Murder in the family: Biology, crime and the child in William March's The Bad Seed.

This article analyzes the intersections of biological theories of crime and gender in William March's 1954 novel *The Bad Seed*, focusing on its portrayal of Rhoda Penmark, a child murderer whose violent behavior is attributed to hereditary factors. The novel challenges the dominant mid-twentieth-century sociological criminology that emphasized environmental causes by reviving traditional biologism and naturalistic determinism, particularly regarding female criminality and juvenile offenders. Set against the backdrop of 1950s America's post-war anxieties about family, motherhood, and social order, *The Bad Seed* explores the fears surrounding female biology and heredity within the idealized nuclear family, ultimately presenting a disturbing narrative that links crime, genetics, and gender roles. The article situates March's work as a subversive contribution to criminological and cultural discourses of the era, highlighting its engagement with eugenic ideas and its critique of contemporary sociological explanations of crime.