Looking for Alibrandi and The Getting of Wisdom Comparative Essay
...nd admits to “[standing] by [her] mother’s door to make sure she was breathing” (14). Josie knows that her mother will always be there to love and support her because “…she’s the only person who loves [her] the way [she is]” (17). This support is the first step that helps Josie to find her identity, as she can feel secure when she is with her mother. While Laura’s relationship with her mother isn’t as close as Josie and her mother’s, her mother does teach her about life and is the first step in helping her to find her identity. Her mother teaches her that there are certain standards that she must live up to once she is at the school, and therefore she can’t be “so disobedient and self-willed” (11). An example of her disobedience is when she is defiant to her mother at the start of the novel about her dress, saying: “I won’t wear it at all if you don’t make it longer” (3). However, since Laura is at a boarding school, her mother isn’t always there to watch over her and guide her when she needs it. While Laura is at the boarding school, she is also away from her siblings, in particular Pin. Laura doesn’t have many real friends throughout the novel, but she does have a younger sister who looks up to her, at least, she does until she does some growing up and starts to voice her own opinions: “…Pin was developing a sturdy independence; she had ceased to look up to Laura as a prodigy of wisdom, and had begun to hold opinions of her own” (171). This is the opposite of Josie’s life in this aspect, as Josie has no siblings, but she does have a group of friends that she can rely on for honest advice: “You are [a snob]. You might have one hundred hang-ups, but you still think you’re better than the average person”(31). These relationships help the protagonists to see the truth in the way that they have been acting from a new perspective. From this Josie sees the error of her ways and develops as a character, which helps her to discover her identity. After Lee confronts her and calls her a snob, Josie stops judging people after one glance and gives Jacob a chance, which brings her much happiness. After being confronted by Pin (173), however, Laura continues to believe that she is right in everything she does and everyone else is wrong, and it is not until Evelyn comes along that Laura develops and finds her identity. When Laura becomes friends with Evelyn, it is not by her choice: “Evelyn had stoutly, and without waiting for permission, crossed the [friendship] barrier” (196). As the friendship progress’, however, Laura is happy to find that “round the place where her heart [is], she [feels] a warm and comfortable glow” (196). Laura’s relationship with Evelyn is very similar to Josie’s relationship with Jacob, as Josie is very wary of Jacob at the start of the novel, even going so far as to say that she “moved away [...