I claim them all.

“A Bloody Masterpiece!”

“Excellent”

“I couldn’t sleep!”

No, unfortunately these rave reviews were not originally intended to accolade Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, as any wise reader would initially think after glimpsing at my curt and unoriginal title. They come from the opinions of general audiences, eager to post their praise of a unique show that steadily inclines in popularity as each season comes to pass – Showtime’s Dexter.

Now one may be thinking, “Why deceive me with this false title? Why even drag Dexter into this seemingly insightful blog about the perfections of Moby-Dick?” Some of you may even be in the dark, wondering what this popular television show is about in the first place.

Well, please hold your disappointment. I have answers.

Dexter is a show that debuted in 2006 and is now rolling into its fifth successful season of drama, deceit, risk, and murder. The spotlight is on Dexter Morgan, a blood analyst who enjoys a routine pastime of abduction and homicide. His choices of victims are not randomized, however; a thorough investigation of the prey is conducted pre-kidnapping to make sure the unlucky person is worthy of Dexter’s personal death penalty. With all of his “patients” guilty of murder, Dexter feels no shame in his wrongdoings. In fact, Dexter rarely feels anything at all. Since experiencing the graphic murder of his mother as a child, Dexter feels an obsession – an “inner monster”, he calls it – to kill. This gruesome addiction forces him to lead a double life, hiding his true self from those closest to him, such as his overworked yet hardly confident sister Deb. Dexter and Deb work together in a Miami police station along with other numerous coworkers from whom he must hide his grisly secret.

For a 56 second taste of Dexter, click here.

Upon my recent reading of the large tome Moby-Dick, I picked up on complex themes and philosophies intertwined within the massive work and most likely still managed to miss the plethora of messages Melville planted within the words. As I leafed through the pages, however, I happened to draw a striking conclusion that although the novel was written around 1850, the book itself parallels the plots of many popular shows today. Finding the possibility ironic that one could scoff at the thought of reading Moby-Dick yet subsequently sit down to watch a series that bears extreme resemblance to themes and characters of the novel, I am determined to prove its “hipness” and even suggest that the only thing separating this book from some modern-day forms of media and entertainment is 150 years.

It is difficult to begin a comparison of an unusually complex television show and an astoundingly massive and renowned book, so I will start with the sea.

Dexter resides in a sleek apartment bordering a beautiful Miami waterside, finding that the motions and feel of the waves offer to him a rare source of tranquility and even happiness.  He frequently sets out to sea in the evening, although he has ulterior motives than to just relax in the night air – he uses the water to fulfill his obsession, dumping freshly murdered and dismembered bodies into the depths to forever hide his evidence. Ishmael, the narrator of Moby-Dick, admits that at one point or another the sea draws all towards it, whether for escape or adventure. Ahab, captain of the Pequod and tragic hero of the novel, bears a striking resemblance to Dexter Morgan, bringing his goal of revenge to the open sea in an attempt to drown his obsession once and for all. While Ahab’s sole purpose appears to be the seizure and killing of Moby-Dick, a murderous white whale, Dexter chases white whales of his own in forms of dangerous and sinful Miami citizens. Ahab and Dexter share an incredible amount of similarities, beginning with their potentially destructive obsessions. They use similar tactics to achieve their goals, utilizing their unique charisma, confidence, and quiet knowledge to deceive whoever they must. These dangerous obsessions both stem from a single and finite instance which seemed to instill a vengeful spirit into both protagonists – Ahab lost a leg to the white jaws of Moby-Dick, while Dexter cried as an infant as the blood of his beloved mother sprayed upon his face. Both obsessions seem unable to be controlled, as demonstrated by both characters falling victim to their “inner monsters”. As Ahab’s tragic voyage comes to an end, one realizes how hazardous his goal of slaying the white devil really is when he and his crew fall victim to the unconquerable Moby-Dick. Dexter, still alive with all body parts intact, remains unsuspected by the Miami Police Department for dozens of counts of murder; however, his addiction has proven to be dangerous for him and his helpless and tomboyish sister previously as demonstrated by multiple break-ins and murder attempts towards them. Dexter’s “father”, a police officer by the name of Harry, raised him since the day of his discovery at the frightening crime scene of his mother’s murder. He was aware of Dexter’s problem and attempted get Dexter to control his passion for murder by creating a set of rules that declared under what circumstances he may kill – thus emerged “Harry’s Code”, which Dexter follows religiously even as an adult. Upon realizing that rather than taming a monster he created one, Harry overdosed to avoid the guilt that pressed him every day. Essentially, while Dexter has yet to become overrun to the point of death by his obsession, he has succeeded in causing mass suffering to those close to him and may end up like Ahab – after all, the bloody story of Dexter Morgan is not over yet.

Aside from Ahab and Dexter’s resemblance, supporting characters seem to play an important role in bringing the novel and television show together. Deb plays the modern-day role of Pip, the black cabin boy who went insane after being abandoned by the Pequod in the middle of the vast ocean. Pip somehow manages to balance insanity with howls of divine prophecy, while Deb Morgan juggles an extreme commitment to her job along with feelings of incompetence and weakness. Ahab is drawn to the poor Pip, his polar opposite, while Dexter finds Deb to be the only person he really cares for despite her being constantly subjected to criticism by her cohorts. Deb and Pip accentuate the fact that Dexter and Ahab perhaps enjoy a subtle comfort in companionship despite their extremely unsociable personalities.

The similarities between the two masterpieces continue to cascade, and I could go on for pages as to common themes, symbols, settings, and resemblances of minor characters. My goal, although seemingly as ridiculous and unattainable as that of Ahab and Dexter, is to prove that Moby-Dick bears similarities to popular shows in present day entertainment and is worth reading.

If 2.6 people crave a new episode of Dexter every week, Herman Melville obviously knew what he was doing when he wrote a wrenching novel about complex human relationships, intense battle scenes, and one man’s suicidal thirst for revenge.

Consider Moby-Dick the ultimate 150 year-old prequel to one of the most critically acclaimed shows of 2010.