Topic > The Question of Identity Looking for Alibrandi and Under the Clouds

Introduction As Josie said in Melina Marchette's novel, 'Looking for Alibrandi', “You can't hate what you're a part of. What you are. Most of the time I resent it, I always curse it, but it will be part of me until the day I die.' In today's ever-growing societies, the concept of identity is extremely imperative. Identity goes beyond external attributes, it is more about internal elements. Most individuals define other individuals by their skin color, ethnicity, and their surroundings. In adolescents, personal identity is vital, shaping their perception of belonging throughout their teenage years and into adult life. The concept of identity also determines a person's actions, how they behave and the decisions they make. People who grow up with strong religious beliefs and cultural traditions often find themselves struggling with their identity. In the texts "Looking for Alibrandi" and "Beneath Clouds" the theme of adolescents struggling with their own identity is represented through the stories of Josephine Alibrandi, Lena and Vaughn, as well as the ideology of the authors, the use of the theme, the emotions, film techniques, body language and aesthetic devices. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Melina Marchette's 1992 novel "Looking for Alibrandi" and Ivan Sen's 2002 film "Beneath Clouds" are popular texts that detail the eternal problem of Identity, more specifically with adolescents. Melina's novel is set in the 1980s and focuses on the concept of the difficulties of teenage girls and some of the many problems one can face during adolescence. In Ivan Sen's “Beneath Clouds” the concept of identity is also present and is seen as a very distinct issue between the protagonists of the film, namely Lena and Vaughn. Identity is important for teenagers, as it is the time when they try out different patterns to discover themselves and who they really are. The author uses his own ideology which creates themes and moods that cause the viewer and readers to feel empathy for Josie, Lena, and Vaughn. “Cercando Alibrandi” is a novel written by Melinda Marchetta, a well-known Australian writer, author and teacher. In his novel "Looking for Alibrandi" he talks about an Italian girl called Josephine Alibrandi, she has an Italian grandmother, an Italian mother and an Italian father, each representing different views on her own cultural background, good and bad. Josie's actions, behaviors and feelings demonstrate that growing up in Australia while being a second generation Italian is not the best experience, because she is a full-blooded Italian with a father of non-Australian culture. Josie's ambitions and aspirations go beyond her Italian heritage, which is why she has different perceptions about it than her grandmother and mother. Throughout the novel, it is clear that Josie feels a lot of frustration with her culture as it has caused huge problems for her social life. Josie's perception of her own identity caused a lot of isolation from her family and friends at school, as well as completely rejecting her culture. Like any teenager, Josie's identity is very meaningful to her. He eventually learns to embrace his Italian culture, but before doing so he primarily struggles with his job, his father figure, his grandmother, his mother, and his classmates. Melinda Marchetta wrote this novel with protagonist Josie without a legitimate father figure, leaving her to have to piece everything together and have a better understanding of who she is and what she essentially belongs to. Josie wasillegitimate her entire life, and her actions, thoughts, and emotions throughout the novel expressly show that she dislikes It and her father. Josie and Christiana have always been criticized by their family for a long time since Christiana had Josie when she was very young which was resented in their Italian culture and the fact that Josie's father was not present in any of their lives made things worse. Melinda portrayed Christina as having very powerful judgment and comes across as a very strong-willed woman. He has a very bad relationship with his mother, Katia Alibrandi. Marchetta built Katia as the strong Italian influence in the Alibrandi family. As a first generation immigrant to Australia, Katia faced exclusion, racism, segregation and survival in a new country. Katia brings with her a rigid set of cultural rules and regulations which are expressed in the book with the prevailing ideologies being the meaning of marriage, the anticipation of marrying within one's own culture and that illegitimacy is not acceptable, Katia Alibrandi portrays with such strong morals and values ​​when she was forced to marry at a young age and moved to a country foreign to her, she opens up to Josie about her life and her relationship with a man she was in love with, before This, Melina had built up a very passive aggressive relationship with Josie and her grandmother, which is one of the main influences Josie faces in resenting her relationship. Similar to Melina's “Looking for Alibrandi,” Ivan Sen has produced a film that details the issue of identity in adolescents. There are similar aspects between the protagonists of the film, Josie and Lena. Josie finally comes to terms with her multicultural background, she says: “I'm Australian with Italian blood flowing rapidly through my veins. I say this with pride because pride is what I feel.' Ivan Sen uses cinematic techniques such as camera angles, cinematic codes, and body language to show the rejection that Lena is facing. In the film, Lena is built to have a very difficult relationship with not only her Aboriginal mother and stepfather, but with the connection to her indigenous background, Lena comes from a very regional and poor outback town with few opportunities for anyone living there, including Lena and her friend Ty. Ivan Sen brings together the themes of isolation and melancholy in the film where Lena and Ty are depicted walking along a dirt road with trains passing by, Lena's body language immediately creates empathy in the viewer for her situation in the city . Ty reveals to Lena that she might be pregnant, to which Lena replies "'You'll never get out of this shit hole." Lena has a difficult life at home which Ivan portrays with her younger brother being taken by the police as she arrives home, Lena's body language in that particular scene shows automatic anger, towards herself, her brother, her mother and stepfather, Lena expresses to his mother "You don't give a damn about us, do you?" Ivan uses this as a tool of foreshadowing as this is the first example of Lena rejecting her indigenous background and distancing herself from her mother. He impulsively decides to leave with little money, a backpack and a photo album which is the only memory he has of his father. Lena is built as a light-skinned teenager with green eyes, she has no traits of a person of indigenous culture aside from the way she speaks and the way she reacts to situations. Lena has the option of being seen as white, and more often than not, she chooses to resent her indigenous background. In the film, when she is with Vaughn on their journey to Sydney, she is offered a lift by an older lady which she refuses as she is with Vaughn and he is not recognised, she is offered by.