In the novel Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta, there are many representations of how fathers are portrayed in this novel. Question. Marchetta’s believes that a positive fatherhood figure is essential within a Childs life such as Michael Andretti helping his daughter, Joesphine Alibrandi achieve her emancipation. Marchetta contrasts Michael against negatively representations of fatherhood figures such as Senator Barton and Francesco Alibrandi. In the beginning of the novel, Marchetta represents Michael as an imperfect father who is absent from his daughters life for 17 years.
Josie is longing to know her father so she can fill the gap of having a normal family. Although Michael is real, Josie refers to him as a “myth”. Michael is confused and angry about taking on the role of being a father in result makes him non committal “It’s too late. Seventeen-year-olds don’t need fathers”. Josie wants to be accepted at St Martha’s and conquer the social boundaries that are holding her back. “Money, prestige and what your father did for a living counted. ” When Michael expresses his lack of interest, Josie feels unloved which then causes her to be dismissive towards Michael and reject him from her life.
Marchetta effectively represents that Although Michael and Josie have a bumpy start to forming their relationship, “When things don’t turn out the way you want them to, they can turn out just a bit better” During the novel and towards the ending Michael is genuinely reflected as a positive fatherhood figure for Josie. With Michael and Josie both dismissing each other at the beginning, Michael shows persistence in wanting to re try the father role which results in Michael and Josie to see each other more often.
The Essay on Research Center Michael Waverly Father
The book starts by telling about the problems occurring in the hospital where Michael works. Too many patients are dying of causes that would not normally kill them. When Michael watches a little girl's life slip away despite the best that modern medicine can deliver, he becomes depressed about his choice of careers. Across town, a popular and prominent Congressman dies - his skull shattered by a ...
When Josie gets herself in a pickle at school with a girl named Carly, she depends on her father to help her out. When Michael defends his daughter, Josie truly accepts Michael as her father. “For a few minutes I knew how it felt walking alongside one’s father. It was a great feeling. ” Michael then becomes more involved with Josie, he gives her great opportunities. Michael is a lawyer at one of the top chambers in Sydney, knowing that Josie wants to become a barrister he offers her a job to work with him at the chambers.
Michael said to Josie, “You’re going to go on living. Living is the challenge. Dying is easy” when she was faced with the two hardest moments in her life, the death of John Barton and the abandonment of Jacob Coote. By comforting Josie, they both accept the relationship that has formed. Marchetta put the icing on the cake when Michael expresses his full commitment by wanting to adopt Josie, “I’d like you to be an Andretti”. Marchetta shows that a positive fatherhood figure is essential to shape their children’s attitudes and beliefs.
Marchetta displays and refers to Senator Barton as a father of a nuclear family. A nuclear family is one that doesn’t show emotional support towards their children because the parents are too preoccupied with their own ambitions. Senator Barton is conscious of maintaining his status has a politician that he places more importance on the public images rather than the well being of his own son, John Barton. John is expected to enhance his family’s reputation by achieving great success at school and pursuing a brilliant career in politics too.
John has to be the best at everything and measure up to this fathers expectations and ambitions, “When you can’t work out your ambitions, good old dad does it for you”. Eventually John feels as though his drowning in his father’s aspiration for him to study law, become a politician and to fulfil the destiny of “giving this country the best prime minister it’s ever had”. The only way John feels that he can escape his father’s demands is killing himself. By displaying this relationship in the novel, Marchetta establishes the consequences of fathers who are overbearing and expect too highly of their children.
The Term Paper on The Case Of Michael Jackson
The Case of Michael Jackson (1) The American pop legend, Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958. Ever since his early childhood, Jackson developed strong ties with entertainment industry, while performing as a member of Jacksons 5 band, which enjoyed steady popularity throughout the late sixties. In 1971, his solo career was launched, with Jacksons albums Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, ...
Another father figure that Marchetta represents negatively is Francesco Alibrandi. Alibrandi was both a disrespectful husband and father towards Katia Alibrandi and daughter, Christina Alibrandi. Francesco treated Katia with the utmost disrespect, “treating [Katia] me like one of his farm animals”. When Francesco worked away, Katia resulted in having an affair with Marcus Sandford because he treated her with dignity and loved her. Katia was thoroughly attached to her Italian traditions and how other people viewed her that she couldn’t leave Francesco.
Francesco was a horrible father figure to Christina mainly because he wasn’t the biological father. When Christina was 17, she feel pregnant with Josie in result to this Francesco kicked her out from the family home. Although Francesco was horrible to Christina, she still finds it hard not having a father “Oh God Michael I’m thirty four years old and I need a father”. By displaying this relationship in the novel, Marchetta establishes the fathers who are disrespectful of others and how they can make the people around them miserable.
