Pervert in the Pulpit: Morality in the Works of David Lynch

Filmmaker David Lynch's work is viewed here as patriotic and Puritanical. This Lynch is an idealistic conservative on a reformer's mission. Lynch promotes a return to the values inherent in a mythological America, but he simultaneously indulges in a voyeuristic pleasure while he condemns. Like Jeffrey peeking through the slats of Dorothy's closet in Blue Velvet, the viewer of Lynch's work is a rationalist plagued by his dreams; intrigued and repulsed, fascinated and judgmental, he both craves and resists cultural assimilation. Works presented include all features from Eraserhead to Mulholland Drive, shorts such as The Amputee and The Grandmother, and contributions to television such as On the Air, American Chronicles, and, of course, Twin Peaks. This study develops an idea of Lynch's politics and analyzes his work. This analysis explores Lynch's paradox of condemning an immoral world through disturbing images and concepts, and touches on such points as the identifiable figure of evil in his works and the archetypes of the nymphet, well-meaning traditionalist, and struggling ethicist. Also included is a history of moralistic criticism in American literature and a review of existing Lynch criticism within this context.