Dorothy Zbornak - Characteristics

Characteristics

While often mocked as a manly and sexually unattractive woman by her two roommate friends due to her height and deep voice, Dorothy is also in possession of many talents. In one episode, she is able to upstage Blanche at the latter's favorite bar, the Rusty Anchor, with her singing, winning the admiration of Blanche's many suitors. At another point, remembering how funny she could be in high school, Dorothy tries her hand at doing stand-up comedy, in the end winning over her audience by poking fun at her own life and bringing up such subjects as menopause with its hot flashes.

She is often very humble, and it is usually rare that she ever brags about herself. Dorothy can be comedically sarcastic, especially towards her less-than-sophisticated roommate, Rose, and man-obsessed Blanche. They can laugh at each others' remarks without hurt feelings, much of the time. Dorothy's mother Sophia has a tendency to "borrow" money from her, often without Dorothy's permission. Dorothy regards her roommates as family. She is very comforting and loving to them, giving them good advice. However, there are times when Rose and Blanche are scared of her, specifically when she gets angry. Blanche once reminded Rose of the time the latter had lost Dorothy's keys, to which Rose responded that Dorothy had "uprooted a mighty sequoia." When Blanche considered that she and Rose should defy Dorothy, she made a list of questions, such as "Can she intimidate us?" and several other possibilities. Rose replied, "Blanche, she can do all those things!"

During the run of the show, it is implied that Dorothy is likely a Democrat due in part to her liberal views, although she never announces her party affiliation. She has a Michael Dukakis bumper sticker (covering a Walter Mondale bumper sticker) and planned to confront then-President George H.W. Bush when he visited Miami, ignoring warnings from her mother and friends. When Bush did come, she was so shocked at actually meeting him that she couldn't say anything.