A Thousand Acres

A Thousand Acres

by

Jane Smiley

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Thousand Acres makes teaching easy.

Harold Clark Character Analysis

Larry Cook’s neighbor and friendly rival, and father to Loren Clark and Jess Clark. Harold Clark is a seemingly easygoing, eccentric old farmer, but on closer inspection, he’s surprisingly shrewd and perceptive. Over the years, he’s maintained a steady rivalry with Larry, so that both men make a show of buying expensive equipment and property in order to outdo the other. Harold, Jess claims, projects an image of idiosyncrasy in order to disguise his true, serious nature. And yet, unlike his son, Jess, he can’t stand change or uncertainty of any kind. After Larry turns against his daughters, Harold is one of the first to take Larry’s side, revealing his own sexist beliefs in the process. Harold corresponds to the character of Gloucester in King Lear.

Harold Clark Quotes in A Thousand Acres

The A Thousand Acres quotes below are all either spoken by Harold Clark or refer to Harold Clark. 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:
King Lear and Good vs. Evil Theme Icon
).
Book 1, Chapter 4 Quotes

At the pig roast, Jess Clark and the new machinery were Harold’s twin exhibits, and guests from all over the area couldn’t resist, had no reason to resist, the way he ferried them between the two, asking for and receiving admiration with a kind of shameless innocence that he was known for.

Related Characters: Ginny Cook Smith (speaker), Harold Clark, Jess Clark
Page Number: 18
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 2, Chapter 15 Quotes

“Now that I’m back, after all those years away, I’m really amazed at how good Harold is at manipulating the way people think of him.”

Related Characters: Jess Clark (speaker), Harold Clark
Page Number: 108
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Thousand Acres LitChart as a printable PDF.
A Thousand Acres PDF

Harold Clark Quotes in A Thousand Acres

The A Thousand Acres quotes below are all either spoken by Harold Clark or refer to Harold Clark. 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:
King Lear and Good vs. Evil Theme Icon
).
Book 1, Chapter 4 Quotes

At the pig roast, Jess Clark and the new machinery were Harold’s twin exhibits, and guests from all over the area couldn’t resist, had no reason to resist, the way he ferried them between the two, asking for and receiving admiration with a kind of shameless innocence that he was known for.

Related Characters: Ginny Cook Smith (speaker), Harold Clark, Jess Clark
Page Number: 18
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 2, Chapter 15 Quotes

“Now that I’m back, after all those years away, I’m really amazed at how good Harold is at manipulating the way people think of him.”

Related Characters: Jess Clark (speaker), Harold Clark
Page Number: 108
Explanation and Analysis: