Throughout the time I have read Lullabies for Little Criminals, I have analyzed the novel through various different literary lenses. Each theory has provided me different insights on conflicts, symbols, characters, and settings that I may not have noticed before applying each one. I felt that the three theories I used forced me to think much deeper than just the text during the time which I was reading. Although, I do believe one of these theories gave me the BEST insight, and helped me analyze the plot, and characters the most. This theory was the archetypal literary theory.
When reading the novel and keeping the archetype theory in mind, I was able to observe many more meanings of events, and really look past just the text of the story. I understood characters, and their development in a much more in-depth way. I was also able to notice different messages or themes of the novel much more clearly due to this literary theory. The author did an excellent job of exposing these themes and messages through her use of symbols and figures.
I became very attached to the characters in this novel, specifically Baby. I always wanted to see her make the right decisions so I could feel confident in a happy ending. The theme of childhood holding the most precious innocence in life is one that stuck with me the most while reading this novel.
My attachment to Baby is what made me able to predict how the plot was going to develop because the author stuck very closely to the archetypal theory plot line. I was very impressed how much Heather O’Neill followed this. This furthermore allowed me to see how each character was going to grow, and change throughout the story.
As Baby is the main character, her character development during the novel is the most prominent. Baby is a representation of the child/innocent archetype. This archetype is a character whom depends on others for support. Baby is surrounded by many adults in the story and looks to these adults for help however she can. Since her father has been a heroin junkie for nearly all of her life, she does not have a proper support system and this teaches her to take care of herself from a very young age.
Characters such as Mary, Isobel, or Janine hold the archetype figure of the mother. When Baby craved a mother figure in her life, these women all made that impression on her. Baby simply wanted someone who could offer motherly advice, and provide motherly activities to her, things like making her food, or someone to help her in the morning get ready for school. By the end of the story, Jules sends Baby to live with his cousin Janine until he is better. Baby was beyond excited to have a mother figure in her life at that time. She describes the first moment she sees Janine, “Then Janine stepped over and squeezed me hard. I could feel my heart beating when she hugged me against her, but not it felt fine” (O’Neill 330). Having a woman around, Baby feels instantly more comfortable. The ending of the novel was exactly what Baby needed, a good home. She gets her mother figure in the end, and keeps her loving connection to her father Jules.
The mother and the child archetypes are very common when put together in novels. To achieve a good novel, there must be a conflict. The conflict between these archetypes in this story is what made the theme more prominent.
The other archetype I discovered is the ruler. I felt that Jules, Baby’s father, was a strong representation of this figure. Throughout the novel Jules became more cruel, and more controlling towards Baby. He would always get angry with her when he felt she was doing even the smallest of things wrong. Jules wanted to keep his power over Baby, and this caused serious conflicts for their relationship.
Baby says many intelligent things about childhood, and how the society she is living in encourages her to grow up too fast. Little does she know, that she can’t go back afterwards. She thinks that the life she is living is normal, and that there is no problems with people around her influencing her to do the things she does in the end. She says herself, “for a kid, I knew a lot of things about what it felt like to use heroin” (O’Neill 10). She later has many defining moments throughout the novel and concludes that “Becoming a child again is what is impossible. That’s what you have a legitimate reason to be upset over. Childhood is the most valuable thing that’s taken away from you in life, if you think about it” (O’Neill 57). People influenced her and changed who she was as a person. This left her turned from the innocent little girl she was, to the “experienced” prostitute she later is.
I feel that when analyzing Lullabies for Little Criminals from an archetypal perspective, the reader is exposed to the lessons and themes I have mentioned above. The story had a created lots of conflict and much of those conflicts were due to poor communication, family dynamics, and power imbalances. The archetypes I discovered help me relate these characters to ones that I have read about in previous stories.
Overall, I am very pleased with how well I understood this novel, and what messages I can take away from it.
Works Cited
O’Neill, Heather. Lullabies for Little Criminals: a Novel. HarperCollins, 2006, New York. Prin
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