Research Paper on:
Universal Truths in White Oleander by Janet Fitch

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
and wild passions finally contribute to the demise of her lover and land Ingrid in jail. But Astrid is no more free than her mother. The poisonous relationship that she  has with her mother is the type that is of the insidious type, slow acting, and wide spread, and serves to jail her within her own emotions. In jail, Ingrids  hold on her daughter gets stronger, not weaker. And even in jail, Astrid learns only too well how her mother can manipulate her with words alone. Thus, in comparison to  the real flower, White Oleander, Fitchs book by the same name, is about the dark side of parental love. It is through this emotional poison that Astrid must swim and  come to some conclusion, some epiphany about life and love. One such epiphany was when Astrid states at the age of twelve, "My  mother was not the least bit curious about me" (Fitch 10). This is a turning point for Astrid because she realizes that her mother is self-absorbed and begins to see  how distant emotionally Ingrid is from her. All these years she has idealized her mother, but in the end, the fantasy cant hold up to the reality of a girl  needing her mother to be there for her, both emotionally and physically. Ingrid fills Astrids mind with so much New Age theories and philosophies that Astrid doesnt know who to  trust or even how to trust. The lesson Astrid learns by this simple statement is that she must be independent and not rely on her mother for anything. She begins  to realize that she is really alone in the world. This will serve her in good stead as she will live in many homes with many different people who will