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Lullabies For Little Criminals Analysis

1521 Words7 Pages

Broken Foundations! The novel Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill is narrated by Baby -- the 12 year old protagonist and daughter of a single father and heroin addict, Jules. Baby never knew her mother and is unaware that she has any other family. They live in various dilapidated hotels in Montreal’s red light district. As Karl Marx famously said “[People] make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past." Likewise, the foundation that affected Baby’s development was fractured prior to her birth. Baby was born in an unstable and derelict environment, paired with minimal parental support from a heroin addicted father, which hindered her childhood development. This significantly affected the choices she made -- especially during the formative years of twelve and thirteen years old. Consequently, her understanding of social and moral values deviated from societal norms. This paper is an exploration of the pathway effects caused by lack of familial support and how Jules addiction created a milieu that leads to Baby being ostracised by society. Suggestions are offered to alleviate their struggles. Baby strongly believes a …show more content…

Baby encounters stigma from authority figures and classmates, further contributing to her low self-esteem. For example, after a school teacher informed Xavier’s parents that, Baby is a troubled child from a broken home - Baby is unwelcome at his house. Lauren was Baby friend; however after witnessing Baby’s home life she humiliated and excluded Baby. Furthermore, they were many instances where the social workers and teachers could have intervened and made a positive difference in Baby’s life. However, they all fail to do so; Baby lamented "they are afraid of my sadness" (O 'Neill, 2006,

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