There’s a scene in Tree Grows in Brooklyn, where Aunt Sissy comes over, to play but then realizes that she has something to do. She leaves the kids alone with a box from her factory, that says “American Dreams” with a picture of a man having a ciggerette. She tells the kids that they must not open the box. She then leaves. They open the box anyway, and they hang it out the window. However, the book never says what was in the box. Anyone know?
Sissy worked in a rubber factory. They made a few novelty toys, but it’s implied that their main business was condoms.
I always assumed it was either condoms or some sort of blow-up adult gag of some sort.
One of my all-time favorite books.
VCNJ~
From the book:
I hear it was Marcellus Wallace’s soul.
My impression is that they didn’t just hang the condom out the window, they thought it was a balloon and inflated it, hence the string that they tied to it, with the other end of the string under the closed window sash.
The parents are so horribly embarassed when they discover it, they move the family to a new neighborhood!
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yeah, but they don’t say what those “other” rubber things are.
I had thought it was a condom…LOL…kinda funny seeing how uptight some societies were. Now we blow them up for parties!