the heart is a lonely hunter

A detailed Summary of the heart is a lonely hunter

"Whether in the pastoral joys of country life or in the labyrinthine city, we Americans are

always seeking. We wander, question. But the answer waits in each our separate heart-- the answer of our own identity and the way by which we can master loneliness and feel that at last we belong."

Many times, we wander through life feeling alone and isolated. We long for friendship and understanding, wontedly to no avail. Such is the case for the characters in Carson McCullers' The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Each one has the need and desire to be understood, however, none of then ever truly are. The characters feel lonely and rejected, and their lives intertwine in the search for friendship and understanding. Throughout this "journey" they each find a shoulder to lean on in one man, John Singer. Ironically, in John, who is a deaf-mute, they find a sympathetic ear. He becomes the one they turn to when compelled with the urge to vent their feelings. Singer is the one person in which they feel there will be no judgement, for he never actually understands what they say to him. They all have one common bond, whether they know it or not, and that is that in their own little w

McCullers writes of how her characters are always searching for something to fill their feelings of loneliness and rejection without ever truly finding it. After the one person Singer feels is the only one he can "talk" to passes away, he wanders around in a state of disbelief and shock. The same is for the others when Singer decided to take his own life after realizing he could not continue if Antonapoulos was not there. They are not sure what to do with themselves because for so long they depended on Singer as a figurative rock, and now he is no longer there. Each character continues to search for that something that will help them in their journey to find acceptance and understanding, slowly learning to stand on their own two feet.

Dr. Benedict Mady Copeland, one of the few well-educated African-Americans during this time also develops an connection with Singer. Dr. Copeland enjoys talking to Singer because he believes that "truly he was not like other white men. He was a wise man, and he understood the strong, true purpose in a way that other white men could not. He listened, and in his face there was something gentle and Jewish, the knowledge of one who belongs to a race that is oppressed"(114). Copeland feels united by the fact that they both seem oppressed, and he turns to him when distressed, or frustrated about telling others the "truth." Because of his intelligence level and education, he is set apart from his family and people and Singer allows him to have a sense of belonging once again. He listens to the ideas and thoughts of Copeland and lets him express them freely without judgment.

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Approximate Word count = 1317
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English