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“The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter�� struck me as a rather weak title for a novel. It could easily be misconstrued as a romantic story with a predictable ending. I read it on account of the very positive reviews on ŷ������. However, I was disappointed.

The novel was set in a small Georgian mill town in the 1930s. It depicted the struggles of the black people in the South, the rise of fascism, and the need to better the plight of the poor through a unifying ideology. In this aspect, I thought McCullers did a marvelous job.

The story focused on John Singer, a deaf-mute jeweler, who became a confidant to four individuals. They were Biff Brannon, a cafe proprietor; Jake Blount, a radical unionist and foul-tempered, drinking mechanic; Mick Kelly, a teenage girl who had dreams of becoming a musician; and Dr. Benedict Mady Copeland, a black doctor estranged from his children. Each of these characters came with “the desperate look of hunger and of loneliness�� and found refuge in the comforting silence that Singer offered while he listened patiently to them. Singer reflected that "Those words in their heart do not let them rest, so they are always very busy." In time, they grew to become very dependent on Singer for emotional support. Ironically but not surprisingly, Singer was abjectly lonely like them.

Singer’s closest friend was Spiros Antonapoulos, a fellow mute. There was a companionable sweetness in how the two friends would walk arm in arm to work and back home every day. However, things changed when Antonapoulos was taken to an asylum. To Antonapoulos, Singer confessed, "The way I need you is a loneliness I cannot bear", and "I am not meant to be alone and without you who understand." And yet Antonapoulos never did understand him; neither did he reciprocate Singer’s friendship and concern. He was only interested in the food Singer brought him on his visits.

What did I not appreciate about this novel? To a large degree I felt that the story was unconvincing on many levels. It was difficult to understand how the Greek mute morphed into an irascible and violent person after a bout of illness, which precipitated his commitment to a mental institution. Also, the overpowering attachment Singer had to his Greek friend was baffling and hard to believe given the latter’s total indifference. At the end of the novel, the cafe owner, in a flash of insight, registered "a glimpse of human struggle and of valor. Of the endless fluid passage of humanity through endless time. And of those who labor and those who - one word - love." However, these words were hasty and hollow.

In addition, there was no plot in the story line. With the exception of Mick, I did not care for the other characters. Their loneliness and sadness somehow did not move me. The bleakness was painful but pointless. “The heart is a lonely hunter�� is a classic. It just did not resonate with me and I wish I had liked it more.