Harry Lime

Harry Lime

7
    Home Alone
Photo Credit: Everett Collection

Character Analysis

(Avoiding Spoilers)

Living… seemingly out of a big ol’ van marked “Oh-Kay Plumbing and Heating,” in which he drives around suburban Chicago scouting out potential houses to rob with his partner-in-crime, Marv. Harry is the brains behind the operation, at least relatively speaking. He poses as a police officer to bait residents into telling him whether or not they’ll be out of town for the holidays, and he’s able to analyze the automatic lighting schemes to determine which houses are empty.

Profession… cat burglar. Though Harry can indeed be somewhat catlike, Marv is clumsy and not very catlike at all. Marv likes to flood the houses they rob by turning on the faucets on the way out. Harry finds this tactic “sick,” to which Marv responds, “It’s our calling card. All the great ones leave their mark. We’re the Wet Bandits!”

Interests… he loves his shiny gold tooth more than anything, and has a penchant for jewelry. He also enjoys bossing Marv around. From their appearance, you might think the opposite would be true: Harry is short with an ugly gait, while Marv is tall and all about the power stance. But Harry is clearly the leader.

Relationship Status… single, presumably. Harry doesn’t have time for the ladies when there’s stealing to be done.

Challenge… robbing the McCallister home. It’s the biggest house on the street, the “silver tuna.” Harry and Marv plan to break in at 9 pm on Christmas Eve, even though they know the house is still occupied by 8-year old Kevin McCallister. They underestimate Kevin’s intellect and fight. Says Marv, “He’s a kid. Kids are stupid.” Big mistake.

Personality… ruthless and nefarious. Harry’s actually reasonably intelligent, especially compared to Marv, but his hot temper often clouds his judgment. Marv is gullible and dimwitted, and he is scared of tarantulas, heights, and the dark. Together they form a criminal duo that has to date been quite successful – perhaps surprisingly so – exiting their van with a hearty battle cry: “Crowbars up!” But in Kevin McCallister, Harry and Marv may have tangled with the wrong kid.

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