The author uses a technique called "loose ends" to emphasize the impact of the main character's decision. In White Oleander, the main character, Astrid, is left to live a life of pain and anguish. This pain is brought on by decisions that her mother had made in her state of delusion. Ingrid kills her ex-boyfriend in a fit a jealousy and is arrested, leaving her 12 year-old daughter to explore life on her own. Because of this, Astrid lives a life of trial and misery, and learns to blame that fact on her mother. Yet throughout the book, we see a slight connection between Astrid and her mother. The connection is portrayed in letters between the two and Astrid stopping in the midst of an action,

Another technique used by the author is point of view. The story is told in the first person, by the main character - that being Astrid Magnussen. One may hypothesize that the reason the author chose to write this book in the first person, is to acquire an intimate relationship with the main character. Astrid telling the story makes the reader develop a type of relationship with her. Reading Astrid's story, one feels a true connection with her, one feels the emotion that she does in all of her trials throughout her life. Astrid becomes a part of your life - it's almost as though she's real. The author chose this style as well, to help portray that her story could be one that someone in real life could be experiencing. It makes the reader look upon his or her own life, and compare theirs to that of Astrid's. Because she seems so real, the reader begins to reflect upon the fact that perhaps their life is not so bad in comparison to Astrid's. This may not have been one of the author's purposes, but this technique certainly makes one compare their own life to that of Astrid's.

Metaphorical use is a prominent technique throughout the book. The title itself is a metaphor - comparing Ingrid to an oleander. An oleander is a beautiful yet dangerous and lethal plant; which parallel's Ingrid's character in the book. Janet Fitch uses many different comparisons and metaphors to help convey a better sense of what she's speaking of. Astrid speaks of her mother's beauty in many different instances. "Her beauty was like the edge of a very sharp knife"(2), "her hair was the color of new snow"(2), "her blue eyes were as clear as a high note on a violin"(66). Comparisons are used her to emphasize the extent to which Astrid though of her mother as beautiful. Many other metaphors are utilized throughout the novel - Ingrid compares her and her daughter to the Norsemen "the ones who sacked Rome"(2). And later, when Astrid is livid with Ingrid, she writes her in jail and tells her mother that "Rome is burning...take what you can before it all burns to ash"(372). She is comparing Rome to their relationship and that Ingrid has set it on fire. She encourages Ingrid to stop with the attempts to ruin Astrid's life, saying their relationship is burning to ash. Many different symbols and metaphors are used to help emphasize the feelings that are being conveyed.

One can clearly see that use of literary technique can assist in the writing of a novel. Many different techniques can be used in different instances to convey different ideas. Self-discovery was certainly a theme that was brought out in White Oleander through the use of literary techniques.

trying to think of what her mother would do in the same type of situation. These feelings make Astrid realize that Ingrid will forever be a part of he

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1899
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)