Character Analysis using the Alignment System
"The Dude" - True Neutral
Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski is a single, unemployed bum who lives in Venice, California. He enjoys smoking marijuana, drinking White Russians, and of course going bowling. The Dude becomes the central factor in solving a ransom case and is perpetually forced to make rash decisions. In this way, he is the True Neutral. He does what seems to be a good idea, and doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. An example of this would be when The Dude and Walter have to deliver the package containing the money to the Nihilists. The Dude fully intends to deliver the money and move on, but Walter decides it would be a good idea to throw a ringer suitcase and keep the money for the two of them. The Dude didn't care about the money, but rather the task given to him and didn't act with prejudice or compulsion (2). It is in this way that he remains the True Neutral.
Walter Sobchak - Chaotic Good
Walter Sobchak is a Vietnam veteran with a violent temper and is The Dude's best friend and bowling teammate. Walter decides he wants to help The Dude and joins him as his partner in crime. The Dude, being a True Neutral, isn't particularly for or against this, so he allows him to join. Walter, being the Chaotic Good character that he is, changes the whole dynamic of the duo and ends up screwing up the plans that The Dude had. There's a scene in the film where The Dude, Walter, and Donny are bowling and another bowler, Smokey, steps over the line when bowling. Walter requests that The Dude mark it zero on the sheet, while Smokey tries to argue that he didn't step over the line. This causes Walter to pull a gun on Smokey, asking The Dude to mark it zero once again. It is in this way that Walter is a Chaotic Good character because he follows his own moral compass, which, although good, may not agree with society. (2)
Donny - Neutral Good
Theodore Donald "Donny" Kerabatsos is a member of The Dude's bowling team at the local alley. He is good-natured and, while he isn't directly involved with The Dude's situation, he is constantly asking about any updates to the story. Being the Neutral Good character that he is, he does the best that he can do and is devoted to helping others. (2) A situation where Donny can be seen as Neutral Good is when the Nihilists are waiting outside of the bowling alley for the three bowlers. Walter initiates a fight with the germans, but Donny avoids them because he has no reason to attack. He knew the facts of the situation, but used careful considerations of the moral values relevant to the situation (1) and didn't allow this bias to influence his behavior.
Jeffrey Lebowski - Lawful Evil
Jeffrey Lebowski, or the "Big" Lebowski, is a multi-millionaire, the husband of Bunny, and the father of Maude Lebowski. He is wheelchair-bound and while he makes it public that he is very wealthy and involved with the community, almost all of his wealth was inherited from his late wife. Being a Lawful Evil character, he takes what he wants within the limits of his code of conduct without regard for whom it hurts (2). By recruiting The Dude as courier of the million dollar ransom, he puts The Dude in dangerous situations. He does this because it removes him from the troublesome situation his wife is in and has no concern for The Dude's general well-being. His only concern is for keeping the million dollars for himself. This intentional harm brought to the innocent character The Dude is what makes Jeffrey Lebowski evil according to William Hart (5).
Bunny Lebowski - Chaotic Neutral
Bunny Lebowski is the young "trophy wife" to Jeffrey Lebowski. She was born on a farm, but ran away to ultimately star in porn films. She is a Chaotic Neutral character because she follows her own whims. She values her own liberty but doesn't strive to protect others' freedom (2). In the film, she takes an unannounced trip early on and ultimately becomes the central sought after character. It is said that a Chaotic Neutral character may be unpredictable, but his/her behavior is not totally random. Bunny's unexpected trip on the surface seems unusual, but judging by her character, it's not really that unexpected. After all, The Dude predicted that she "kidnapped herself" and he was right. Bunny's alignment causes her to believe that there is no order to anything, including her own actions and this can be plainly seen in the film.
The Nihilists - Evil Neutral
Uli Kunkel, Kieffer, and Franz are German musicians and acquaintances of Bunny. Uli starred in a porn film with Bunny, hence their connection and collectively, they pretend to be the kidnappers of Bunny. They are considered to be Neutral Evil characters because they do whatever they can get away with. Pure and simple, they are out for themselves (2). In the context of the film, their only goal is to get the ransom money. They saw an easy opportunity to make some money and took it. Their actions can be related to what William Hart describes as evil. Being upset with The Dude and his failure to deliver the money to them, they decide to light his car on fire outside of the bowling alley one night. Their actions cause harm and distress to The Dude and are not in any way necessary (5).
Maude Lebowski - Lawful Neutral
Maude Lebowski, a feminist with "strongly vaginal" artwork, is the daughter of Jeffrey Lebowski. She initially introduced Bunny to Uli Kunkel. She is Lawful Neutral because she acts as law, tradition, or a personal code directs her. Order and organization are of supreme importance to her (2). These personality traits of hers are well represented in the film. After finding out that The Dude stole her rug, she went out of her way to take it back from her because it was a gift from her late mother and had sentimental value. Additionally, despite finding out that Bunny kidnapped herself, she still requests that The Dude seek out the million dollar ransom because her father took the money out of the charity without permission. She doesn't act based on good or evil, but rather organization and order.
Jackie Treehorn - Chaotic Evil
Jackie Treehorn is a pornographer and loan shark. He does some work with Bunny Lebowski who, at the start of the film, owes him a large sum of money. He is a Chaotic Evil character because his greed, hatred, and lust for destruction drive him to do whatever he does. If he is simply out for whatever he can get, he is ruthless and brutal (2). For example, the two thugs who rough up The Dude at the start of the film were hired by Treehorn. He thought that the thugs were assaulting Bunny Lebowski's husband, but he finds out that he had the wrong guy. Once he hears that The Dude is involved in Bunny's kidnapping and supposedly has the million dollar ransom, he requests that The Dude meet with him. He requests that The Dude hand over the ransom money and that he could give The Dude some of the money. After The Dude tells him that there was no money involved in the kidnapping, Treehorn drugs him and delivers him to the Malibu police chief. He is hot-tempered, vicious, arbitrarily violent, and unpredictable.
The Stranger - Lawful Good
The Stranger is the narrator and watches the story unfold from a third-person perspective. He has a thick Texas accent and is seen at the bar of the bowling alley twice in the film. While there is not much known about him, he can be seen as a Lawful Good character. He acts as a good person is expected or required to act. His feelings about honor and compassion are also what make him good (2). During one of the dialogues with The Dude, he asks, "do you have to use so many cuss words?" He disapproves of The Dude's use of profanity and laziness, but respects aspects of him regardless. He has good morals and a generally good take on life.