Dexter Character Analysis

The show Dexter, the life story of a man that was scarred from birth and then saved in a sense by his adoptive father Harry Morgan. As a child, Dexter watched his mother get murdered and taken apart piece by piece, this is ultimately his defining moment because the life spilled around him had stained his innocence. He was then “discovered” and adopted by one of the police men who found him. As Dexter got older Harry noticed his tendencies, he saw past Dexter’s mediocre self -sewn curtain. Taught from experience in expertise He saw every bit of a killer, from his experiences he deciphered every message. A boy’s father, knowing better than anyone he could not change him, seemingly decided to nurture every side of him. Thus, a code was created,

He was stuck in following his father’s code to the point that he was not growing. Not that it was a failed process, as it is the key factor reassuring how he has not been caught and keeps some kind of conscience. Clearly, he did not know how to be himself while also following the code. He had to fake everything about himself to get by with this billion-pound burden, therefore he took on a different persona. Somewhat like the quiet guy who brings donuts to the office with a charming smile so everyone will like him, Dexter is this individual. He even says himself in season one episode four “I love Halloween. The one time of year when everyone wears a mask... not just me. People think it's fun to pretend you're a monster. Me, I spend my life pretending I'm not. Brother, friend, boyfriend - All part of my costume collection. Some people might call me a fraud. Let's see if it will fit. I prefer to think of myself as a master of disguise.” He even dated a woman named Rita, not for partnership but her past experiences with an abusive and forceful drug addict ex-husband. It’s the perfect cover because she just as emotionally lacking as him. These factors make it quite the ideal relationship for Dexter, he lacks emotion, she cannot express hers. After juggling his relationship and playing the losing side to cat and mouse for months with the most notorious killer in Miami at the time, Dexter met the man the police had been chasing the past

Who could he trust? Nobody. He is a serial killer after all. In season two episode three a small glimpse is seen when he says “I just know there’s something dark in me. I hide it. I certainly don’t talk about it. But it’s there. Always. This dark passenger. And when he’s driving, I feel…alive. Half sick with the thrill, complete wrongness. I don’t fight him. I don’t want to. He’s all I’ve got. Nothing else could love me, not even, especially not me. Or is that just the lie the dark passenger tells me? Because lately, there are these moments when I feel…connected to something else, someone. And it’s like the mask is slipping…and things…people…who never mattered before, are suddenly starting to matter. It scares the hell out of me.” Though in season three his trust seemed to have fully develop, his whole life changed when he finds out his girlfriend Rita is pregnant and he proposes. Becoming a father to Rita’s two already existing kids, even going to Dad’s day at one of their schools. A fond moment that the viewers rarely see from Dexter. He is showing his trust in Rita and their relationship through his relationship with Rita’s children. Throughout the show from this point he shows a true love for the children, baking pancakes, watching out for them, protecting them from grocery store pedophiles. He even agrees to move in with Rita, putting a damper on his killing scheme. Though it