Hopelessness In Heart Is A Lonely Hunter

Hopelessness in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

Carson McCuller's novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, takes place in a small town in the deep south during the mid-twentieth century. The book closely follows a diverse group of five residents that are loosely tied together. They include Singer, a deaf mute, Benedict Copeland, a well educated black doctor, Jake Blount, a politically zealous transient, Mick Kelly, a young girl, and Biff Brannon, a middle aged man that owns a diner. As the book progresses the characters find themselves in non-ideal circumstances. The characters all want something they can't have and it gradually becomes clear that they are powerless to obtain it. The outlook continues to grow bleak for the characters as time passes. By the end of the novel the characters that are still alive find themselves with little hope and no happiness. Hopelessness is an overriding theme and can be seen more clearly by examining each characters situation.

All of the characters have loose ties to one another, but where all there paths seem to intertwine most is in their relationship with Singer, the deaf mute. The other four main characters all begin to confide in singer early in the story, and believe that he is the only one that truly understands them. Singer is a very kind person, and is always there for his new found friends. However, what Singer really longs for is his former companion, Antonapoulos. Antonapoulos means the world to Singer, but they are separated when Antonapoulos is sent to live in an asylum. Antonapoulos is a very crude character in this book. All he seems to care about is self gratification through food, drink and whatever else pleases him. While Singer demonstrates a very deep and real love for him, Anto...

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...Instead he is an aging man with no one left.

This story had no fluff. It had no happy ending. It was in no way uplifting. It was a book about hopelessness, and how tragic life can be. None of the characters find happiness. No one is rescued from their misery. What makes this book powerful is that sometimes that is the way life is. Sometimes there is no happy ending, and sometimes there is no hope. It would be nice if that were not true, but it is. And this book shows the gritty side of life, the sad reality. Sometimes things do not work out the way we would like them to, and sometimes there is nothing we can do about it. As depressing as this may be as a theme, it is important to realize that it is true. While optimism is usually admirable, too much may be ignorant. Hopelessness exists. It can certainly be seen in real life, and it can certainly be seen in this book.