Joe Rantz's The Boys In The Boat

Imagine winning any type of race just by a sixth of a second and winning the tournament through that. It won’t just leave you astonished but also fills you with joy. This situation occurred in The Boys in the Boat, the life story of Joe Rantz and his fellow crew members on their journey to win the Olympic gold medal in the year 1936. The dominant theme supported by the book was teamwork and measured self-reliance. The continuous change in the setting also contributed to the themes. These two narrative elements are combined in order to give a life lesson to the readers. The setting is a big aspect in telling us the story of the main character. It not only changes throughout the book several times but it is also constantly repeated as the “years” go by the main …show more content…
Teamwork was shown as a very important aspect in rowing and in a time of need, you have to rely on others. Joe learned this through the constant struggle of working on himself instead of trusting his teammates to work along with him. As stated by George Pocock, “If one fellow in the orchestra was playing out of tune, or playing at a different tempo, the whole piece would naturally be ruined” (Brown 134). It is important to rely on others in life instead of going through life alone when help is needed. There are time and places where you can rely on others but you don’t have to rely on others all the time. The Boys in the Boat develops the life story of Joe Rantz through both the settings and themes. It not only shows the major details within the book but also goes in-depth with other characters. The themes and settings show the hardships in Joe’s life and how these hardships were solved through trust and not relying on others. The story of Joe Rantz and his crew with their struggle to earning the Olympic gold medal will be remembered throughout