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“Looking for Albrandi” – The Exploration of Teenagers’ Search for Cultural and Self-identity Adolescence is a period of growth development and self-exploration. Teenagers undergo a continuous change which involves the restructuring of their social relationships and making choices for their future lives. Ultimately, the decisions made in this potent period will culminate in forming their identity. In the young adult novel, Looking for Albrandi, Melina Marchetta explores Josephine Albrandi’s transformational journey as an adolescent girl who struggles with identity in the multicultural society. The challenge of identity loss is exacerbated by the changes in her relationships with her family and peers. Through a deliberate search with unmasks the lives of the people around her, Albrandi achieves mental and emotional emancipation which results in an entirely positive outlook for her life. The primary theme in the novel is identity. Josie’s perception of events surrounding her life changes gradually and consequently change her view of herself. In the beginning, she resents her Italian heritage and her illegitimacy. She laments that "Maybe for acceptance because I think that if you're an outcast with your kind you'll never be accepted by anyone" (Marchetta 20). Societal standards subject Josie to a state of disdain due to her illegitimacy. She, therefore, feels like an outsider which socially disadvantages her. On her view, escaping the conflict between her Italian culture and the Australian culture of her peers will lead to her emancipation. Josie says "…run for my life; to be free and think for myself. Not as an Australian and not as an Italian" (Marchetta
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