In the novel, Lullabies for little criminals, the women are represented as sex figures. Alphonse, the local pimp, sees all the women this way and uses them to gain a regular income. Alphonse noticed Baby, and took a strong liking to her. He made her feel beautiful and acted like he wanted to be with her, when only he was dragging her into his prostitute business. Baby, at the age of thirteen, starts to prostitute for the money that Alphonse says they need.
The roles that men and women play in this novel are very different. The women obviously play the role of a sex object, as well as the person who stays at home and does everything on their own. The men on the other hand play the role of either the drug dealer, pimp, etc... and use the women to their advantage.
The social and historical conditions for women in this period that might help us understand their roles in the text is that women who don't always come from the best of homes can get into the wrong crowd, which lead to these roles. Certain women may play the role of a sex figure in this period, although it is not as common or noticeable but can happen as a way of life and possible income for them.
Women's lives are limited and restricted in this text quite a bit and some to a high degree. For example, when Baby begins hanging around Alphonse he starts to want Baby around all the time even though she can't be. When Baby is late for a meeting with him, Alphonse automatically thinks that she's lying to him about something and gets upset with her. When Baby first started going to the community centre on a daily basis, her father Jules put a stop to that immediately because of the people and the things they were doing. He did not give Baby a chance even though he was the one either doing drugs, in rehab, or out of town for "work." To some extent the lives of the women can be limited to what they are allowed to do and restricted to a degree of rules they must follow.
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