David Sumner (played by Dustin Hoffman) is a protagonist in Straw Dogs.
David Sumner is an American applied mathematician who moves with Amy to an isolated farmhouse while studying stellar structures. Initially withdrawn and intimidated by the hostile workmen and local society, he ultimately defends the house against an armed mob, improvises traps, kills several attackers, and confronts his own capacity for violence. Amy (played by Susan George) is a protagonist in Straw Dogs.
Amy is David Sumner's wife and a woman returning to the village near her childhood home. Frustrated by David's emotional distance, she provokes the workmen and is raped by Charlie Venner and Norman Scutt. During the final siege she helps defend the house and shoots Riddaway after he attacks David. Tom Hedden (played by Peter Vaughan) appears in Straw Dogs.
Tom Hedden is Janice Hedden's violent, drunken father and one of the hostile local men opposing David and Amy. He joins the armed attack on their farmhouse, accidentally shoots Maj. John Scott during a struggle, and later wounds his own foot after David's improvised defenses turn against him. Charlie Venner (played by Del Henney) appears in Straw Dogs.
Charlie Venner is Amy's former boyfriend and a local workman who resents David's marriage to her. He helps intimidate David, participates in the assault on Amy, and later joins the mob at the farmhouse. When Norman Scutt attacks Amy again, Venner shoots Scutt before David defeats him with a mantrap. Chris Cawsey (played by Jim Norton) appears in Straw Dogs.
Chris Cawsey is one of the local workmen hired by David and Amy to repair the farmhouse garage. He shares the hostility toward David, is suspected of involvement in the dead cat, joins the armed assault, and is ultimately bludgeoned to death by David with a poker during the siege. Riddaway (played by Donald Webster) appears in Straw Dogs.
Riddaway is one of the local workmen involved in the conflict with David and Amy. He joins the drunken group that comes to the farmhouse to seize the injured man, is knocked unconscious during David's defense, later recovers and attacks David, and is finally shot by Amy. Norman Scutt (played by Ken Hutchison) appears in Straw Dogs.
Norman Scutt is a former convict and local workman who resents David and envies Charlie Venner's past relationship with Amy. He helps create the hostility around the farmhouse, rapes Amy after interrupting Venner's assault, joins the siege, and is shot by Venner when he attempts to assault Amy again.
Straw Dogs (1971) character relationship network mapped with AI analysis. Explore the connections, alliances, and conflicts between characters.
Characters
David Sumner
(played by Dustin Hoffman) — protagonist
David Sumner is an American applied mathematician who moves with Amy to an isolated farmhouse while studying stellar structures. Initially withdrawn and intimidated by the hostile workmen and local so...
Amy
(played by Susan George) — protagonist
Amy is David Sumner's wife and a woman returning to the village near her childhood home. Frustrated by David's emotional distance, she provokes the workmen and is raped by Charlie Venner and Norman Sc...
Tom Hedden
(played by Peter Vaughan) — supporting
Tom Hedden is Janice Hedden's violent, drunken father and one of the hostile local men opposing David and Amy. He joins the armed attack on their farmhouse, accidentally shoots Maj. John Scott during...
Charlie Venner
(played by Del Henney) — supporting
Charlie Venner is Amy's former boyfriend and a local workman who resents David's marriage to her. He helps intimidate David, participates in the assault on Amy, and later joins the mob at the farmhous...
Chris Cawsey
(played by Jim Norton) — supporting
Chris Cawsey is one of the local workmen hired by David and Amy to repair the farmhouse garage. He shares the hostility toward David, is suspected of involvement in the dead cat, joins the armed assau...
Riddaway
(played by Donald Webster) — supporting
Riddaway is one of the local workmen involved in the conflict with David and Amy. He joins the drunken group that comes to the farmhouse to seize the injured man, is knocked unconscious during David's...
Norman Scutt
(played by Ken Hutchison) — supporting
Norman Scutt is a former convict and local workman who resents David and envies Charlie Venner's past relationship with Amy. He helps create the hostility around the farmhouse, rapes Amy after interru...
Canonical Relationships
Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.
Tom Hedden → Charlie Venner
(Family Uncle)
Tom Hedden is explicitly identified as Charlie Venner's uncle.
Charlie Venner → Chris Cawsey
(Professional Work Partners)
David adds Venner to the workforce with the other laborers when the roofing work progresses too slowly.
Norman Scutt → Chris Cawsey
(Professional Work Partners)
David hires Scutt and Cawsey together to re-roof the garage, and Scutt confides his envy to Cawsey.
Amy → Charlie Venner
(Romantic Former Lovers)
Charlie Venner is identified as Amy's ex-boyfriend, and the plot describes his past relationship with her.
Story Dynamics
Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.
Amy → Riddaway
(Conflict Defensive Opponents)
When Riddaway brutally attacks David after recovering, Amy shoots him.
Amy → Chris Cawsey
(Conflict Suspect)
After the cat is found hanging dead, Amy believes that Cawsey or Scutt may be responsible.
Norman Scutt → Riddaway
(Alliance Group Allies)
Scutt and Riddaway join the other men in the drunken confrontation at the farmhouse.
Charlie Venner → Riddaway
(Alliance Group Allies)
Venner and Riddaway are named among the men who work on the garage and later pound on the Sumners' door.
Charlie Venner → Norman Scutt
(Alliance Co-conspirators)
Scutt forces Venner to hold Amy down during the assault, and both later participate in the attack on the farmhouse.
Amy → Norman Scutt
(Conflict Sexual Assailant)
Scutt enters during Venner's assault, forces Venner aside at gunpoint, and then rapes Amy.
David Sumner → Tom Hedden
(Conflict Adversaries)
Tom Hedden joins the attackers, accidentally shoots the magistrate, and later injures himself when David's defenses turn against him.
David Sumner → Riddaway
(Conflict Adversaries)
Riddaway joins the group confronting the farmhouse and later attacks David after being knocked unconscious.
David Sumner → Chris Cawsey
(Conflict Adversaries)
Cawsey works on the garage, is suspected by Amy of killing the cat, joins the farmhouse attack, and is killed by David with a poker.
David Sumner → Norman Scutt
(Conflict Adversaries)
Scutt helps abandon David during the hunt, joins the drunken assault on the farmhouse, and attacks Amy inside the house.
David Sumner → Charlie Venner
(Conflict Adversaries)
Charlie resents David's marriage to Amy, participates in abandoning him on the moor, and later attacks his home.
Story Analysis
An isolated outsider discovers a violent capacity for defending his home after social hostility, sexual violence, and mob aggression converge.
