By the end of the novel Josie is able to recognise her Nona's full worth and she cries as she realises
“ I'm loved by the two strongest women I'd ever meet in a life time”.
Marchetta also uses Josie to show how change can be external. John Barton’s death was a change in Josie's life that she had no control of. The journal style narrative allows the reader to see Josie's changing perspective of john as the novel progresses. Prior to johns death Josie believes John has it all as he is
“School captain ... greatest debater...good looking. popular”
and according to Josie he is “the love of my life”. After his death the first person narrative allows the reader to...