"Wonderful music like this was the worst hurt there could be.  The whole world was this symphony, and there was not enough of her to listen." (p.143)

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is a book about people.  It is a book filled with characters that captivate and enchants the reader from the first page until the last. McCullers characters collide like different instrumental parts that unite to create a beautiful symphony.  From Dr. Copeland who desperately labours for his children and the betterment of his race to Mick Kelly, the gangly androgynous girl who feels, sees, and breathes music; we meet people who are raw and lonely.  Set in 30′s era America, a place where racism divides and poverty kills and newspaper headlines scream about war in Europe  and places far, far away, it is a world where human frailty is examined closely.

Throughout the book a constant feeling of impending doom – a sense of foreboding permeates the words on the page that create the atmosphere the characters live in.  Some characters live life as if they were dancing on the edge of a precipice, others simply stand back and watch life pass them by in helpless suspension.  And as we move through the book, there is no one simple climax.  Rather, there are a series of smaller ones that involve each character that we follow.  We see the good mixed with the bad, albeit the darkness does seem to weigh more heavily throughout this world.  Some people seem to strive endlessly for more knowledge and more truth; they aren’t satisfied with what they are supposed to be.  There are drifters and mutes, confused husbands, and wide-eyed dreamers.  Disillusionment shatters hopes (Mr. Singer and Mick) and settling into a safe way of life silences the music.  The writing is so accessible that the music that swells and quiets in Mick Kelly’s ears is audible in my own.  Carson McCullers words are so simple and straightforward yet they are like music, a sweet sad melody that lingers in your mind even after you have stopped reading. 

Posted on April 7th, 2007 by Mary Clare
Filed under: american, classic, literary fiction