BEING INNOCENT BECOMING MANSLAYERS: UNRAVELING THE DARK REALITIES IN ELEANOR TAYLOR BLAND’S KEEP STILL (Pages 10-19) by Ms. V. Dhivya* and Dr. V. Sangeetha** in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

Detective fiction acts as a medium of social commentary in African American literature in the present scenario. Many African American writers employ detective fiction as their tool to visualise not only the plight of the underprivileged, but also the reason behind it. Writers try to present a few important information about the heartbreaking issues regarding black and ethnic people especially women and children. Eleanor Taylor Bland, an African American mystery and detective fiction writer strongly believes that detective fiction is the only weapon to portray the distressing issues like mistreatment of women, child abuses, prostitution, incest and rape. Moreover, it captures the picture of chauvinistic society which plays a vital role in the everyday life of African Americans in the predominant white society. The present study focuses on the motives and societal grounds which make a neglected child to become a serial killer with reference to Eleanor Taylor Bland’s Keep Still. Bland tries to unfold the psychological factors and problems of neglected black children and their traumatic experiences which transit them from being innocent to becoming manslayers. An attempt will be made to explore the subaltern patriarchy and psychopathic behaviour of the neglected African Americans as represented in Taylor Bland’s Keep Still. Keywords: Child Neglect, Abuse, Subaltern Patriarchy, Child Maltreatment, Chauvinistic Society etc.