Dogville - Characters & Cast

Initially: To escape her father's criminal world and find goodness in ordinary people.
Finally: To rid the world of the evil she has witnessed, believing it is the only moral choice left.

She begins as a martyr, endlessly turning the other cheek and seeking acceptance through service. After suffering horrific abuse, she undergoes a radical transformation (the "metanoia"), realizing her forgiveness was arrogance, and becomes the agent of the town's apocalyptic destruction.

To be the spiritual leader of Dogville and to use Grace as an "illustration" for his philosophical lectures.

Tom presents himself as the town's moral compass and Grace's savior. However, his desire for power and his fear of confrontation lead him to betray Grace repeatedly. He ultimately calls the gangsters to remove her, proving he is the most dangerous resident of all.

To bring his daughter back and teach her that wielding power and judgment is a necessary part of leadership.

He appears as the antagonist Grace flees from, but reveals himself to be the voice of harsh reality. He serves as the catalyst for Grace's final transformation, debating her on the nature of morality.

To exercise dominance and take what he believes he is owed by a world that has disappointed him.

Initially the most skeptical of Grace, he becomes her first rapist. He represents the raw, animalistic exploitation that lies beneath the town's polite surface.