The Office’s Dwight Schrute: he’s just your average paper salesman, right?
False. Dwight is actually an above-average paper salesman. But he also leads a very unusual life outside of the walls of Dunder Mifflin.
Most people who've seen The Office surely know that he’s a beet farmer and the best damn assistant to the regional manager in all of Dunder Mifflin. But what makes Dwight, Dwight? Here are a couple things you might not have known about Dwight Kurt Schrute unless you watch The Office on repeat.
He Has Many Eccentric Family Members
Dwight (played by actor Rainn Wilson) is an eccentric character—but his quirks seem pretty tame compared to some of his less socialized relatives.
Dwight’s cousin Mose is probably the most feral of the Schrutes. He lives with Dwight on Schrute Farms, but he doesn’t seem to have a lot of experience interacting with people other than Dwight. Dwight is always having to stop Mose from throwing manure or doing something else socially unacceptable like leaving the outhouse door wide open.
Another of Dwight’s unusual relatives is his Aunt Shirley, a vulgar and off-putting woman who Dwight needs to “hose down” rather than give a normal bath.
We probably would have seen more of Dwight’s unusual family members in the “Dwight” spinoff that was supposed to follow The Office, but the concept was ultimately scrapped.
Nothing Beets Schrute Farms And Everything That Goes On There
We’ve established that a lot of unusual characters frequent Schrute Farms, but there’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes at this unconventional beet farm.
Known for serving as an “artistic” camp for pacifist -- and as it's implied, homosexual -- soldiers during the Civil War, Schrute Farms is a 60-acre plot of land in rural Pennsylvania. Nowadays, the farm provides beets to local shops and welcomes guests to its rustic Bed & Breakfast (I call dibs on the Irrigation Room).
Schrute Farms also contains a slaughterhouse, 200-year old mattresses, and nine bedrooms, but unfortunately only one outhouse. Careful when you’re digging—there are horse graves everywhere.
Dwight Takes Fire Safety Very Seriously
As we learn in Season 2, Dwight serves as a volunteer Sheriff’s deputy in Scranton. But did you know he ALSO has a passion for fire safety?
In the famous Season 5 episode “Stress Relief,” Dwight puts his coworkers to the test by staging an impromptu fire drill. In true Dunder Mifflin fashion, the drill is a huge fiasco and nobody knows any of the fire safety information Dwight had taught them.
He Hides Weapons Everywhere
A weaponry aficionado, Dwight has an arsenal of unconventional weapons to use in the event of an attack. Many of these weapons are actually hidden around the office.
Dwight’s secret office weapons are first revealed when he uses pepper spray to stop Roy from attacking Jim—but we later find out he’s also stashed away knives, swords, blow darts, duct tape, and a litany of other protective tools around Dunder Mifflin Scranton.
He Loves Harry Potter
Dwight is a certified Harry Potter superfan, something that frequently comes up throughout the series. Dwight is infuriated when Jim decides to name his Beach Day team “Voldemort” (Dwight’s own team was named Gryffindor). But his love for the boy wizard also manifests in more wholesome ways, like when he reads Jim and Pam to sleep at his bed and breakfast with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Later in the series, it’s still clear that Dwight’s love of Harry Potter hasn’t waned. When Jim and Dwight scheme to convince Todd Packer to relocate to Florida, Dwight repeatedly cites Harry Potter World as one of the main reasons he should consider moving.
He Remembers His Own Birth
Dwight has excellent control of his body—he can retract his veins into his arms and claims he can go from soft to erect at the drop of a hat—but he also apparently has stellar control over his memory.
Dwight recounts the story of his most special birthday: It was dark and warm, until a bright burst of sunlight and intense pressure welcomed him into the world. His mother then bit the umbilical cord.
He Was Raised With Pennsylvania Dutch Traditions
Dwight isn’t technically Amish, but he was raised in rural Pennsylvania to a family that followed many Pennsylvania Dutch traditions. One of the most memorable of these traditions is Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas, which he helps his coworkers experience by dressing up as Belsnickel and putting on a traditional Schrute Family Christmas at the office.
Belsnickel brings traditional German food (including a pig rib) and plays a game of “Impish or Admirable” with the office.
There Are A Lot Of Schrute Family Rules
The Schrutes follow many specific rules. Dwight shares that all Schrutes must learn these rules by the time they are five, but there’s a helpful tune you can sing to stay on track:
Learn your rules, you better learn your rules. If you don’t, you’ll be eaten in your sleep.
Some of the rules make sense—Schrutes are loyal, uncircumcised, and use all parts of the goose. But many of the rules are a lot more cutthroat. For example, any Schrute who fails at something must be shunned by the family for three years (which happened to Dwight from ages four to six when he forgot to save the oil from a can of tuna). Schrutes must also marry standing in their own graves and haven’t celebrated birthdays since the Great Depression.
He Has A Soft Spot For Pam
Dwight often acts like he doesn’t care for any of his coworkers, but we know that’s not true. He actually has an especially soft spot for Pam.
Pam and Dwight’s friendship first blossoms when Dwight gets a concussion. While loopy and delirious, Dwight’s walls come down and the two bond.
While Dwight’s concussion doesn’t last forever, he frequently shows that he cares about Pam throughout the series. He comforts her when Jim and Karen are dating, and later helps her investigate if Jim has feelings for Kathy.
When Jim and Pam ultimately quit their jobs at Dunder Mifflin in the final season, Dwight fires them—but explains that he only did it so they could get a severance package. That’s best friend behavior.
He Has A Lot Of Special Skills
Okay, so we know Dwight can sell paper faster than a computer and can wield nunchucks like nobody’s business. But the man also has a lot of secret skills that don’t come up as often in the series.
Dwight can play the recorder, which he does at a bird funeral in the parking lot. He’s also a master ping-ponger, which he demonstrates when helping Jim prepare for a ping-pong match against Darryl. Need any home renovations done? Great, Dwight can do those too, like he did with Jim and Pam’s kitchen during Cece’s birth.
Speaking of Cece, Dwight also has a knack for taking care of babies. At Erin and Gabe’s Glee viewing party, Dwight is the only one who can get Cece to stop crying.
He’s Actually A Ladies Man
But there’s just something about Dwight that makes him irresistible to the ladies. Remember Michael and Dwight’s trip to the club in New York? Dwight essentially pulls an entire college basketball team.
Dwight also has a lot of luck with Isabel, a bridesmaid in Pam’s wedding party. The beautiful Isabel is captivated by Dwight’s animal magnetism, and the two rekindle their spark nearly every time they meet.
He’s Very Loyal To Michael… But He Has His Limits
Dwight is a fiercely loyal employee to Michael, often helping him in ways no one else in the office would be willing to. If Michael needs someone to spread peanut butter over his entire head or practice birthing a watermelon, Dwight is his guy. Remember, Schrutes are extremely loyal.
But even Dwight has his limits. At The Roast of Michael Scott, Dwight jumps onstage to ridicule his coworkers for speaking ill of Michael. When Michael interrupts to call Dwight an idiot, he goes off on him:
Are you calling me an idiot? Don’t you ever talk to me that way, you pathetic, short little man. You don’t even have any friends, any family, or any land.
Dwight will also go behind Michael’s back for the sake of the company—in the Season 3 episode “The Coup,” Dwight tells Jan that he could run the company better than Michael can. As penance for his betrayal, Dwight has to do Michael’s laundry for a year.
Still need more Dwight? Episodes of The Office are available to stream on Peacock.
