Lullabies For Little Criminals Novel Analysis

In the first half of the classic Canadian novel Lullabies for Little Criminals, author Heather O’Neill first introduces the main character, twelve-year-old Baby. The story takes place in one of the poorer parts of downtown Montreal, Quebec, where Baby lives with her young, heroin-addicted father, Jules. Baby is without a mother and is constantly relocating to shabby apartments and hotels due to Jules having trouble with his friends, jobs, or his drug dealers. O’Neill addresses the strong underlying themes involving youth, loss of innocence and love, especially throughout the first part of the book. The most recurring theme throughout the book, loss of innocence. Jules’ lifestyle choices and frequent absences have forced Baby to become independent and mature beyond her years. The responsibilities needed to master this independence eventually and subsequently strip her of her own innocence. Moreover, the irony of Baby’s namesake and the grown-up lifestyle she endures is quite apparent. Early in this chapter she recalls, “If I’d had parents who …show more content…
O’Neill focusses and introduces the importance of love through Baby’s relationship with several characters and objects that are important to her such as Jules and her rag doll. A lack of love corrupts different characters throughout the novel. The corruption of the characters leads them to attempt to find love in the worst ways possible. Considering Baby’s father’s addiction to drugs, she lacks a father figure and attention, causing her to seek connections and relationships with men. She describes,” I wanted desperately to belong to someone. It didn’t matter who” (O’Neill, 207). O’Neill emphasizing that Baby did not care who she had the connection with, highlights how valuable love is. When people, especially children, are neglected, they will accept and follow those who take interest in