An in depth characterisation
So Dwayne is perfect and can do nothing wrong thankyou for coming to my ted talk.
Imma start this off by stating the obvious; Dwayne’s an introvert. He’s not shy or awkward he just prefers not talking. There’s a reason he has limited lines in the movie, it’s a big statement to make when a pretty relevant character doesn’t speak all too much. I actually think Dwayne is a confident guy (I mean the dude walks around with no shirt on that’s gotta take some confidence fr). He’s just very sure of his person and doesn’t feel the need to assert himself, which shows a lot of maturity, at the very least he’s more mature than Paul and Marko, and he can take responsibility. Laddie rides with him, and while the other boys wouldn’t mind having Laddie ride with them, I think Dwayne’s the one who offers because he doesn’t mind taking it slow on a motorcycle. (Honestly if I had the ability to never die and could ride one then I’d wanna do all kinds of crazy shit like Paul). However, this is not to say that he can’t be just as wild and impulsive as the other guys. We see him jump off the bridge with them, and when they take Michael to the beach he’s just as violent as the other boys. It shows that he’s got a pretty balanced personality, he knows when to act like what and when the situation calls for a change in attitude.
As before mentioned, he doesn’t wear a shirt and I think this is something to do with him being Native American. I assume vamps either don’t feel the cold like humans do or Santa Carla is just a warm place all year round. Native American men would go shirtless in warm climates (in particular tribes women did too). I see no other reason for him to go shirtless as none of the other boys do. His jewellery I also think plays a part on his culture and roots. His earring is a bone (or a fang?) of some kind, and from what I know Native Americans would often make jewellery from the bones of animals. His necklace is hand made and has beads woven into it (also a key? and I’m not 100% sure what that means but I have theories) and all these little trinkets that seem to have added up over the years. This to me says that he’s very much in touch with where he came from and, my personal belief, it’s something that reminds him of his life as a human and he never wants to forget that.
Dwayne is often shown to be just as teasing and relentless as Marko, Paul, and David at times. Even though I mentioned him being more mature I think he shares their senses of humor and enjoys the same things they do. He has these moments in the film that solidifies his place as one of the boys; when he starts chanting Michael’s name as he drinks the blood, and when he plays dead for Sam just to get up and scare him, also when he’s “fighting” with Sam and he just sort of ?? holds him ?? in the air ?? and doesn’t hurt him ?? just dangles him there lol. It all sort of adds up as to why he’s part of the group.
I heard him once described as the “muscle” of the group and I like to think this refers to his brain, values, and not just his physique. Meaning he’s the most level headed of them all. I think if there was an issue that needed resolving he’d be the type who can figure out how to resolve it. We see him being grabbed at the boardwalk and he doesn’t react with violence, instead he just removes himself from the situation. That shows a lot of self control (if someone grabbed me like that I’d fully wanna punch them lmao). Although, saying he’s the muscle of the group is interesting because I think it’s less about fighting and more so his general demeanor. Dwayne’s very mysterious, he speaks with his eyes, he’s tall, and appears to be very calculated in his approach to situations. All that can be kinda intimidating. This isn’t to say he wouldn’t fight because I think if the situation calls for it then he would, and he’s good at it too, he just doesn’t want it to come to physical confrontation (*cough* because he would win easily but hey that’s just my opinion *cough*).
A perfect example of the metaphor “still waters run deep” is Dwayne. I view him as a very emotional person, someone who plays off his emotions and trusts his gut. Spiritual and in tune with his well being. He knows how to take care of himself and take the lead when he needs too. If David wasn’t in charge then Dwayne would probably take that roll, but he’s perfectly okay stepping down from leadership and doesn’t crave authority or power.
