The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Carson McCullers

I just love the title of this, don't you?

This seems to be an introspective sort of story. The story starts off with two deaf-mutes who are great friends, Singer and Anatopoulos, and who do almost everything together. Then circumstances cause them to be separated and we then follow the story of Singer who feels bereft. For some reason, four people in the small town that Singer lives in are drawn to him, Biff Brannon - a pub owner, Mick - a young girl with dreams of music and foreign places, Dr Copeland - a doctor who despairs of educating his children and his people, Jake Blount - a drunk who rants against oppression by the government and big businesses. All of these people are loners in a way and they seem drawn to Singer because of what they perceive to be his compassion and sympathy. I didn't quite know what to make of this story. I finished it feeling a bit puzzled as I didn't know why McCullers had chosen to tell this story. It was well-written and made me want to read on and find out what happened but it seemed to be the type of story that just conveyed what was going on, like a diary of events rather than trying to make a point or use scenes to drive the plot along. Perhaps McCullers was trying to show how each one of us longs for someone who understands, who sympathises, the heart's companion. If so, I think she did a good job.