During the boat scene at the start of the game, the man who rows the boat complained to the woman about rowing by himself without help from her. Their conversation later focused on Booker where the man asked the woman why doesn't Booker help with the rowing. The woman replied "He doesn't ROW".
What did she mean by that? Is it anyway (a hidden meaning) related to the story?
Or is it some kind of joke that a non-American like me probably wouldn't understand?
Note: I finished the game twice, and so I know the identities of the couple. I compose the question the best way I know to keep the spoilers out.
Best Answer
The game is a cycle but with many varying dimensions. As Elizabeth says at the end, there are some constants and some variables in each cycle. Apparently, one of the constants is that Booker does not row the boat to the lighthouse. So it's not that he can't row any boats, it's that he does not row this boat. To put it in the Luteces' terms: he did not row, doesn't row, will not row the boat.