The portrayal and roles of a serial killer as a famous person in the entertainment sector demonstrate modern cultural characteristics of stardom and violence. Violence representation has become an essential part of novels and films, which, to some degree, has brought debates regarding the effects they have on modern society. Jeff Lindsay’s novel “Darkly Dreaming Dexter” and its television (TV) series “Dexter” depict examples of plays that reveal serial killers as famous heroes in this modern society. Dexter Morgan, the TV show’s main character, is revealed as a wittily and smart, self-aware maniac who assassinates people who want to die. Similarly, in his novel, Lindsay also establishes a character with the same behavior and name. Literary and film share a similar theme, however, film analysts may approach and examine the issue differently compared to literary analysis. The essay compares and contrasts how the literary study could explore “Darkly Dreaming Dexter” differently than a film analysis could be of the TV series. It also analyzes how Dexter’s “heroic” vigilantism bleeds into the real world.
In the TV hit series “Dexter” film analysis, Houwen asserts that the show works against the traditional morality gains, which affirms that killing is wrong (27). How argued that the TV show has managed to exploit the audience’s emotional feelings through sympathy and empathy towards the nature of a character. The audience or spectators of this film may spot the different circumstances of Morgan, which appear to substantiate his deeds. The serial killer appears not to have personality qualities. However, he is extremely sadist and intelligent, and in the past, he has suffered family trauma. For example, Dexter witnessed the cruel incident that involved the killing of his mother in his childhood. The incident enables the viewers to comprehend that Dexter was not born a murderer (Schmid 143). He developed the instincts after the traumatic incident that led to the death of his mother at the hands of drug dealers.
Further, Dexter gets involved in other actions that are of social help comprising going after homicidal pedophiles. He practices vigilante law enforcement and targets criminals who could, if not, escape justice. Dexter does not operate within the justice system; he works with his internal logic of justice and utilizes his capabilities to impose his justice. In the criminal justice system, when a criminal is arrested. They have to engage them through the authorized system such as jail or court (Margaritoff 18). However, when Dexter catches a person, he does not have to go through the justice system since his logic of justice to any criminal mind is death. For example, Dexter kills the pastor to accomplish his justice mission. It is the same pastor who raped and murdered young boys. Therefore, instead of handing him over to the police officers, Dexter ensures that the pastor pays for his crimes by killing him using a saw. These actions strengthen the likeability of the protagonist (Schmid 154). Hence, the audience or spectators consider him a hero or famous person despite his wicked behaviors.
Dexter is applying similar things to criminal minds to affirm those he murders will be found guilty in a court of law. He believes that only if the law enforcement was capable of catching everybody who committed the form of crimes that happened by those that Dexter murdered (Buchbinder and McGuire 6). Even though what he does is right, some things warrant justice, and when the police cannot catch them, why would the law of Dexter be wrong? Criminal minds profile murderers and find their past traumas/reasons for carrying out what they are doing (Schmid 163). Dexter is doing the same for the main character as we understand his past trauma since childhood. The reasons he feels the urge to assassinate and how he was trained to do it.
Furthermore, a similar argument as the film analysts is presented in the “Darkly Dreaming Dexter” literary analysis by Jeff Lindsay. West presents a similar argument as in film analysis. According to West, a psychopath is a person who does not qualify to be insane and has no sympathy or empathy, pretends, manipulates, and deeds associated with violence (West 16). She highlights the features of Morgan, which establishes him as a psychopathic conqueror rather than a frequent serial murderer. First, the novel’s main character is a morally vertical vigilante serial murderer whose deeds center on protecting innocent people (Lindsay17).
Additionally, Lindsay, the maker of the character, develops a psychopath that is pleasant according to his intellect nature on investigative activities and the capability of solving murder cases. The antisocial nature of Dexter and their kind of work makes it difficult to associate with others; hence, he is regularly lonely, which creates the spectators or audience to empathize with his condition (Lindsay 13). However, West discusses various blends of features that instigate a heroic position for the protagonist in the novel. Her analysis depicts Dexter as a blend of an extraordinary voice that observes humanity from the external world and shares personal insights (West 19). These two blends win the readers’ support, and they may even regard him as a role model and a hero.
The way the TV series and the novel portray Dexter as a real morally upright vigilante, even though some may argue that he is not heroic, his deeds link directly to the real world. At first, he has procedural routines in carrying out his operations, which prevents him from being caught. After realizing his psychopathic nature, Harry Morgan, his adoptive father, decided to train Dexter based on certain rules, which he referred to as “the code (Margaritoff 23).” Morgan purposed to use his dark impulses to amend illegal practices and injustices in society. The rules and principles of Morgan showed that Dexter Morgan could only assassinate other killers. The codes supported him to carry out his activities efficiently without leaving behind any trace to prevent being trapped and after gathering sufficient evidence to prevent the assassination of innocent persons (Lindsay 28). His capability of putting his emotions into control and checking his deeds based on the codes is credible.
Dexter has justified his assassination as heroic even though he understands it is still wrong. It is still assassination. Dexter, in his reasoning capacity, was carrying out community service. He takes out the trash and evades all the legal processes and rules. He trusts that he may assume the care of this issue without going through all the challenges an investigation would have to do to attain justice. For instance, if a police officer makes an arrest and does not get his or her Miranda rights explained to them, the criminal has a dispute to be released (Schmid 169). In which, if Dexter with dark impulses creates an arrest, right will not be given or read. A good example is when LaGuerta arrested who she believed made those killings. Deb informed him of what transpired, and both he and his sister came to an agreement that LaGuerta was mistaken (Lindsay 119). Dexter mocked the capture and showed how reporters destroyed the information LaGuerta provided, and all the information was incorrect.
The novel and TV series illustrate that corrupt systems exist in the real world that lead Dexter to carry out his sort of justice. He uses the environmental circumstance and the existing social conditions to gratify his desires. For example, Lindsay represents Miami as a city full of injustice acts and a broken criminal system. When the writer introduces Rita, she is recovering from her husband’s previous abuse even though the deed appears to be healthy in the area. Dexter shows the impression that the real world in Miami anticipates abusing others and being exploited in return (Lindsay 27). He uses profiling throughout the novel to assist in his determination of the murderers’ next move and try to be ahead of them. He also uses profiling to realize the other killers whom he assassinates throughout the TV series and then forces them to confess to determine the correctness of their guilt. Dexter assumes justice into his hands other than involving the police or the FBI (118). Dexter is believed to have triumphed over the city’s dark forces that have engulfed it. Hence, the area needs Dexter’s vigilante justice interventions; otherwise, Miami city shall become worse.
Works Cited
Buchbinder, David, and Ann E. McGuire. “Homme Fatal: Illegitimate Pleasures in Darkly Dreaming Dexter.” Murders and Acquisitions, vol. 1, no. 3, 2013, pp. 1-56.
Dexter, Season 1, TV series, 2006.
Lindsay, Jeffry P. Darkly Dreaming Dexter: A Novel. Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, 2009.
Margaritoff, Marco. “Inside 11 True Stories of Vigilante Justice, from the ‘Alaskan Avenger’ to the ‘Killdozer’.” All That’s Interesting, All That’s Interesting, 30 Sept. 2021, Web.
Schmid, David. Natural Born Celebrities: Serial Killers in American Culture, pp. 138-174. University of Chicago Press, 2005.
West, Charlotte. “The Psychology of Serial Killers.” York Vision, 2021, Web.