The tv show and the novel are based on the same theme and characters, but both are portrayed slightly differently. In the TV show, Dexter seems to be a bit more empathetic and ‘human’ in the TV show, but still does seem detached. Michael C. Hall has put his own spin on the character of Dexter, making him ironic and clever and incredibly loved, although not unlike the novel version. In the novel though he seems to be much more self-aware and cocky, more knowledgeable of his strengths and weakness. Dexter in the TV sometimes seems unsure where to go, or what to do. He even sometimes seems to be disgusted with himself. I think I feel a bit mroe attached to the TV version, as he seems to show that people can change, however slowly. It gives us hope for him, and encourages us to cheer him on.

I thought Jeff Lindsay did a fantastic job of portraying the mind of a murderous sociopath. Most authors just write them off as minor characters, people they can’t hope to get in the mind of. But Jeff Lindsay took the challenge. He really delved deep into Dexter’s mind, finding out what makes him tick. The book was a true insight, and really opened my eyes to the challenges of people with personality and social disorders.

Through out the novel, Dexter constantly says that the reason he kills is his ‘dark passenger.’ The Dark Passenger is always lurking on his shoulder, telling him what to do, craving the feel of the kill. Dexter relates that he just can’t stand up against the dark passenger, that the need overwhelms him through the dark passenger. It makes me wonder if he ever could be seperated from it, and what it would do to him as a person and his need for killing. Would it stop? Or would he just stop blaming someone other than himself? And is it even possible to seperate him? Dexter makes it clear that the dark passenger is an identity in and of itself. But who would Dexter be without him?