Previous
Chapter 20
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
On Monday night, John calls and invites Josie to see Macbeth with him. Josie meets him at the theater on Tuesday and is relieved that he doesn’t seem depressed. John assures her that he was just stressed about exams. They laugh and talk in the lobby, and Josie discovers that they have the same interests. Josie isn’t compatible with Jacob this way, so it’s a relief to talk to someone who’s familiar with the same books. They discuss one boy in John’s class who had a nervous breakdown about the HSC and dropped out, but John suggests they don’t talk about school.
Josie might be closer to living in John’s world than she thought—the fact that they share many of the same interests and can talk about the same books suggests that they have a lot in common. And though Josie and Jacob might be from the same economic class, Josie sees that they’re very different in this regard. Though John insists that his mental health now is fine, it’s also potentially concerning that he doesn’t want to talk about school at all—he still seems stressed about exams.
Themes
As Josie and John head for concessions, Josie’s heart stops when she sees Jacob across the lobby. Josie goes to him. He’s furious that Josie is seeing a movie with John, though Josie assures Jacob that John is just a friend. Josie is mortified as Jacob asks if she’s been messing with him the entire time. John walks over and suggests that Josie and Jacob talk about this later. The boys start to shove each other, so Josie firmly tells John to go wait for her by the doors.
Just as Josie had set ideas about Jacob needing to meet Mama and not use racist language around her, Jacob has strong feelings that it’s not okay for Josie to see a movie with another guy. To Josie, being accused of cheating is also offensive, as she knows that she no longer harbors romantic feelings for John.
Themes
Jacob says that he’s embarrassed. He points to a tall girl who looks like a model; her name is Arianne. He says he’s friends with her, but asks Josie what Josie would’ve thought if he’d taken Arianne to the movie. Quietly, Josie says she’d be angry and agrees that she’d be concerned that Jacob was cheating on her. But then, Josie says she didn’t think Jacob would want to see Macbeth with her. Jacob spits that he’s studying Macbeth in school and is here to see it. He stalks off. Josie heads back to John, who insists that Jacob isn’t Josie’s type—barristers don’t marry mechanics.
Though Josie takes a step in the right direction here by acknowledging Jacob’s feelings and the fact that she’d be concerned if he saw a movie with Arianne, she unwittingly offends Jacob by suggesting he wouldn’t want to see Macbeth with her. This assumption shows that Josie doesn’t think Jacob will ever be interested in something highbrow like Macbeth.
Themes
Josie is too miserable to concentrate on Macbeth. She feels like she’s constantly making mistakes and she resents John for looking down on “future tradesmen” like Jacob. Josie realizes that no matter what other people think, she’d happily date a person of any profession if they’re like Jacob. After the movie, John tells Josie he loves spending time with her and leaves. Josie waits to approach Jacob until his friends all leave. She apologizes, but he doesn’t accept it. She asks why no one accepts her apologies, and Jacob insists she’s not sincere. He accuses her of whining about how people treat her, while never acknowledging that other people can get hurt, too.
Especially since this debacle with Jacob happens right after the walkathon, Josie can’t help but realize that she’s consistently misreading situations. She had no idea she was so popular, and it never occurred to her that Jacob would want to see Macbeth. This reflects Josie’s habit of making assumptions about people—including herself. And when Jacob won’t accept her apology, it shows that her habit of making assumptions has real consequences. She can seriously hurt the people she loves by assuming things about them.
Themes
Get the entire Looking for Alibrandi LitChart as a printable PDF.
Josie walks to the bus stop alone and cries. A lady gives her a “Jesus Loves You” sticker, but Josie sobs that Jesus doesn’t love her. After a few minutes, Jacob comes up behind her and gives her his hanky. As she sobs that she’d never hurt him on purpose, Jacob leads her to his motorcycle and straps her helmet on. Josie assures Jacob that John is just a friend. She’s liked him forever, but she appreciates his passion and his openness.
Remember that Josie characterized the lessons she learned as a result of the walkathon debacle as the moment in which her “emancipation” begins. This offers hope that for as emotional and difficult as this experience with Jacob is, Josie will also be able to learn from it, and it will help her continue to mature.
Themes
Jacob sighs that Josie just wants to be “one of the beautiful people,” like John. But Josie says that Jacob’s life is different. He’s happy with his lot in life, and so he thinks everyone who’s looking for something more is pretentious. With a sigh, Jacob gets on the bike and tells Josie they have a lot to teach each other. Then, he asks her to see Macbeth with him on Saturday night.
Josie shows here that she expects Jacob to look down on her because she’s trying to elevate her economic class—and she’s still making assumptions about how Jacob feels. But when Jacob only sighs at her, it indicates that Josie is probably wrong about these assumptions.
Themes
