And then when Ingrid falls in love with Barry, she sees people can fall in love with the possession of other people. From there it is a long, long haul to actually see someone for what they are and not what they can be used for. This is the journey. Through all her experiences she develops the ability to love and to risk loving another person in a world where loss is constant. I think this is the biggest lesson of all.
Oleander is a plant that grows well in the worst situations.
It blooms in the summer when the weather is 105 degrees, so it is very tough. It is also very poisonous, and the color white is an ongoing symbol in the book. It is a symbol for the mother Ingrid who sees things very much in black and white. If you could say the darker side of white, which is the insistence on purity, she has a fanaticism with purity. I believe a quality that serves us well in the real world is the ability to embrace the various emotional tones of experience.