Harry Minowitz Character Analysis in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Mick’s next-door neighbor and schoolmate. A Jewish boy two years Mick’s senior, the 15-year-old Harry is smart, sensitive, opinionated, and determined to find a way to fight fascism and Nazism. Harry admits to being perturbed by intrusive, bloody thoughts and hyper-real nighttime dreams of murdering Hitler. Over the course of the novel, Harry and Mick—once barely acquaintances—slowly become closer and even develop romantic feelings for each other. Toward the end of summer, Harry and Mick go on a picnic in the woods and, out in the wilderness, have sex. Harry is immediately filled with shame and remorse over this incident and flees town that very night.

Harry Minowitz Character Timeline in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

The timeline below shows where the character Harry Minowitz appears in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Amidst all the awkwardness, Mick notices Harry Minowitz, her next-door neighbor and a Jewish boy two years her senior. Harry asks Mick... (full context)

...are playing with a gun Spareribs has inherited from his recently deceased father. Mick spots Harry Minowitz on the porch next door and makes a Nazi salute at him as a... (full context)

...turns to evening, business slowly picks up, and the new part-time worker Biff has recently hired—Harry Minowitz—arrives for his shift. As Biff talks to Harry about his life at home and... (full context)

Biff leaves Harry at the register and goes downstairs to his office. He sits in his rocking chair... (full context)

One afternoon, Mick asks Harry Minowitz for some help with her English homework. As they study together, Harry and Mick... (full context)

Harry tells Mick he has a secret for her. He admits that when he first saw... (full context)

As Harry’s lip begins to tremble, Mick finds herself attracted to his “warm boy smell.” Just as... (full context)

...Mick takes her hatbox out to the porch, pulls out her notebook, and begins writing. Harry comes over and sits on the porch, and Mick finds herself distracted by his presence.... (full context)

The next day, Harry brings a set of bicycles over early in the morning, and he and Mick set... (full context)

At the creek, Harry jumps right into the cool water. Mick is self-conscious in her too-tight bathing-suit, which is... (full context)

After lunch, Harry tells Mick that he thinks she’s pretty. Mick, flustered, suggests they head for home, but... (full context)

During the ride back, Harry seems sad and confused, and tells Mick that they’ve got to “understand” what they’ve done.... (full context)

Harry says he’s going to leave town—he wants to get a job as a mechanic somewhere... (full context)

...telling her she has a telephone call. Inside, Mick goes to the phone to find Harry’s mother on the other end. Mrs. Minowitz asks if Mick knows where Harry is—he hasn’t... (full context)

...extra publicity doesn’t do a thing for business. Mick does her best to forget about Harry. When he writes her a postcard, as he promised he would, she responds with a... (full context)