Doug Swieteck Character Analysis in The Wednesday Wars

Doug Swieteck is one of Holling's classmates. Like Doug Swieteck’s brother, Doug is a prankster: in sixth grade, he made a list of 410 ways to make a teacher hate you, and he carried out one of them on the unsuspecting Mrs. Sidman. As far as Holling is concerned, this means that he should avoid Doug at all costs. Holling doesn't find Doug particularly smart, and Doug is observably greedy at times. For much of the year, he preps "Number 166" in the Coat Room, though he abandons this plot after Mrs. Baker arranges for him, Holling, and Danny to play baseball with the Yankees players Joe Pepitone and Horace Clarke. After this, Doug becomes a loyal friend to Holling, and even stands up to his brother when he orchestrates a plot to humiliate Holling.

Doug Swieteck Quotes in The Wednesday Wars

The The Wednesday Wars quotes below are all either spoken by Doug Swieteck or refer to Doug Swieteck. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

But Doug went on in, and he came back out carrying the cardboard box for Number 166 from the Coat Room. He looked at us, shrugged, and hauled it away down the hall, staggering under its clumsy weight.

Related Characters: Holling Hoodhood (speaker), Mrs. Baker, Danny Hupfer, Doug Swieteck, Horace Clarke , Joe Pepitone

Page Number and Citation: 99

Explanation and Analysis:

Doug wouldn't tell us what he said when he saw the pictures and the can of yellow paint. All I know is that he wouldn't help, and so took a black eye […] Whatever it means to be a friend, taking a black eye for someone has to be in it.

Related Characters: Holling Hoodhood (speaker), Doug Swieteck, Doug Swieteck's Brother

Page Number and Citation: 103

Explanation and Analysis:

Doug Swieteck Character Timeline in The Wednesday Wars

The timeline below shows where the character Doug Swieteck appears in The Wednesday Wars. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...a burning passion—for absolutely no reason. He says it would've made sense if she'd hated Doug Swieteck, as he once made a list of 410 ways to get a teacher to... (full context)

...Baker recruited an eighth grader to torment him. He fears she might have roped in Doug Swieteck's brother, who has already been arrested several times. Holling tries to read in the... (full context)

Holling takes his position on the field, and Doug Swieteck's brother explains that Holling will play defense, which means he has to try to... (full context)

...Island and remembers that he should have guts. He runs towards the goal, and when Doug Swieteck's brother is nearly on top of him, he steps away and trips him. Doug's... (full context)

...Holling figures is the "disappointment of a failed assassination plot." The PA system announces that Doug Swieteck's brother will be back after ten days. Mrs. Baker teaches her students how to... (full context)

...Mrs. Baker looks victorious. He decides she probably called the police on him for tripping Doug Swieteck's brother. Holling walks to Mr. Guareschi's office. The general belief among students at the... (full context)

...boards, and clean out the Coat Room. This is something that Holling hates, especially since Doug Swieteck has a stash of disgusting food items stored in there to use for “Number... (full context)

By this time, Doug Swieteck's brother still isn't in school. Doug shares why: his brother enjoyed his ten days... (full context)

The Vietnam War and Political Unrest Theme Icon

..."failed assassination plot," as the "would-be assassins" now leave him alone after what happened to Doug Swieteck's brother. As Holling runs out the door, Mrs. Baker calls him back in and... (full context)

That night, Holling dreams that Doug Swieteck's brother is Shylock, and they're in a courtroom with their other classmates. Mrs. Baker... (full context)

...at Holling. Holling thinks her smile looks just the same way it did before the Doug Swieteck's brother assassination attempt. (full context)

...the Jewish and Catholic students get ready to leave, Mrs. Baker calls to Danny and Doug to stay at school. When the rest of the class is gone, Mrs. Baker pulls... (full context)

Danny, Doug, and Holling gleefully walk to the gym, where they find Joe Pepitone and Horace Clarke,... (full context)

Holling, Doug, and Danny run upstairs to find Mrs. Baker, but they find only a note on... (full context)

When Holling returns to school, he discovers his mother was wrong: Doug Swieteck's brother saw it and, apparently, experienced a "flash of inspiration and ambition," just like... (full context)

...on Macbeth. Mr. Vendleri tears most of the photos down by the next morning, but Doug Swieteck's brother has a seemingly unending supply. When Holling gets home on Tuesday, Heather nabs... (full context)

...to disaster, and malice is small and petty compared to love. Holling notes that what Doug Swieteck's brother did isn't small or petty, but Mrs. Baker insists it's just a wonderful... (full context)

..."ski," especially since there are no cars out. As Holling approaches the school, he sees Doug Swieteck's brother waiting for buses so he can grab the bumper and let the buses... (full context)

Holling sees Doug Swieteck's brother riding the bus bumpers again. Something snaps in Holling as he watches, and... (full context)

...to the bathroom to escape his soggy underwear, but upon entering the bathroom, he finds Doug Swieteck's brother and other eighth grade boys smoking. One says, "that's him," and Doug's brother... (full context)

...Holling, even when he raises his hand. When school ends, Holling suspiciously looks around for Doug Swieteck's brother and enjoys the cold air. He heads out past the buses, which are... (full context)

...next due to the snow falling so hard. When he reaches the corner, he finds Doug Swieteck's brother and the penitentiary crowd, all holding huge yellow snowballs. Suddenly, a school bus... (full context)

...unknown reasons. On her first day, she greets all the students and even stares down Doug Swieteck's brother. At the same time, President Johnson announces that he's not going to seek... (full context)

...at the bottom of the third inning and find their seats with Danny, Mr. Hupfer, Doug, and his dad. (full context)

...dogs. After the game, Joe Pepitone and Horace Clark call up to Holling, Danny, and Doug to come down. As the boys scramble over the fence, Joe Pepitone notices Mrs. Baker... (full context)

Two days later, a photo of Mrs. Baker, Danny, Doug, and Holling with the Yankees graces the front page of the Home Town Chronicle. When... (full context)

...class gleefully boards the bus and heads to the Catskill Mountains. When Mrs. Baker stops Doug's attempt to sing "One Thousand Bottles of Beer on the Wall," Holling insists that it... (full context)

...up dropped sweatshirts and water bottles. The cutlery pokes Holling in the back and he seethes—Doug's pack contains only marshmallows. Finally, the pack begins to feel lighter and Holling stops getting... (full context)

Doug looks ready to pass out with exhaustion, and Danny declares he's staying up all night.... (full context)

Even though they've been in the woods for a day and a half, Doug declared upon arrival that he would, under no circumstances, use the latrines. However, after two... (full context)