Unfortunately for her, the truth is far worse than she could imagine. Her parents (mother in the book) profusely deny this, and her friends assure her that this is a common childhood fantasy.

Changeling Fantasy: Since childhood, Christine has had this thought in the back of her mind that she was adopted, though unlike most examples of this trope, the idea fills her with horror.The Cassandra: In the novel Leroy's more intelligent wife repeatedly warns him that no good will come of his constantly teasing Rhoda.Black-and-Grey Morality: Rhoda's a manipulative psychopath, Leroy, who is wise to her evil, is just a bully who acts dumb to get away with what he does, but then we also have Monica who willfully ignores Rhoda's behavior, and the most heroic character, Rhoda's mother Christine, is morally conflicted.Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Rhoda, full stop.Berserk Button: Rhoda really wanted to win that penmanship medal, and doesn't react well when it's brought up.The Bad Guy Wins: Rhoda gets away with everything.Asshole Victim: Leroy could be said to have had it coming.Arc Words: 'What'll you give me for a basket of kisses?' 'I'll give you a basket of hugs.'.The Alcoholic: Hortense Daigle, mother of Claude Daigle ( whom Rhoda killed because she wanted his penmanship medal), became addicted to alcohol to dull the pain of losing her only child.Adults Are Useless: Almost all of the adults buy Rhoda's act the children in her school know there's something wrong there and usually avoid her.A 2018 made-for-TV-movie remake directed by (and starring) Rob Lowe for Lifetime.A 1985 made-for-TV-movie remake for ABC.A 1956 feature film adaptation drawing from both of the above.A stage play by Maxwell Anderson, which came out the same year as the novel.

Thus far, there have been four adaptations of the novel: nurture as Christine discovers the truth of her own origins. One of the earliest and more notable examples of a child being portrayed as irredeemably evil, and delves into the issue of nature vs. As Christine notices the strange, horrible things that happen in the proximity of her daughter, she comes to see that Rhoda is the very definition of an Enfante Terrible. Christine has always thought her daughter was very peculiar while always polite, courteous, and charming in public, there was a cold, apathetic, and calculating quality in her personality that she found very disturbing in a child. The Bad Seed is a thriller novel by William March, published in 1954.Ĭhristine Penmark, a housewife, moves into a new town with her husband Kenneth and daughter Rhoda.

The bad seed book william march