What are the reoccurring love themes found in the movie "White Oleander"?

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What are the reoccurring love themes found in the movie "White Oleander"?
Astrid (Alison Lohman), is the only child of a single mother, Ingrid Magnussen, a brilliant, obsessed poet who wields her luminous beauty to intimidate and manipulate men. The underlying message here seems to be that men are just no damn good. Trust 'em, and they'll have an affair behind your back. Kill 'em, and they'll get you imprisoned. This message is confusing and difficult for the daughter to accept, causing her to have trouble with nearly all male/female relationships--especially when this whole negative concept is reinforced by her foster care-givers and during her visits with her mother in prison.


The title "White Oleander" represents a flower--a hearty-but-poisonous flower-- whose beauty makes it appear deceptively fragile. This blossom, which appears several times throughout the film, is a perfect metaphor for Ingrid, the character played by Michelle Pfeiffer. Ingrid is strong, beautiful, and self-possessed, but she acts as a poison to everyone around her, especially her impressionable daughter, Astrid, who idolizes her mother. Yet Ingrid's acts are based on her own whims and desires, without considering how they might ultimately damage the daughter she claims to love. Astrid worships her mother and cherishes their private world full of ritual and mystery-but their idyll is shattered when Astrid's mother falls apart over a lover. Deranged by rejection, an enraged and jealous Ingrid kills her lover, Barry (Billy Connolly) and she is consigned to a maximum-security prison for a 30-to-life sentence.





White Oleander is the unforgettable story of Astrid's journey through a series of foster homes and her efforts to find a place for herself in impossible circumstances. Each home is its own universe, with a new set of laws and lessons to be learned. With determination and humor, Astrid confronts the challenges of loneliness and poverty, and strives to learn who a motherless child in an indifferent world can become. Nevertheless, the central theme, is that of a child trying to escape from the pernicious influence of a misguided parent. Through all of this, Ingrid lurks on the periphery, re-enforcing her indoctrination every time Astrid visits: "Loneliness is the human condition. Love humiliates you. Hatred cradles you", she says.





Astrid, who is a 15 y/o teenager (initially), must go into care after her mother is imprisoned. Her first foster mother is Starr (Robin Wright Penn), a Bible-thumping Christian who is afraid Astrid is out to steal her man. After a close encounter with a bullet, Astrid ends up in McKinney Hall, where she meets a cartoonist named Paul, who is attracted to her. Astrid moves on to live with Claire (Renee Zellweger), an insecure B-movie actress who is convinced that her husband (Noah Wyle) is having an affair. The vicious cycle of poor male/female relationships continues until finally a more mature and independent Astrid gives her relationship with Paul a chance.