DOODY
Doody is a teenage boy. He's a teddy boy rocker from Rydell High School. He's a member of the T-Birds- a 'cool' group of guys which is 'led' by Danny and Kenickie. Doody idolises them.
Key Characteristics:
- Friendly.
- Not very intelligent.
- Dopey.
- Often in a 'daze'.
-
You Said/They Said/Dialogue Research:
What Doody says about others:
His Mum: 'Sure. She does it every year on the first day of school'.
- This line emphasises how he isn't really 'looked after'. His mum may 'drag her carcass outta bed' on the first day of term; one day a year, but on the whole, she doesn't really care for him particularly well or frequently. He's left to his own and encouraged to go out and do things for himself.
Danny: 'Hey, ain't that Danny over there?'
'She really sounds cool, Danny.'
'Where do you know her from, Danny?'
'Hey, Danny, there's that chick you know.'
- The way in which Doody talks to Danny shows that he respects Danny the most out of the group. Whenever he speaks to Danny he calls him by his name and this shows that he almost 'sucks up' to Danny and tries to gain Danny's attention and admiration. After all, Danny is who he idolises.
Kenickie: 'Yeah. Maybe you oughtta get a hamster instead.'
- Doody feels like he can mock Kenickie because he doesn't idololise Kenickie as much as he does Danny. The sarcasm used shows that he doesn't respect Kenickie as much as he does Danny. However, in a group of teenage boys 'banter' is thrown around and doesn't really mean much- they're still great friends.
Kenickie & Rizzo: 'Jeez, nice couple.'
- Once again, Doody feels like he can be sarcastic towards Kenickie; and involving his girlfriend Rizzo doesn't faze him either. Even though Doody looks up to Kenickie in some senses, it's clear that Doody's main role model is Danny and that's why he feels like he can 'mock' Kenickie.
Frenchie: 'Can you still go to the dance now that you quit
school?'
'..Oh....ahh nothin'...I'll see you there.'
'Maybe I'll come down to your beauty school and we can
have a coke or something?'
- The way Doody talks to and about Frenchie is very interesting. At first, he's not particularly fussed about going to the dance with her and let's her down very steeply. However, by the end of the play they're a couple, having gone to the dance together.
Roger: Doody doesn't actually say anything ABOUT Roger in the play and that's because they're best friends. If Doody wants to tell Roger something he'll say it to Roger and won't go round talking to other people about him.
Sonny: The same goes for Sonny, even though Doody isn't quite as close with Sonny as he is Roger, whatever Doody thinks of Sonny, he will say it to Sonny's face.
What Doody says about himself:
'I just started taking lessons this summer.'
'I know A minor, and an F, and I've been working on a G.'
'Don't talk I'm trying to count.'
- Doody doesn't really have much of an opinion of himself- he prefers to talk about things he is doing rather than how he does something. For example, he tells the group he's playing guitar and that he can play certain chords. This once again shows how he is trying to impress the rest of the T-Birds; and after talking about his guitar, he even sings a song.
What others say about Doody:
Roger: 'That's good Dood. Play it real cool!'
- This emphasises Doody's 'un-coolness' and how he doesn't tend to think before doing things. The T-Birds are all cool and hip but it's safe to say that Doody is probably the least cool of the group and tends to do a lot of silly things.
What the Stage Directions say about Doody:
Doody and Roger laugh.
- This stage directions shows the friendship that Doody has with Roger; Roger is his closest friend and also the friend he's known the longest. The fact that they're laughing shows Doody's jokey character.
Doody's Circumstances and Background Story:
Doody clearly comes from an Italian background. He comes from a very large family and has 7 brothers. I believe this is why he feels the need to 'prove' himself. I also think that it's the reason that he is represented as 'weaker' than the other guys as he's not had as much attention as he should because he's got so many brothers. He lives in a run down part of town as there is a lot of people living together and his parents couldn't afford a house big enough for all of them in a nicer part of town. His family doesn't have much money and this shows as he brings food like sardines to school and asks his friends whether they want to swap. Doody had to grow up quickly and has to be very grown up at home so when he goes out with the 'guys' or spends time at school, he acts immature and lets out his 'inner child' as he never really had a childhood.
Doody has obviously been in a relationship before- I think he's had a past with Frenchie. In his song 'Those Magic Changes' it's clear that he is singing about a girl- Frenchie. Doody has been friends with Roger and Sonny since they were in kindergarten and they didn't meet Kenickie/Danny until they were in high school. Doody was attracted to them as they were the 'cool kids' and he wanted to be part of the 'cool crew'. That's how the T-Birds were formed.
Doody has a pet Pug called 'Pugsley' who he's had since the 7th grade. He loves Pugsley with all his heart and they even sleep together every night. Doody feels like Pugsley is the only being who truly understands and loves him.
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