International Journal of English and Literature (IJEL) ISSN 2249-6912 Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mar 2013, 7-12 © TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

AMERICAN DETECTIVE FICTION: A STUDY OF JAMES ELLROY’S

MY DARK PLACES: AN L. A. CRIME MEMOIR

KADAVAKOLLU TEJASWANI Assistant Professor, Department of English, Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management University, Hyderabad, India

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the detective fiction genre and essential elements of American detective fiction in James Ellroy’s My Dark Places: An L.A. Crime Memoir. Ellroy’s Dark Places comes under autobiography and detective fiction as the novel deals with the murder of his mother when he was 10 years old and the consequences of the murder on his psyche. After a gap of thirty eight years he opens the case and re-investigates. He narrates the details of investigation and reconstructs his life through the narration. Though his mission was unsuccessful, he reaches an understanding and is able to let go of his mother’s haunting memories.

The narration of the novel follows the essential elements of American detective fiction and also the autobiographical genre in form and content. Commonly known as “whodunit,” detective fiction, since times immemorial, gave immense satisfaction to its readers. Readers indulge in mystery stories to escape from the mundane reality of their day-to-day lives. Detective fiction is read as literature for diversion.

In this paper I attempt to present the essential elements of American detective fiction and a perspective on Ellroy’s My Dark Places based on these essential elements. In the present day context, autobiographical detection assumes a very important role in case studies where the protagonists feel that they have to bridge the gaps in their past life and it becomes imperative for writers to write and seek retribution through their writing. Narratives of autobiographical detection are relevant and related to the field of language as they challenge the aberrations in the society. The plot of a detective novel is tentatively directed to a climax, exposing the criminal and asserting the gathered meaning of the narrative. The ultimate objective of a detective novel is to restore stability and this is clearly brought out in My Dark Places.

KEYWORDS: American Detective Fiction, James Ellroy, My Dark Places, Detective Novels

INTRODUCTION TO DETECTIVE FICTION

Commonly known as “whodunit,” detective fiction, since times immemorial, gives immense satisfaction to its readers. Readers indulge in mystery stories to escape from the mundane reality of their day-to-day lives. Detective fiction is read as literature for diversion. People find solace in detective fiction because they enjoy indirectly the spirit of a detective, which makes them come out of a vulnerable feeling and restores their trust in a methodical and harmonious society. According to some critics, detective fiction is vicarious entertainment for people who are reserved by nature and who are subconsciously ready for adventure. Detective fiction is a reflection of society’s many dark recesses of man's unexplored nature and the uncanny subtlety of a human mind sharpened by desperate and tragic despair.

A crime, when committed, creates instability in the society. The crime in a detective novel is usually a murder in a locked room or by an unknown agent or missing of some important person or article. It creates a direct impact on the people involved with it as well as on the general public. Crime makes people feel unsafe, disturbed and threatened. It casts 8 Kadavakollu Tejaswani a shadow on the lives of people involved and leaves them existentially dissatisfied. “Crime,” according to Stephen Knight, “is not an unknown or foreign situation; it grows like an aberration inside the society” (11).

Voltaire, the author of Zadig (1747, 1749) is often considered as the father of detective fiction. The first detective story that appeared in literature, The Murders of the Rue Morgue is written by the American author, Edgar Allan Poe. The American authors followed the three point formula, which is made up of (1) the victim and another person share a secret which cannot be revealed under any circumstances, (2) this other person is a member of the elite society and is very much respected by the people and (3) the creation of the detective who has a clear understanding and who is an expert in reasoning and analyzing. American detective fiction is hard-boiled fiction, which portrays the baseness, wickedness and degeneracy of humanity.

The introductory crime in a hard-boiled literature recurrently turns out to be the beginning of a greater crime that is proved in the course of the investigation. The important element in this hard-boiled literature is not finding out the culprit but it is about the detection that the world is after all not a safe place to live in. It is about discovering the fact that our worst enemy is a part of our society. It is realizing that the beautiful, rich and powerful persons are obsessed with greed, violence, sex and criminal intrigues. Some of the greatest American detective writers are Dashiell Hammett with his detectives Sam Spade and the Continental Op, Raymond Chandler with Philip Marlowe, John D. MacDonald with Travis McGee, Robert B. Parker with Spenser, Ross MacDonald with Lew Archer, David Frome with Evan Pinkerton, and S. S. VanDine with Philovance. Max Collins, Arthur Maling, Margaret Tracy, Arthur Goldstein, Warren Kiefer, Tony Hillerman, A. H. V. Carr, Michael Z. Lewin and Dorothy Gilman were some others who excelled in detective fiction. Many writers who followed the trail of Poe could not leave their mark on detective literature because they relied on pure chance rather than solving the complicated clues and arriving at the result.

It can be said that whatever form a detective novel may take, the ultimate objective it aims for is to restore stability. The solving of this crime restores inner peace. The detective discovers the cause of the crime perpetrated, restores order and the criminal meets a deserving fate. The plot is tentatively directed to a climax, exposing the criminal and affirming the society that crime does not pay. The climax gives the previous structure, pattern and the retribution required. The solving of the crime revives faith in humanity.

FEATURES OF DETECTIVE NOVEL

The three important aspects in a detective novel are: the criminal, the detective and the plot. The criminal is the person who commits the crime, usually murder, in the novel. Criminals are common people who walk away from family bonds and responsibilities. They discard their roles in society and commit crimes. At times, to cover up a single crime they commit more crimes. The criminal could be the usual suspect like the butler, the driver, the close friend, the spouse or a person with whom the victim had an argument just before the murder was committed. When these plots became stale or rather when the readers became wise to this line of thought, the authors create unusual suspects like the detective who is working on the case, the inspector who is in charge of the investigation or sometimes the victims themselves as the criminals trying to implicate an innocent person.

DETECTIVE IN DETECTIVE NOVELS

To counter the criminal, a detective who is sharp, reasonable and rational has to be created. The detective can either be an amateur or a professional. All the clues are laid bare to the readers so that a reader can also take pleasure in solving the case along with the detective. The pleasure a reader get is in trying to solve the mystery along with the American Detective Fiction: A Study of James Ellroy’s My Dark Places: AN L. A. Crime Memoir 9 detective. The readers play an intellectual game with the detective, following the clues given by the author. They derive vicarious pleasure from reading a novel, which engages his attention and aptitude. Deducting the reasons for the crime, analyzing and solving the crime and eliciting the criminal are the fundamental jobs of a detective. A classic detective is not interested in the literal pursuit of the criminal. They would rather reason and analyze. Without moving from their place, detectives like Sherlock Holmes, Jane Marple, Dupont, Poirot, Father Brown and so on solved numerous cases. Their success lies in confirming the motives and opportunities of the criminal. In any detective novel, a list of assumptions is first put up and rejected. Finally, a theory that fits all the facts and disregards the previous assumptions is brought up to nail the culprit. The answers for the questions “who?,” “when?,” “where?,” “how?,” and “why?” lead the detective to the criminal. But these questions are not in the same order and also do not excite equal importance or interest. The conclusion gives complete satisfaction for the questions that arise in the course of the narrative.

Contrary to reality, most of the times in detective fiction, criminals are caught by pure chance. But sometimes it takes a person who analyzes and investigates the evidence to come out with the culprit. A detective should depend on his mind for his success and not on pure chance. So, creating a detective, who is universally admired, is an artistic task for the author of any detective novel.

PLOT OF A DETECTIVE NOVEL

The plot is cautiously directed to a climax, exposing the criminal and asserting the “gathered meaning” (Knight 23) of the narrative. The climax provides the semblance, order and the restoration required. The solving of the crime re- establishes the faith in humanity. The narrative almost always ends on a moral note. According to Roger Caillois, in his essay, “The Detective Novel as a Game,” the real absorbing power of a detective novel depends on the way it is narrated. The plot is strengthened with a complex web of cause and effects. The creativity of the author lies in the creation of the plot and its subsequent solution. The fall of the events from their positions of impossibility to possibility, inexplicable to the explicable and supernatural to the natural categories assumes importance than the revealing of the culprit. Each plot gives as many solutions as we can imagine. The readers gain pleasure from pointing out the right solution (Poetics 3)

THE FOUR IMPORTANT FACTORS IN A DETECTIVE NOVEL

Robert W. Winks sums up that in general there are four steps in a detective novel. In the first step the crime is narrated. In the second step the evidence is shown. The third step is considering and rejecting the evidence. The final step is the resultant of the reasoning and analyzing the evidence. The culprit is found and the order is again restored. The identity of the culprit must appall and also satisfy the discerning readers at the same time. The role of the narrative is very important in a detective novel. It provides all the evidence needed to unmask the culprit and to interpret the puzzling clues. Some clues are defined in a simple language. Some others seem to be too simple, but in reality are very puzzling and vice versa. Some events seem to be important in solving the crime, but are not so. Some events do not appear to be connected to the crime but are actually very essential in solving the problem. The characters of the victim, the criminal and the detective should be well etched. The acts and counter-acts of the criminal and the detective should be given in a gripping language. The interplay between the characters and events should grasp the readers’ attention to the maximum. The narrative should be very absorbing and exciting. It should create tension in the minds of the readers regarding the mystery till its solution.

The suspense in the narration should baffle the readers and the conclusion of the novel should give them pleasure. The clues are narrated in such a way that the readers are simultaneously informed and also eluded. The very steps that are taken to conceal the crime and its perpetrator are the steps, which finally draw our attention towards the criminal. The narrative should aptly define these steps. 10 Kadavakollu Tejaswani

INTRODUCTION TO JAMES ELLROY

James Ellroy’s My Dark Places: An L. A. Crime Memoir is an autobiographical detective story. Critics have acknowledged this as a classic of the genre. The author’s mother, Geneva Hilliker was the victim of an unsolved murder case in 1958. Ellroy was ten years old at that time and after 38 years he returns to Los Angeles to reopen the case. The novel is a narration of the events that followed. Consciously or unconsciously, he incorporates real-life incidents, which happened to him in his narratives. He has the ability to assimilate and incorporate his imaginations into themes. The incidents in his life, the crime in his country and his imagination merge together as best-selling crime fiction in the United States of America.

After the death of his mother, Ellroy went to live with his father, Armand Lee Ellroy. His mother’s unsolved murder affected his life. Armand Lee Ellroy passed away after a stroke and a debauched life, in 1965 when Ellroy was seventeen. His life took a drastic turn here to lies, to robbery, to drugs, to alcoholism, voyeurism, to crime, sexual fantasies, incest, and hallucinations and ended up in jail and later at a hospital. The past cast a shadow on his identity. It left him existentially dissatisfied. He rose out of this hell, and established himself as a crime writer. After a gap of thirty eight long years, he made extensive efforts to find out the killer of his mother. The numerous people he meets, the witnesses he interrogates, the pains he takes to probe the moment at which his mother is murdered is simply incredible.

PLOT OF JAMES ELLROY’S NARRATIVES

Ellroy is a master of narrative of the dark side of American police and crime in the 1950s. He writes about that America which underwent a lot of changes due to the war, depression, gangsterism, corruption, drugs and immorality. Ellroy’s novels reflect the culture, times and the background of America in 1950. The language Ellory uses in this novel is offensive and realistic. He is not restrained in narrating the uglier side of life and crime. Every minute, grotesque aspect is given in detail. Most readers are repulsed by the language he uses in many places in his narrative. His language is brief and precise. Almost all his novels are based on the traditional four steps of the detective fiction. Ellroy’s novels furnish the chief qualities of detective fiction with an interest in reconstruction through detail.

The murder is defined at the beginning of the novel itself. This murder always leads to successive murders. The second step is looking for the evidence as it relates to the murder. The main characters necessarily get sidetracked leaving the trail of murder. They get involved with the women characters. Dealings and counter dealings are favored. An important clue is overlooked. After committing many the blunders they finally manage to bring out the truth. This is the third step. The fourth step is the epilogue. In this epilogue, events which hitherto were perplexing are explained. The identity and the motivation of the criminal are known. The verdict is now passed on the meaning of the events.

PLOT OF MY DARK PLACES: AN L. A. CRIME MEMOIR

In the present narrative, Ellroy picks up a point, the time at which his mother was murdered and tries to reassemble the events that led to the murder of his mother. Haunted by her memories, Ellroy embarks upon the task to unfold the events that led to his mother’s murder. He attempts to unearth the secret life she led and to uncover her killer. Though his quest is unsuccessful, an understanding dawns upon him that allows him to come to terms with his predicament. He studied the murder case file and tried to reconstruct the events that led to the tragic end of Jean Ellroy or Geneva Hilliker, her maiden name. Based on the narrative, the readers comprehend that the main cause which steered Geneva Hilliker to her grave was the immoral and wanton life she led. Hilliker tried to escape her ex-husband’s interference in her personal life. American Detective Fiction: A Study of James Ellroy’s My Dark Places: AN L. A. Crime Memoir 11

She ran from him and to an unknown stranger who was probably her killer. In this novel, Ellroy gives the details of his mother, her murder and the consequent investigation. The murder is unsolved and the case is closed. He goes to extraordinary lengths to detect the secret life his mother seemed to lead at the time of her murder.

We worked the case. We probed defective memory vaults. We logged information. We excavated names. We dug up first names and last names and nicknames and full names and matching and nonmatching descriptions. We got names from the file. We got names from old cops. We got names from elderly barflies and El Monte lifers. We worked the case for eight months. (My Dark Places 278)

Ellroy fails to detect his mother’s killer, but he comes to terms with her memories.

STRUCTURE OF MY DARK PLACES: AN L. A. CRIME MEMOIR

The murder is narrated in the first part of the novel. The second part is autobiographical in essence. Investigations and checking for witnesses dominate the first part as well as the third part. The third part consists of only two chapters completely devoted to Bill Stoner, the LAPD detective who helped him with his mother’s case. The fourth part deals with the renewed investigation, interrogating numerous witnesses and detecting Jean Ellroy’s adolescent life. Ellroy could reconstruct his mother’s childhood and adolescence with the pictures given by Janet, his cousin and by the talks with Mary Evans, his mother’s room-mate in the nursing school. He saw her as a young woman and got to know about the wayward life she led.

CONCLUSIONS

Whenever a problem is confronted, it strengthens the character, even though the problem is unsolved. A tragedy always leaves an impact on the persons it is connected with. Probing the past results in conciliation or solace. The autobiographical detection James Ellroy subjects himself to results in rehabilitation of Ellroy’s identity or spirit. Even though his mission to track down the murderer of his mother was ineffectual, he could gain solace from the search. It probably gave birth to a feeling of resurrection in Ellroy.

I’m with you now. You ran and hid and I found you. Your secrets were not safe with me. You earned my devotion. You paid for it in public disclosure. I robbed your grave. I revealed you. I showed you in shameful moments. I learned things about you. Everything I learned made me love you more dearly. (My Dark Places 355)

From the above text in the novel, we can conclude that the process of autobiographical detection is of self- understanding and is fundamentally recollective, in the sense, assembling together again those dimensions of self that had not been expressed or had been widely separated or abandoned. Ellroy succeeds in understanding his identity through autobiographical detection. The narration of his life helped Ellroy to face life with renewed conviction.

REFERENCES

1. Ellroy, James. My Dark Places: An L. A. Crime Memoir. New York: Vintage, 1997.

2. Glenn W. Most & William W. Stowe. The Poetics of Murder. New York: Brace, 1983.

3. Winks, Robert W. Detective Fiction. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, 1980.

12 Kadavakollu Tejaswani

AUTHOR’S BIO-DATA

Dr. Kadavakollu Tejaswani is presently working as an Assistant Professor in English in the English Department, GITAM University, Hyderabad Campus, Andhra Pradesh, India. She completed her M. A. from Osmania University in 2001. She completed her M. Phil from CIEFL under the guidance of Prof. A. V. Ashok on the topic, Autobiographical Detection: A Study of James Ellroy’s My Dark Places: An L. A. Crime Memoir and Kazuo Ishiguro’s When We Were Orphans. She obtained her Ph. D. from HCU under the guidance of Prof. Alladi Uma on the topic, “Dreaming” Women: A Study of Immigrant Experience in Betty Smith’s Novels. Her interests are in the areas of 20 th Century American literature, Gender studies, Rural studies and ELT in rural areas.

She has published her Ph. D. dissertation with the title, Worlds Attainable: Immigrant Experience in Betty Smith’s Novels through LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany with ISBN No. 978-3-8383-2902-4. Presently she is working as an Assistant Professor in English, in GITAM University, Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, India.