The House of Dreams

In Jane Addams "House of Dreams" nickelodeons and movie theaters "can satisfy that craving for a conception of life higher than that which the actual world offers them." (Adams 76) What she means by this is that these theaters become a reality for the youth and other ongoers that attend the shows. They provide mystery, drama, romance, and provide an ultimate escape from reality and the real world. Unfortunately, the theaters did not always provide a positive atmosphere or show that would influence the working class youth in the early 1900's. An example was when one boy would steal money from his mother every week to procure movie tickets. (Adams 81) Also, these youthful people would imitate the characters seen in the shows and feel that the way these fictional characters acted were acceptable; so now they could act the same way. Society did not agree with the negative influence that the movies were having on their youth. They felt that movies brought violence, crime, moral ambiguities and corruption of the youth in society and that was morally unacceptable. (Adams 79)