Red Dragon

Will Graham is the protagonist of Red Dragon. He is a retired FBI consultant and an expert criminal profiler. After successfully capturing two serial killers, however, he has paid a severe cost. He is physically and emotionally scarred, so he has retired to Florida to work as a boat mechanic. There, he lives happily with his wife and her son. Graham’s happy life with Molly is shown only briefly at the beginning of the novel. She is in the distance as Crawford tries to persuade Graham to return to the field. The content domestic life exists as a point of contrast, a demonstration of everything that Graham must sacrifice if he returns to the world of criminal profiling. Graham does not want to reengage with the world of serial killers. His talent for “pure empathy” (189) means that he can empathize and understand the most monstrous people in the world. Thinking like these people introduces a darkness into Graham’s life, a darkness that is not compatible with the life he leads with Molly and Willy. Graham is reluctant to accept Crawford’s offer because he knows about the darkness in the world and within himself. He does not want this darkness to intrude on his domestic bliss.