The Bad Seed
Grim’s Class Notes
June 2010
Background Information

The novel, The Bad Seed, by William
March, was first published in 1954 and
immediately became a much-discussed
pop-culture bestseller.

In 1955 the novel was made into the
play we are reading in class. It was
written by Maxwell Anderson.
Background Information

In 1956 The Bad Seed was also made
into a b/w movie starring, a well-known
child actor, Patty McCormack, then
remade in the 1980s.

These many versions emphasize the
fascination the public has with this story.
The Bad Seed Role Descriptions
Rhoda Penmark:
The character is 8, but the actor can be older, up to a petite 12 or 13 year
old. She should look innocent and act very polite, but it is important that
she be mature enough to understand the role. A very large role for a young
actress, Rhoda is the title role—the "Bad Seed" who will stop at nothing to
get what she wants.
Christine Penmark:
Rhoda's mother and the leading role of the show. She is a gracious, pretty
woman who adores her child and her husband, but she is torn when she
realizes the truth about Rhoda. (Age: Late 20's to Mid 30's)
Col. Kenneth Penmark:
Rhoda's father, and a good-looking, straight arrow military officer. He
adores his wife and child. (Age: Late 20's to Late 30's)
Monica Breedlove:
Tall, imposing-looking, perhaps overweight, no-nonsense, can-do type, but she is
also kind and friendly—perhaps too friendly—and offers humor without being a
clown. She is a widow who owns the house, which she has converted into
apartments and where she and the Penmarks reside. (Age: 40's to Mid 60's)
Emery Wages:
He is younger than his sister, Monica, with whom he resides. He is usually played
shorter and slighter than Monica, but that will be flexible. Monica's younger brother.
He is friendly, conversational, tolerant, and stable and is calmer compared to his
sister. (Age: 40's-60's)
Leroy:
Janitor of the building and grounds. He is sly, but he is an embittered man who feels
like he's been victimized by the whole world. He dislikes and admires Rhoda at the
same time. There is tension between them, but the audience gains the greatest
insight of these two characters through their relationship. (Age: 30-45)
Miss Fern:
A spinster who runs a tight ship as head of one of the most aristocratic schools in
the state. She expects others to cooperate and to contribute. (Age: 50's to 60's)
Reginald Tasker:
A crime writer with an air of mystery who has become somewhat of an expert in the
history of crime. He is a friend of Christine and Monica. Should have an air of
mystery. (Age: 35-50)
Mrs. Hortense Daigle:
A later-in-life mother, relative to other women of her time, who has suffered the
murder of her only son whom she adored. She is grief-stricken and very confused
and self-conscious around Christine. She drinks. (Age: Early 30's to Mid 40's)
Mr. Daigle:
Quiet, but apologetic for his wife's obsessive grief and embarrassed by her drinking
and assertions about the murder. (Age: 45-55)
Richard Bravo:
Christine's father, once a well-known homicide detective who became an author. He
is also a well-known radio journalist, but he hides the secret of his daughter's past.
He adores his daughter and granddaughter. (Age: 50-65)
Brief Summary

An eight year old serial killer in the
middle of a small Southern town.

Sound like the next topic for Geraldo or
Springer? Nope, instead its the topic of
The Bad Seed.
Brief Summary

The novel, play and movies take place in the
era of Happy Days and clean-cut suburbia,
when a story about a murderous eight year
old had the power to shock and alarm.

The plot revolves around Christine Penmarke
and her little eight year old girl Rhoda. Rhoda
is a perfect little angel.
Brief Summary

That is, unless you happen to have
something she wants or make her
angry.

Then, people have a nasty habit of
coming to various gruesome ends; such
as being burned alive or pushed down a
flight of stairs.
Brief Summary

But surely these acts had to be
accidents, right? Sweet little girls just
don't do those sorts of things!

The child-murderer, Rhoda, is a freak of
nature masquerading as an angelic little
girl of eight.
Brief Summary

“Pigtailed, always immaculately
dressed and doll-like, Rhoda is
“quaint”--”modest”--”Old-fashioned, a
remarkable little creature” (The Bad
Seed)
Brief Summary

However, we are soon to learn that she
is machine for killing, having inherited
the “seed” or gene, for such behavior
from her mother’s mother.
Brief Summary

The novel also has an interesting
subplot that has extreme relevance to
issues today. The effect of genetics and
heredity on how a person behaves.
Brief Summary

As the reader gets farther and farther
into the plot, he/she discovers that
Rhoda's mom, the naïve Christine also
has a few skeletons in her closet as well
that just might help explain why Rhoda
is the sweet little girl she is. (Mike Nartker,
Independence Magazine)
Themes

Bad seed...bad blood...bad gene... here
is a grim genetic determinism which, if
true, renders every environmental
factor, including education, moral
instruction, religion, law, psychiatry,
love, and civilization itself, quite useless
to effect change in the allegedly afflicted
individual. (The Gene as the Unit of Selection,
W.H.Freeman, 1982, p. 23.)
Themes

Rhoda: the little girl is evil incarnated hiding
behind her cute little girl exterior
 Christine: the mother is hiding from the awful
truth of her mother
 Leroy: the janitor recognizes Rhoda’s hidden
evil intentions.
 Bravo: Christine’s father is hiding the truth
from his daughter.
Bibliography

Bad Seed, Good Read
by Mike Nartker, Independence
Magazine
http://independence-magazine.com/v5i10.shtml

William March: The Bad Seed From the
New York Review Of Books
http://www.scaruffi.com/fiction/march.html