Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Looking for Alibrandi, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Family
Identity, Freedom, and Coming of Age
The Immigrant Experience
Gossip and Appearances
Social Status and Wealth
Love and Relationships
Summary
Analysis
As Mama and Josie pull into the drive after a grocery shopping trip, Mama asks Josie if she’s okay. Josie has been brooding. Mama assures Josie that she’s not going to marry Paul, but Josie asks how Mama manages to put up with such a selfish daughter. Mama is shocked, but Josie says she’s done fighting and needs a rest. Mama shares that Nonna recently said the same thing and suggests they all be nicer to each other. Josie takes Mama’s hand, says she’s growing up, and now she’s “seeing the light.” Mama assures Josie that Josie isn’t as bad as she thinks.
It's a huge shift for Josie to acknowledge that the adults in her life might have a hard time dealing with her because she’s so selfish. She’s becoming more self-aware, and she also now seems to realize the value in treating Mama like she’d treat anyone else she loves and respects. With this, the novel offers some hope that Josie and Mama’s relationship will be less volatile going forward.
Themes
Josie rolls her eyes and then asks if she can go to the movies with Jacob. She assures Mama that Mama can say no and that Jacob is actually nice and “very deep.” Mama is hesitant and notes that Josie hangs out with Sera, so she doesn’t fully trust Josie’s judgment. But she promises to think about it.
Mama essentially confirms that Sera isn’t a great influence (something Josie acknowledged when she introduced Sera). But when Mama brings up Sera in this context, it shows that lots of people are aware of Sera’s reputation—and may think less of Josie for associating with her.
Themes
As Josie and Mama head upstairs, Josie asks if Paul tried to get Mama to have sex with him. Mama says he did, and Josie stops dead. She reminds Mama that they’re in the midst of an AIDS epidemic, and Mama tells Josie that Jacob will probably try to get her in bed. They argue about whether it’s okay to have premarital sex with condoms; Josie insists that it’s the 1990s and everyone is having and talking about sex now. Changing the subject, Josie again apologizes for saying mean things to Mama. Mama says they just need to try to be more understanding of each other.
Josie recognizes that times are changing, and that means that people’s ideas about when it’s appropriate to have sex are changing as well. This offers suggests that as times change and as social norms shift, some things that once attracted gossip and negative attention—like premarital sex, or having a baby out of wedlock—will become more commonplace.
Themes
