any freedom to live his own life. It is the massive difference between Josephine and John. Josephine not only comes from middle class family, but also comes from an
immigrant family. Though she is not rich and comes from respected family, her parents never insist her to become anything that Josephine does not want to. Her
parents give Josephine a life to fulfill her own dreams. Shortly, her parents give freedom to Josephine and actually it marks the most essential thing that has never
been realized by Josephine before the sudden death of John. Through John’s death, Josephine finally realizes that actually her life is still a lot of better than John’s life.
Now, she awares that having a freedom in this life is more important than coming from a wealthy and respected family. John decides to die to achieve his own freedom,
meanwhile Josephine chooses to live the life to achieve her own freedom.
2. Josephine’s Ability to Deal with Frustration
One of the major signs of maturity is the increasing ability to delay the gratification of psychological needs and to control or tolerate considerable amounts of
disappointment, deprivation, anxiety, and frustration in general Pikunas, 1976: 303. In the beginning of the novel, Josephine is described as a person who believes
that her life is full of problems than other people but it changes when she finds out Katia’s affair with Marcus Sandford.
Now it seems that my illegitimacy is child’s play compared to all of this 2006: 261.
The moment when Josephine reveals Katia’s past affair marks her coming of a realization that her own problems are not that biggest and worst in the worlds if it is
compared to Katia’s affair. Her realization brings a positive respond toward her conflict with Katia.
I was no longer angry about what Nonna did thirty-six years ago… yet all of a sudden I realized that I didn’t care what they thought and I even began to
doubt that anyone, give or take a few gossips like Sera, gave a damn either 2006: 263.
From the above explanation, it can be summed up that at first after she finds out about Katia’s affair, she is very disappointed and feels frustrated toward her
grandmother. Her realization helps her in dealing with the frustration about the conflict by willingly listening to Katia’s explanation about the affair. It can be seen
from following conversation between Josephine and Katia. “Well, by then I knew I was pregnant, so I thought that when the baby came I
would say it was premature. I would work it out somehow. So when the time was right I went to Francesco and told him we were going to have a baby. I
thought he would be happy after ten years. I remember the way he looked at me. He hit me in the face.”
“How did he know?” “He told me he could not father children. He married me and tricked my
parents and me all those years.” “Why didn’t you leave him then?” I said, shaking my head in confusion.
“Could you imagine how life would be for me if I married Marcus? Could you imagine what life would be for my sister? People are cruel. They would make
our lives hell. But mostly, Jozzie, think of Christina. Back then, think of the way my darling Christina would be treated. It is not like these times, Jozzie.
She would have had no one. No Australians, no Italians. People would spit at her and says she was nutting” 2006: 269.
From the above conversation, it can be seen that at first Josephine thinks that Katia should leave Francesco and goes with Marcus. Katia explains further to Josephine
that she did not do it because she thought about Christina’s sake. Back then, committed an adultery, even more, having a child from it was still considered as
taboo therefore if Katia still went with Marcus, it was surely just bring more harmful condition to Christina despite happiness. After Josephine heard the reason why Katia
could not leave Francesco, Josephine realizes she is wrong. Back then, Josephine sees her grandmother as someone who always worries about other people’s opinion but
now she understands Katia more and sees her in a new perspective. It can be seen through Josephine’s thought.
I stayed with her that night. I know Mama thinks I’m crazy because in the past I’ve had to be bribed to stay with Nonna Katia, but I wanted to stay with this
woman. She hadn’t lived life the way I’d thought. She hadn’t stuck to rules and regulation. Hadn’t worried about what other people thought every
second of her life. She had taken chances. Broken rules. If she hadn’t, Mama wouldn’t have been born and I wouldn’t have been born. That
freaks me out 2006:271.
From Katia’s explanation about the affair, Josephine finds out that actually Francesco could not father a child. If back then Katia too worried about other people’s opinion,
she would not dare to break the rules by having an affair with Marcus Stanford and if Katia did not dare to break the rule, Christina would not be exist since Francesco
could not father a child and surely Josephine would not be exist too. Josephine realizes her mistake of seeing Katia as a person who always worries about other
people’s opinion.
3. Josephine’s Differential Responsiveness
At the beginning of the story, Josephine clearly shows her ignorance toward her grandmother since she is a strict woman and Josephine thinks that her
grandmother tries to be her mother who keeps telling her about things that need to be
done properly. Her relationship with her grandmother becomes worse after she finds out that her grandmother had an affair with Marcus Sandford. She is really angry at
her grandmother at first. After she is enlightened by the fact that her own problems are not that biggest compare to the affair, it leads her to a realization that everyone is
not perfect especially her grandmother who committed the affair when she was young.
Maybe thinking of your grandparents as unpassionate people is wrong. I tend to think that passion is only for youth, but maybe older people can teach us a
thing or two about it. Okay, so the thought of Nonna Katia having sex makes me sick to the stomach, but one day my grandchildren will feel the same and
I’ll say to them,”Why? I once felt passion for a boy. I was once young. I was once in love” 2006: 265.
Due to the reason, she goes back to her grandmother and tries to figure out the whole story. After she listens to the full story of the affair, she develops acceptance feeling
toward her grandmother. In this case, she shows progressive improvement in sensitivity and refinement to understand many realities of her life. Her maturity can
be seen on her act toward her grandmother. I stayed with her that night. I know Mama thinks I’m crazy because in the past
I’ve had to be bribed to stay with Nonna Katia, but I wanted to stay with this woman I didn’t really know. She hadn’t lived life the way I’d though. She
hadn’t stuck to rules and regulations. Hadn’t worried about what other people thought every second of her life. She had taken chances. Broken rules. If she
hadn’t, Mama wouldn’t have been born and I wouldn’t have been born. That freaks me out 2006: 270.
Her acceptance toward her grandmother also can be seen from her thought and it can be seen that Josephine finally realizes that two of the strongest women, her
mother and her grandmother, love her.
I prayed that the blessed “one day” would come so I could welcome it with open arms. And I cried because I was loved by two of the strongest women I
would ever meet in my lifetime 2006: 271.
Pikunas states differential responsiveness as one of the criteria of maturity. He states that a variety of experience allow the adolescent to expand and improve his or
her understanding of the many realities of life, their dimensions, and their relationships 1976: 300. Josephine’s ability to accept the adults in her life as flawed
people is shown Josephine’s differential responsiveness and it is also an indicator that shown her maturity. It can be concluded that from the conflicts she encounters with
her grandmother and how she struggles to overcome the conflicts shown the significance role of conflict in shaping Josephine’s maturity.
In the beginning of the story, Josephine seems to be confused over her identity whether she is an Australian who has Italian decent or an Italian who born in
Australia. Josephine also faces challenge in balancing the demands of her Italian heritage with her ambitions in the broader community. At one time, she wants to
escape from her Italian heritage and her effort sometimes in contends with her grandmother who is very strick about Italian values.
After she reconciles her relationship with her grandmother, she eventually establishes a personal identity.
I remembered feeling socially out of it at St. Martha’s, yet when the fiasco of the walkathon, I realized I wasn’t. I thought my birth circumstances were a
cross I’d bear for the rest of my life, but what had happened between Nonna and Marcus Stanford made me realize that it had never been my cross. I had
only made it mine 2006: 309.
But the important thing is that I know where my place in life is. It’s not where the Seras or the Carlys of the world have slotted me 2006: 310.
