# Hank — Short Fiction character guide

> Hank in Short Fiction by Ring Lardner.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Henry, Harris, Harry Hart, Harry, Hart, Harrison, Harry Riker

**First appearance:** 0000-my-roomy

## Snapshot

A recurring name across Lardner's stories, usually a ballplayer or small-town fellow whose romantic schemes outrun his nerve.

## Who they are

Hank turns up in different guises, but the type is consistent: a decent sort, half in love with a girl he can't quite bring himself to properly court, and half in love with the sound of his own complaints. He is the friend who sends the cards, tells the jokes, and gets made a monkey of, all while insisting he means business. His fumbling pursuit of Mary Lloyd, the Detroit telegraph operator, sets the comic machinery of the ball-club stories in motion.

## In the story

### [Rhythm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/rhythm)

Harry Hart, the protagonist, a composer whose success goes to his head, leading to professional and personal ruin.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/characters/hank
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/characters