Lullabies For Little Criminals Character Analysis

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Loss of Innocence
Throughout the novel “ Lullabies for Little Criminals” by Heather O'Neill there are many experiences that Baby goes through that resulted in her loss of innocence at the young age of 13. From growing up around drugs to becoming a prostitute at a young age, Baby has had a life full of negative influences and experiences that have formed her into the person she is today. Firstly, when only having negative influences in one's life, it will mislead them into thinking it is the only route to take when they are not aware of other alternatives. Secondly, when one never has the opportunity to experience childhood, they will believe they deserve to be treated as an adult. Lastly, without proper drive and upbring the idea of pursuing …show more content…

Baby’s first experience that causes her to lose her innocence when she first is introduced to the world of drugs. Baby’s father is a heroin addict, and has been since her birth. Being around him and his friends doing drugs and finding drugs on the kitchen table made her feel tempted to try them. For only being 13 years old, Baby knew a lot about drugs, and said it was a matter of time until she started doing drugs herself. Baby admitted to knowing a lot about drugs by saying “ …for a kid, I knew a lot of things about what it felt like to use heroin.”(O’Neill, 10). This shows the amount of time that Baby has spent around drugs by living with a heroin addict and living in a community where doing drugs is normal. Since Baby lives in a big city like Montreal, there are certain places that are poor like in Toronto, there are the poor parts like Scarborough, where crime and drug rates are high, this is exactly what Baby goes through while living in this poor area in Montreal. In a marxist criticism point of view, it shows how drugs and alcohol abuse happen in parts of the city where people make less income and haven't had a goal in life and that's what Babys town is like, having people who never had an education and had people in their life who weren't good influences. Her friend Xavier lives in a different part of …show more content…

Baby first meets Alphonse when she is walking home from school one day, they become close and he asks her if she has ever smoked heroin. Baby didn't answer but thought it would be a good idea to start smoking heroin because she believed it would be a stepping stone into adulthood. Baby wanted to go buy some and try it out herself first so she goes and finds her dads friend who is a drug dealer. When Baby asks him how much it would cost to buy some he said “ Didn't you just get out of diapers?” (76) This shows Baby's loss of innocence because people in her town think that Baby is still a child and to still be treated like one even though she has been exposed to drugs and has had to grow up faster than other children her age. In a world where children are taught about the dangers of drugs, no 13 year old would ever think about asking someone if they could buy heroin. By experiencing life in a town where drugs are being sold and not being taught about the outcomes of doing them, Baby trusts that there is no harm in doing them. Baby has had to grow up beyond her years by being left alone at home and being kicked out of her house at a young age, that's why she believes that she should be treated like an adult because she never got to experience childhood so she believes it's right for people to treat her differently than other

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