The Psychology of Dexter - Bella DePaulo [58]
Jung spent much of his professional life identifying and defining the various archetypes commonly seen in mythology, art, and dreams. Although there are likely an infinite number of archetypes, only a handful appear most frequently. When it comes to stories about the struggle between good and evil, three major archetypes are often present, and it is the relationships between these three characters that form the story’s foundation. These characters are the Hero, the Shadow, and the Wise Old Man. For example, in the Star Wars series, the majority of the storyline focuses on Luke Skywalker (Hero), his nemesis Darth Vader (Shadow), and Luke’s mentors Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda (Wise Old Men). And in the more recent Harry Potter series, the story focuses primarily on Harry (Hero), his nemesis Lord Voldemort (Shadow), and Harry’s mentor Dumbledore (Wise Old Man). Dexter also employs this tripartite of archetypes, although the series puts a unique spin on the relationships between these characters, especially when it comes to the Shadow and the Hero.
THE SHADOW ARCHETYPE
The strongest archetype within the Dexter series is definitely the Shadow, so we will begin our Jungian analysis with this character. According to Jung, the Shadow represents those aspects of the self that are dark and that we try to deny. The Shadow is composed of all of our repressed motives and tendencies, our secret desires—those things we wish we could do but don’t because we realize they are socially unacceptable. For this reason, the Shadow is the part of ourselves that we prefer not to recognize. And, according to Jung in On the Psychology of the Unconscious, no matter how “good” or “bad” you may be, everyone has a shadow-side:
It is a frightening thought that man also has a shadow-side to him, consisting not just of little weaknesses and foibles, but of a positively demonic dynamism. The individual seldom knows anything of this; to him, as an individual, it is incredible that he should ever in any circumstances go beyond himself. But let these harmless creatures form a mass, and there emerges a raging monster; and each individual is only one tiny cell in the monster’s body, so that for better or worse he must accompany it on its bloody rampages and even assist it to the utmost.
Jung often treats the Shadow as a fractured part of the self. It is an externalized entity that feels separate from our “authentic self,” its needs and impulses often conflicting with our own personal needs. Interestingly, Dexter speaks of his Shadow side in much the same way. Whereas Jung referred to the Shadow as the “dark half ” of personality, Dexter has, with great insight, called it his Dark Passenger. By using this particular label, Dexter is essentially externalizing his dark side. Even though Dexter feels his authentic self is driving the car, he also feels as if his dark side is always riding shotgun and at any moment may try to take over the steering wheel.
Unlike most TV show characters, Dexter Morgan has a fully formed Shadow. For Dexter, his Shadow is primarily comprised of his need to kill. Just as Jung describes in the above quote, when Dexter’s Dark Passenger begins to get “hungry,” he must find a way to feed it, and often that means accompanying and assisting the entity on its bloody rampages. In flashbacks, we see that Dexter attempted to repress this killer drive as a teenager, but ultimately he was unsuccessful. So Dexter is stuck with the challenge of finding a way to