Dwight is a stubborn man. To picture him, I see this: a tall, medium build man, dark hair, wearing pants and sweater or a sports jacket. Dwight is a stern man, no doubt. He was raised that way. And he feverishly terrorizes young Toby/Jack; he even seems to relish in his accomplishments in scaring this kid stupid.
I haven’t seen the movie as of yet so I’m taking a not-so wild guess in asserting that Robert Deniro will play Dwight’s character. If this deems true, that is a great example of an excellent job of casting. That person, whoever was in charge of casting, is deserving of an Oscar. Is there an Academy Award for casting? I’m sure there is.
The epitome of Dwight is when he threatens Rosemary with her life when he assumes the chance of her leaving him. I did not expect this. I know he is a violent man, but threatening the woman? I need a quote here.
“He just sat there, drinking from a bottle of whiskey. When it was empty he pulled his hunting knife out from under the seat and held it to her throat. He kept her there for hours like that, making her beg for her life, making her promise she would never leave him. If she left him, he said, he would find her and kill her. It didn’t matter where she went or how long it took him, he would kill her. She believed him.”
I also would like to point out the drinking and driving problem Dwight has. Everytime he passes that bar on the way home, he drinks for a few hours, and then drives – with his wife and kids in the car. That’s nuts. I wonder how strict the laws were back in those days on drinking and driving. Not very much, I plainly see.
The home in Concrete: I would describe the barracks as the apartments on South Campus, long and narrow. But Toby’s house specifically, that I would describe as a small townhouse. Inside: all white due to the extensive painting done by Dwight when the arrival of Rosemary was imminent. Also brown, wooden floors, as I imagine there were little or no ceramic tiles in those days. At the entrance, look to the right: a good sized living room where Dwight would relax and have a drink and also think of other ways of torturing young Jack. To the left: a staircase leading to the bedrooms upstairs, where Jack would take his beatings from Dwight. Look straightforward you will find the path to the kitchen and eating area. The utility room flanks the kitchen to the left. It’s down a step and leads to the garage. On the carpet lies Champion, the greatest hunting dog that never was.
Toby Wolff’s biggest fear in life is to be exposed as who he really is. He never let his true-self show. Toby acted as he thought he should. Toby never let anyone know his true feelings. An example of this is when Rosemary would call him while he was with Dwight, seeing if they could start a life there. Toby would always answer “It’s fine,” or “It’s okay,” even though Dwight was putting him through hell. Toby thought this is what his mother wanted to hear, that he liked living with Dwight, though that was not true.
To picture Toby, I see this: a medium-sized young man, short hair, and the onset of whiskers – the preeminence of a mustache. I imagine he is portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio (I think he’s the guy from that movie about that ship.) I don’t see that at all. I can also formulate a picture in my head of Toby with a boy scouts’ uniform on.
Toby tries very hard to impress people. This is why he goes to Hill. I think he wanted to impress his father and brother, who were among the upper class, and prove to them that he was ready to join their lifestyle. He wasn’t. Dwight had a long-lasting effect on Toby. When Toby struggles, and eventually drops out at Hill, he decides to join the army. I believe Dwight had something to do with this. Dwight had raised him in a violent home with many rules, and that is what Toby felt close to: the violence and orderly manner of the army.
Rosemary was a woman who wanted the best for her son but didn’t know how to accomplish this goal. Toby thought it went downhill since she left his father. Toby hated Roy, and when Rosemary decided to leave Florida to Utah and leave Utah for Seattle, Toby was excited about the excursions because he wanted to get rid of Roy. Rosemary felt Toby needed a strong-male upbringing, so she sent him to spend some time with Dwight. To picture Rosemary, I see this: a semi-tall woman with dirty blond hair that falls to her shoulders. I can see her wearing a dress; a light sky-blue colored dress. Rosemary took abuse from Dwight because she thought that situation was the best for Toby to be reared up in. She was too naïve to see that it wasn’t. Yes, I’m stating that Rosemary is naïve.
To picture the house in West Seattle, I see this: an old greenish house, one-story with black shutters on all four windows on the first floor. I can see a car parked to the left of the house. Inside the house, a kitchen with a table and a medium sized family room is the heart of the house. The four bedrooms, one small room for Toby and three medium-sized rooms for Kathy, Marian, and Rosemary, flanked the kitchen and family room to both sides. It is a rundown house, but with possibilities as Rosemary stated.