Through adversity and hardship in one's life, one can genuinely begin to have a true understanding of one's self. Through the use of dynamic characters, loose ends, metaphors and point of view, this idea is portrayed in Janet Fitch's White Oleander, through the characters of Astrid and Ingrid Magnussen. The two endure much suffering in their lives, and because of that, develop insight into the true nature of themselves. The author chose these literary techniques …showed first 75 words of 1821 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1821 total…ck on her life again - "how could [she] dare? It had taken [her] this long to be free of her shadow, to breathe on [her] own"(465). 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.