significance of rowing

Rowing, for Shenkman, represents his youth, a time when his life wasn't full of the domestic disappointment that he finds omnipresent now. Shenkman claims to love his son, Waldo, but is completely unable to connect with him, leading him to often loudly lash out at him. He spends a good deal of time trying to dissuade him from pursuing his passion for astronomy. As he rows, he competes wordlessly with someone he used to row with some 20 or so years ago named Lindgren. This constant competition exists as a sort of constant test for Shenkman as he reaches middle age and begins to feel the strain and disappointment of his life.