Have you ever been in a new surrounding that ended up changing the way you look? Think about all the places you have lived even if it was just only one place. Did that surrounding of where you previously change the way you dress, act or even communicate with other people? As well as growing up in certain schools can change even the most reserved kid to an outspoken individual. Being in any surrounding for an adequate amount of time can change your whole identity without you even realizing it. One of the themes in "Ellen Foster" and "White Oleander" is sometimes our surroundings can change your identity. .
In "White Oleander", we see a change in Astrid's identity when she is living with her new foster mom Starr. Before, Astrid came in to this home she was not a very religious person at all. Ingrid never talked about religion to Astrid when she was living with her. When she is living with Starr, Astrid is baptized in her pool to become a born-again Christian and starts to wear a cross around her neck. This change greatly changed her views on religion especially the way she viewed Jesus Christ. When Astrid was on the brink of getting kicked out the house by Starr she stated to her that "Jesus would give me a chance He might be mad. if he knew you sent me away because you were jealous. ".
Without Astrid mentioning Jesus Christ in the conversation she had with Starr, she would have been out of the house a lot sooner and would have ended up in a new foster home. This change in Astrid learning to accept Jesus Christ as her lord and savior ended up changing her identity for the better. Not to mention she would have found this new found appreciation for Jesus Christ if she was still living with Ingrid. Notably, Astrid only got this new change in her identity by living in Starr's home.
Astrid starts to dress more fashionable when she is living with her Starr as well. Starr ends up taking Astrid out to get some new clothes to make her look more attractive.
The title of the book is White Oleander. ... White Oleander was originally published in hardcover by Little, Brown and Company. ... Astrid Magnussen is the main character in White Oleander. ... Claire was one of Astrid's foster mothers, Astrid and Claire got along well. Claire was the only foster mother who actually cared for Astrid (207). ...
The novel Ellen Foster written by Kaye Gibbons, portrays the ill-fated life of Ellen, an 11 year old girl mourning the death of her mother and living with the burden of her alcoholic father. ... " Ellen's aunt conveys her opinion, highlighting the views of the majority of white society and their attitude towards the stigma of the "coloured people". ... Within the text Ellen Foster, Gibbons' envelops the attitudes and values of family life of the time and setting of which the novel was set. ... Through and exploration upon family and social life of the set time of Ellen...
Janet Fitch's White Oleander took four years to write and was published in 1999. White oleander is about a 12 year-old-girl dealing with the pain of being alone and feeling helpless. ... Most literary criticisms written over White Oleander discuss the craziness that Astrid goes through. ... It cant be stressed enough the "White Oleander is her only novel."... The antagonist in White Oleander would definitely be Astrid's neurotic mother Ingrid! ...
Ellen Foster vs. The Puritans This novel Ellen Foster is a very unique piece of literature that conveys meaning and peace to people's hearts. ... The Puritans are very similar to Ellen Foster, because of the way that their religion brought them up. In this essay I will tell the ways of the Puritan life style tie into Ellen Foster. ... The novel Ellen Foster is a great way to analyze your life or childhood. ...
Ellen Foster Ellen Foster narrates a story based on her experience as an eleven-year-old girl who loses both parents. ... Starletta and her parents, underprivileged blacks living in a dingy one-room house without an indoor bathroom, take in this "orphaned" white girl. ... Ellen packs her bags and goes to the foster home in hopes that they will take her in. ... Ellen knocks on the Foster lady's door and the woman welcomes her in. ... The court agrees to allow the foster lady to adopt Ellen. ...
White Oleander was written by Janet Fitch and directed, as a movie, by Billy Connolly. ... Eventually, Ingrid mixed a deadly concotion of white oleander and DMSO to kill Barry. ... The director made sure that the blue cast to the movie was evident and it helped set the mood of White Oleander. ... It definitely helps set the atmoshere of the movie and right away, lets you know that White oleander isn't going to be a comedy. ... I believe White Oleander was well-written for it had great character development. ...
However, Ellen, the main character and protagonist of the novel Ellen Foster, exemplifies a substantial amount of independence and mature, rational thought as a ten-year-old girl. ... Kaye Gibbonsuse of simple diction, unmarked dialogue, and a unique story structure in her first novel, Ellen Foster, allows the reader to explore the emotions and thoughts of this heroic, ten-year-old girl modeled after Gibbonsown experiences as a young girl. ... Gibbons uses this to show the reader how Ellen is an average girl who enjoys all of the things normal children relish and to contrast the nai...
Ellen Foster goes through many shocking events at a very young age in the novel, Ellen Foster, by Kaye Gibbons. ... At the very beginning of the novel, Kaye Gibbons reveals one of Ellen's most inner thoughts, "When I was little, I would think of ways to kill my daddy. ... This symbolic sentence also tells us that her father is a horrible person that has no respect for Ellen, himself, or anyone else. Ellen moves many times in the book. ... Kaye Gibbons ends the story by having Ellen look back at her life and realize that her problems are nothing compared to the problems that Starletta ha...