BOB, Bobby, MIKE, and Mike.

Writers generally use a variety of names in books, television shows, and movies so the audience can easily tell them apart. David Lynch on the other hand, uses similar names such as BOB and Bobby, MIKE and Mike. He also uses characters who look alike, Laura Palmer and Maddy Ferguson, her cousin have an extreme resemblance.

MIKE and BOB were once partners and Mike and Bobby are close friends. Why would David Lynch use the same names for the two pairs of men? It’s because they have something more in common than their names.

Bobby is the alter ego of BOB because what Bobby is BOB isn’t and what Bobby feels BOB doesn’t. Bobby, an adolescent name, is young and in love. As a teen he wants everything but doesn’t want to give anything up and carries almost no responsibilities. He wants to take care of Shelly and save her from Leo even though he was also seeing Laura Palmer at the time she was brutally murdered. Bobby is relatively good according to Twin Peaks’ standards and we as the audience learn a great deal about him. Laura Palmer, who was being victimized by BOB, victimized Bobby in return.

BOB, a more mature name, uses his position as a spirit or entity to manipulate people by feeding off of their fears. BOB is evil and is very mysterious in Twin Peaks. He has a limited amount of appearances in the series and we know almost nothing about him. No one knows why he kills or motivates him to do the things he does.

David Lynch uses the same names for each of these characters because they are the same person. One is an entity, and the other is human. They both have a friend named Mike, and Lynch doesn’t even use another form of the name Mike as he does with Bobby and BOB meaning that Mike is only there to serve one purpose, to be Bobby’s partner, making him a necessary but insignificant character. Robert, being the root of both names, is the name BOB chooses to use as his calling card after killing someone, because Robert is both Bobby and BOB.

Korynne W.