Guilt In Heather O Neill's Lullabies For Little Criminals

Guilt is much like a cancer that will confine, torture, and destroy your mentality without hesitation. In Heather O’Neill’s Lullabies for Little Criminals , there are many occurrences where guilt leads to a tragic downfall. Guilt is the initial cause of the characters’ drastic decline in the novel. The guilt portrayed causes the characters to continue to repeat the self destructive actions in an attempt to gain a feeling of satisfaction. Furthermore, guilty wrongdoings from the past ultimately foreshadow a negative future. Heather O’Neill proves that guilt is detrimental to one’s well being as it causes a deceived mindset which results in a self destructive outcome.
The guilt of being prematurely introduced to sexual behaviours initiates a

He continues to elaborate on false stories because he does not want to face the truth. Jules manipulates his mindset by continuing to believe the flawed veracity. Jules finally tells Baby the truth about her mother when he says, “I was driving the car when your mother died” (324). Baby continues to explain Jules’ body language and how “he had trouble looking at [her]” (325). Jules feels so guilty about the death of Baby’s mother that he is unable to even look Baby in the eyes. Jules does not want Baby to blame him for the death of
Manon so he is secretive about the truth in an attempt to avoid his guilty wrongdoings. Jules is in denial of the situation, which is why he attempts to avoid the responsibility of owning up to his mistakes. In many cases, those who experience guilt eventually admit to their regret as a defense mechanism in an attempt to feel better, much like Jules. Jules attempts to hide from reality and escape the truth which manipulates his mindset. He explains that since killing Baby’s mom “[he hasn’t] loved another woman” (327). Jules feels as though he cannot love again because he genuinely loved Manon. He alters his thinking by believing he is not worthy of falling in