1.
Quote 1: “It had the same smell of wet clothes and pot that our last apartment had. It smelled as if a florist shop had caught on fire and all the flowers were burning. I didn't mind any apartment as long as there weren't any tiny amber-colored cockroaches that disappeared into holes.” (pg 2)
This quote reveals the setting by describing in depth the smell of her new apartment. Through this, we can infer a lot of the other aspects of it and possibly even the area of town it would be located in. It suggests all of her previous apartments also had issues like smell and cockroaches which shows the poverty they have been enthralled in throughout her life. Although this quote shows the depressing aspects, it also reveals that the protagonist, Baby, is used to it all and doesn't know anything else. Since she says that as long as there aren't cockroaches she is happy, we can deduce that she isn't impacted by the fact that this apartment is also not very nice. The meaning of this book is, put simply, that she is always able to persevere through the worst of situations and this quote shows this by the fact that even though she is living in yet another dingy apartment, she doesn't mind as long as she can still be with her Dad.
Quote 2: “St. Laurent street wasn't an ideal place to raise a kid. It ran right through Montreal, dividing its east and west sections. It was also the red-light district and, to me, the most beautiful section of town. There were always prostitutes around. They made me feel bad when I was little because they always had beautiful high-heeled boots, while I had to wear ugly galoshes. I closed my eyes when I passed them. In general, everyone looked like they hadn't gone home from a wedding the night before. You could go to the Salvation Army, buy a pin-striped jacket and stick a plastic flower on the lapel, and call yourself an aristocrat - everyone was living a sort of fictional existence.” (pg 5-6)
This quote reveals that the book is set in the red-light district of Montreal and that the people surrounding Baby in her life are those of prostitutes, drug users, and unsuccessful people. This shows the social environment she is surrounded by and also the cultural values that this sort of activity is accepted. The fact that she is interested and somewhat fascinated by the lives of the prostitutes shows that their impact on her life has already begun. It is a form of foreshadowing and reveals that she might become a part of their world later in the book. They also have another impact on her at that specific moment in the book, making her feel less special and perhaps less confident and sure of herself. This low self esteem can also be foreshadowing in the fact that she might be taken advantage of at some point.
2.
Object 1: Jules’ Record Player
His record player is seen a lot throughout Lullabies for Little Criminals and is a symbol for their happiness. It is also an object that is essential to the setting by giving the reader a glimpse into the time period in which the story takes place. There are many other objects and descriptions that give rise to this conclusion, but I think the story takes place in the mid-70’s, a time when record players were one of the most used ways to listen to music.
Object 2: Baby’s Little White Fur Hat
This object shows the setting by describing the daily manner of living of the characters as well as their financial situation. Baby says “I could tell it was secondhand because the care instructions had worn right off the inside tag. Jules had a gift for finding wonderful garbage at the thrift store.” (pg 9). This shows that she is used to receiving these kinds of gifts and that their everyday life is a struggle to have enough money for the simple things. Baby is still grateful, however, because she is used to this and is not phased by the lack of funds her father put into this gift, showing the fact that they have never had much money and why they are living in worn-down apartments all the time.I
Object 3: Jules’ Tattoo of a Swallow
When Jules got his tattoo of the swallow and wore it out into the town, he got stopped by the cops for looking “ludacris”. This shows that although the social attitudes towards tattoos and those kinds of people in their home and neighborhood might be accepted, but a mere few blocks away the morals are different and he was stopped. His and Baby’s attitude towards the idea of a tattoo was that it was a nice birthday gift to himself, whereas society saw it as uncomfortable. This shows that the area of town they were living in was very different from what surrounded it in the neighboring parts of Montreal.This might also reaffirm the time period, showing tattoos were a relatively new idea for a lot of people to accept.
Object 4: The Cassette Tape
The landlord gifted this cassette tape of a Russian singer to Baby and it is seen as a symbol of their happiness throughout the novel. It shows the setting by describing atmosphere and attitudes of the characters. Whenever Baby and her Dad are fighting or one of them is upset it seems this cassette begins to play. I think it shows that even in times of despair they are persevering. It is playing quite a lot, which shows that the emotional setting is grim most of the time and the atmosphere and setting is sad and depressing throughout the book.
Quote 1: “It had the same smell of wet clothes and pot that our last apartment had. It smelled as if a florist shop had caught on fire and all the flowers were burning. I didn't mind any apartment as long as there weren't any tiny amber-colored cockroaches that disappeared into holes.” (pg 2)
This quote reveals the setting by describing in depth the smell of her new apartment. Through this, we can infer a lot of the other aspects of it and possibly even the area of town it would be located in. It suggests all of her previous apartments also had issues like smell and cockroaches which shows the poverty they have been enthralled in throughout her life. Although this quote shows the depressing aspects, it also reveals that the protagonist, Baby, is used to it all and doesn't know anything else. Since she says that as long as there aren't cockroaches she is happy, we can deduce that she isn't impacted by the fact that this apartment is also not very nice. The meaning of this book is, put simply, that she is always able to persevere through the worst of situations and this quote shows this by the fact that even though she is living in yet another dingy apartment, she doesn't mind as long as she can still be with her Dad.
Quote 2: “St. Laurent street wasn't an ideal place to raise a kid. It ran right through Montreal, dividing its east and west sections. It was also the red-light district and, to me, the most beautiful section of town. There were always prostitutes around. They made me feel bad when I was little because they always had beautiful high-heeled boots, while I had to wear ugly galoshes. I closed my eyes when I passed them. In general, everyone looked like they hadn't gone home from a wedding the night before. You could go to the Salvation Army, buy a pin-striped jacket and stick a plastic flower on the lapel, and call yourself an aristocrat - everyone was living a sort of fictional existence.” (pg 5-6)
This quote reveals that the book is set in the red-light district of Montreal and that the people surrounding Baby in her life are those of prostitutes, drug users, and unsuccessful people. This shows the social environment she is surrounded by and also the cultural values that this sort of activity is accepted. The fact that she is interested and somewhat fascinated by the lives of the prostitutes shows that their impact on her life has already begun. It is a form of foreshadowing and reveals that she might become a part of their world later in the book. They also have another impact on her at that specific moment in the book, making her feel less special and perhaps less confident and sure of herself. This low self esteem can also be foreshadowing in the fact that she might be taken advantage of at some point.
2.
Object 1: Jules’ Record Player
His record player is seen a lot throughout Lullabies for Little Criminals and is a symbol for their happiness. It is also an object that is essential to the setting by giving the reader a glimpse into the time period in which the story takes place. There are many other objects and descriptions that give rise to this conclusion, but I think the story takes place in the mid-70’s, a time when record players were one of the most used ways to listen to music.
Object 2: Baby’s Little White Fur Hat
This object shows the setting by describing the daily manner of living of the characters as well as their financial situation. Baby says “I could tell it was secondhand because the care instructions had worn right off the inside tag. Jules had a gift for finding wonderful garbage at the thrift store.” (pg 9). This shows that she is used to receiving these kinds of gifts and that their everyday life is a struggle to have enough money for the simple things. Baby is still grateful, however, because she is used to this and is not phased by the lack of funds her father put into this gift, showing the fact that they have never had much money and why they are living in worn-down apartments all the time.I
Object 3: Jules’ Tattoo of a Swallow
When Jules got his tattoo of the swallow and wore it out into the town, he got stopped by the cops for looking “ludacris”. This shows that although the social attitudes towards tattoos and those kinds of people in their home and neighborhood might be accepted, but a mere few blocks away the morals are different and he was stopped. His and Baby’s attitude towards the idea of a tattoo was that it was a nice birthday gift to himself, whereas society saw it as uncomfortable. This shows that the area of town they were living in was very different from what surrounded it in the neighboring parts of Montreal.This might also reaffirm the time period, showing tattoos were a relatively new idea for a lot of people to accept.
Object 4: The Cassette Tape
The landlord gifted this cassette tape of a Russian singer to Baby and it is seen as a symbol of their happiness throughout the novel. It shows the setting by describing atmosphere and attitudes of the characters. Whenever Baby and her Dad are fighting or one of them is upset it seems this cassette begins to play. I think it shows that even in times of despair they are persevering. It is playing quite a lot, which shows that the emotional setting is grim most of the time and the atmosphere and setting is sad and depressing throughout the book.
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