PODCAST - LULLABIES FOR LITTLE CRIMINALS

In this podcast episode, Emily explores the novel "Lullabies for Little Criminals" from a feminist perspective. The story follows Baby, a young girl living with her heroin-addicted father, as she struggles for independence and faces mistreatment from male figures. Emily discusses how Baby's innocence is exploited and how she loses her childhood due to neglect and exposure to harsh realities. The mistreatment of sex workers is also examined, highlighting the power imbalance and victim blaming. Overall, the episode explores important themes of innocence, mistreatment, and victim blaming in relation to gender. Welcome to Emily's Podcast, where we explore books from various perspectives, whether it's examining characters and themes from an archetypal perspective or exploring the societal implications from a feminist point of view. Our goal is to uncover the deeper meanings hidden within the pages of our favorite books. I'm your host, Emily, and I'm thrilled to have you join me on this journey. Today, we'll be exploring a powerful novel called Lullabies for Little Criminals by Canadian author Heather O'Neill, from the perspective of the feminist theory. It essentially captures Baby's journey as she navigates through the harsh realities of growing up. This episode will focus on Baby, our young protagonist, as she struggles for independence in a world that tries to confine her. Through her interactions with controlling male figures and a fight against societal expectations, O'Neill shows how systemic challenges and gendered experiences share her resilience and identity. Lullabies for Little Criminals is a compelling read about Baby, a young girl living with her heroin-addicted father, Jules. Despite confident in stability and hardship, Baby's resilience stands out as she seeks love and stability. Throughout her journey, she meets various characters, including Alphonse, a manipulative pimp, adding to her struggles. The story portrays Baby's fight for survival, self-discovery, and independence, set against the backdrop of exploitation and harsh realities. Through Baby's perspective, we explore themes of poverty, addiction, and resilience. Stay tuned as we unpack these themes and more in today's episode. Now, the first point I wanted to dive into is Baby's innocence. According to Wikipedia, innocence can be defined as a crucial aspect of growing up. It's considered as an experience or period in a person's life that leads to a greater awareness of evil, pain, and or suffering in the world around them. I think that this is a crucial aspect of Baby's character. Despite all the harsh challenges she faces, there's a purity in her outlook, which I find both heartbreaking and endearing. Even though Baby faces tough situations, she still sees the world in a pure and innocent way. The feminist theory looks at how society takes advantage of girls' innocence and puts pressure on them. At an early age, she was exposed to sex. On page 23, she says, I'm still uncomfortable with the idea of sex. When I first heard of French kissing, I thought it was something not only mental patients and the kids who failed the grade 4 would do when they grew up. Here she was with her neighbor Marika, where she spoke about her sexual experiences in exchange for money. She tried to convince Baby to lose her virginity since she was past the age of 12. Obviously, Baby's uncomfortable with the idea and how Marika was essentially pressuring her to lose her virginity. According to the medical and scientific literature by Celia Roberts, early sexual development and knowledge is described as a problem for girls and as a frightening prospect for parents. It raises powerful concerns about the sexual predation of early developing girls by men and boys and the loss of childhood innocence. It's just sad, because in this case, Baby is only 12 years old, while she just turned 12, and Marika is only 14. It's just quite unfortunate that these young girls talk about the subject in this manner, as I find them far too young to have the knowledge about these topics. Another example of her loss of innocence is the neglect she faced. Her experiences forced her into adulthood at a young age. Her childhood is taken away from her, and her mental and emotional health suffers as a result of having to navigate a world of drugs, crime, and prostitution. Her dad, Jules, is a drug addict, and he's unfortunately in the position where he isn't able to properly care for her. This forces her into dangerous situations and shows how the system fails young girls, especially those in at-risk communities. She had to do things that she should not be doing at her young age. And essentially, because of her living conditions, she was forced to give up her childhood, or I guess you could say her innocence, in order to raise herself, or to survive. The next point I want to talk about is the mistreatment from male figures. Baby's childhood was marked by neglect and mistreatment at the hands of multiple male figures. But it all started with their father, Jules, who was absent and selfish. He prioritized his own needs, more specifically his need and dependence on drugs, over his daughter's well-being, forcing Baby to essentially grow up too fast. This lack of guidance and care deprived Baby of a secure childhood, leaving her exposed to topics that children should not be aware of. And as she enters adulthood, she was introduced to prostitution, a harsh environment where she encountered other women trapped in a cycle of exploitation. These women were objectified and controlled by men. They were treated as commodities to be bought and sold. According to the Health and Human Rights Journal, 68% of sex workers experience some form of abuse. This includes physical violence, like having been strangled, beaten, locked or trapped in a car or room, assaulted with a weapon, drugged or kidnapped, or sexual violence, like rape or sexual assault, either from a client or a predator. The physical and emotional abuse that they've suffered is a clear example of exploitation, leaving them in a hopeless state. These women were not just victims, but also survivors. When Baby talks to a prostitute, she says, Don't worry about it, sweetheart. It's my job. You just gotta do what the nice man wants. Which was said in page 137. I think that this reveals the manipulation tactics that are used to keep, you know, these women or sex workers trapped into that industry. It's as if the prostitute was used to the mistreatment. Many women are forced into sex work because of poverty, or lack of options, or even threats of violence. Over time, the constant pressure that they go through may result in a sign of resignation. This could have been said as a way to, you know, cope with their situation, a way to distance herself emotionally from these degrading acts, which has clearly been normalized in this culture. This highlights, you know, the power imbalance within the industry, where women are often not allowed to refuse clients and are forced into abusive situations where they cannot speak up or defend themselves. Now, the last thing I want to talk about in today's episode is victim blaming. Throughout the novel, it seems as if Baby was blamed for the treatment she received from other people. According to the sexual assault center, Vedminton, victim blaming is when people ask those who experience violence, especially sexual violence, about their actions and what they could have done to prevent it, or if they invited it. It points out supposed, you know, weaknesses or differences that might have made them a target. It especially invalidates experiences and dismisses what victims go through, making them feel alone and doubting themselves even more. This is unfortunately a daily occurrence for women. For example, we see it happen in our culture, the media, and even in court. According to Fairspace, around 75% of victims who are sexually assaulted are blamed for their circumstances. Baby says, my dad has told me that if you stayed out after nine, and if you were a girl, it meant that you wanted to have sex with whoever was passing by. He told me that if I got raped after 9 o'clock, the courts would probably say I had deserved it. This was said on page 155. I think that this quote alone, you know, represents the modern rape culture and how women are blamed for the assaults that they've endured. Later on in the novel, Baby faces victim blaming from Xavier's parents. In the novel, Xavier is someone she meets after escaping Alfonsi's abuse, and someone she quickly began to date. Despite them knowing of her difficult circumstances, Xavier's parents refused to let her stay with them, assuming she must be a prostitute based on her appearance. They judged her instead of offering help, blaming her for her situation. I think this instance highlights the harsh reality of victim blaming, even from adults who should offer support and their understanding. It's just unfortunate because Baby went through a lot of trauma after becoming a prostitute, and instead of receiving support, you know, they just made her feel responsible for what happened to her when she was in fact coerced to become one by Alfonsi, who was essentially just used countless manipulation tactics in order to put her in that position. Well, that's it for today's episode of Emily's Podcast. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey through Lullabies for Little Criminals. We delve into powerful teams of innocents, mistreatment from male figures, and victim blaming, all seen through the eyes of our protagonist, Baby. I hope our conversation has been as thought-provoking for you as it has been for me. These issues are deeply rooted in our society and have a profound impact on the lives of women and girls. Let's continue to think critically about these topics and advocate for change. Thank you again for listening. I'm Emily, and I'll see you on our next episode.