The father of Joe Rantz, Harry Rantz is a complicated figure. He has a major influence on his son Joe’s development: Joe seems to inherit his curiosity and love for learning from his father, a talented mechanic and inventor. However, Harry is also an unpredictable, often senseless man, who refuses to commit to anything he doesn't want to do. After the death of his first wife, Joe’s father abandons Joe, then marries Thula LaFollette, and then abandons Joe again. Harry’s negligence as a father is perhaps the most important reason why Joe grows up learning to take care of himself—Joe learns not to rely on his father for food, shelter, or love.
Harry Rantz Quotes in The Boys in the Boat
The The Boys in the Boat quotes below are all either spoken by Harry Rantz or refer to Harry Rantz. 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:
).
Chapter 12
Quotes
Joe and Joyce took the four children out for ice cream and then stopped by a grocery store and bought some basic provisions before dropping them off back at the house. By the next day, when Joe checked, Harry and Thula had returned. But Joe couldn't fathom what his father and Thula had been thinking. Apparently this had been going on all summer long.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Harry Rantz Quotes in The Boys in the Boat
The The Boys in the Boat quotes below are all either spoken by Harry Rantz or refer to Harry Rantz. 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:
).
Chapter 12
Quotes
Joe and Joyce took the four children out for ice cream and then stopped by a grocery store and bought some basic provisions before dropping them off back at the house. By the next day, when Joe checked, Harry and Thula had returned. But Joe couldn't fathom what his father and Thula had been thinking. Apparently this had been going on all summer long.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
