An individuals interaction with people can benefit their experience of belonging and help them achieve a sense of purpose and meaningful living. Melina Marchetta’s 1992 novel
“Looking for Alibrandi”, explores some significant concepts of belonging. Josephine
Alibrandi belongs to an Italian Family, living in Sydney and attends a prestigious private school. Josephine enriches her experience of belonging through her connections with people and groups, the development of her relationships with friends and family, and her accumulating knowledge of herself throughout the novel portray how Josie undertakes her journey of belonging.
The film “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky is an influential story about a socially awkward teenager Charlie who is used to living his life with no meaningful purpose, until he meets Sam and her step-brother Patrick, a witty and outgoing duo. Aspects of belonging are explicitly evoked in this drama. Charlie’s developing relationships with his family and friends as he escapes intense alienation, and the rejection he goes through from a materialistically driven society, are all themes that depict a sense of belonging in “The Perks
Of Being A Wallflower”, and are influential to Charlie through his exposure in society of not belonging and eventually being accepted.
Connections with people and groups are an ideal aspect of belonging as it enriches the sense of acceptance, and having a connection with an individual or group has a sense of security to it, it is the knowledge of always having someone there. Josephine Alibrandi, from the novel
“Looking For Alibrandi” is a senior student who attends a prestigious private school on a scholarship in Sydney where she is constantly combatting issues relating to belonging through her connection with people and groups. Belonging is expressed through the peer pressure to conform and with the use of stereotypes. For instance when Josie is at the beginning of year
twelve she describes it as “So not being allowed to go out is one of my biggest problems. My biggest though, is being stuck at a school dominated by rich people. Rich parents, rich grandparents. Mostly Anglo-Saxon Australians, who I can’t see having a problem in the world”. These words expressed from Josie’s first person character reveal her true sense of not belonging at school due to her distinctive differences within the socioeconomic status. As
Josie realises throughout her journey that in order to belong it is really up to ones self to do so. This is understood when Josie says “I thought my birth circumstances were a cross I’d bear for the rest of my life but… it had never been my cross. I had only made it mine.” Josie is implying that she had spent all this time waiting for life to appear in front of her, but really she had to make something happen herself. This liner narrative reflects Josie’s physical journey to maturity and Josie’s tone and sarcasm reveals her unreserved personality.
Relationships with people and groups benefit ones sense of belonging, and eliminate any feelings of alienation and loneliness. Charlie is the protagonist in the drama film “The Perks of Being A Wallflower”, he suffers throughout the film from severe loneliness, alienation, self doubt and exclusion. His development throughout the film portrays how he changes from a quiet, tranquil adolescent, to an outgoing and carefree man. This drastic change is shown through Charlie’s tone of voice in the dialogue. He speaks in a monotone and quiet
