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Essay / Literature Analysis of "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson Mccullers constantly listening to music and wanting to go to another country. She lives in the same house as Singer and many other characters. She is tall and thin, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and dresses like a tomboy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay John Singer: A deaf mute that all the characters rely on and depend on to speak. Best friend of Antonapoulos. He listens attentively, but never really understands anything. He is tall and thin with gray eyes.Biff Brannon: Owner of a café, very observant and curious about the world around him. He remains silent most of the time, thinking about what his life would be like with his own children. He is brown. Does not depend on or connect with Singer to the extent of Mick or Blount. Jake Blount: A drunk, he frequently visits Brannon's cafe, where he meets Singer. He has very erratic behavior and can sometimes be violent. He is small, but has long arms and big hands. Doctor Copeland: African-American man. Portia's father, although he has become estranged from most of his family. He is constantly angry at the world and all its injustices. He is a doctor and works all the time. He is a very intelligent man.Spiros Antonapoulos: Also deaf and mute and Singer's best friend. He is sent to an insane asylum at the beginning of the novel, separating him from Singer after living together for over ten years. He's fat and lazy.Portia Copeland: African-American woman. Doctor Copeland's daughter lives in the house with Mick and Singer. She is very religious and tries to impose her beliefs on her father as well as Mick. She never really has a connection with Singer, even though she lives in the same house as him. She is a strong woman. Plot Summary The Heart is a Lonely Hunter primarily follows the lives of Mick, Singer, Brannon, Blount, Copeland as they all go through their daily lives, each of their lives having some sort of connection to each other. The story begins with Singer and Antonapoulos, two deaf and mute people. Soon, Antonapoulos was taken away from Singer and placed in an insane asylum. At this point, Singer has to completely change the usual lifestyle he is accustomed to, which is when he moves and meets Mick, Brannon, Blount and Copeland. After meeting Singer, these four characters find a kind of comfort and understanding in him. They each confide in Singer as a way to express their problems and as someone to talk to, throughout their loneliness, especially during difficult times. Mick's family falls into poverty, Copeland loses all his wealth and his own son, Blount is a borderline alcoholic, and Brannon loses his wife. Each character thinks Singer is the only one who can understand them, when in reality he is just as isolated and lost as they are. After the death of Singer's friend Antonapoulos, Singer commits suicide because his death finally pushed him to his breaking point, as Antonapoulos was Singer's only true friend. After these four characters find out about Singer's death, they become even more confused because no one knows the reason for his suicide. They all lose the person on whom they depended so much in their daily lives, that they almost no longer know how to act, thus pushing them even further into this isolation and alienation. In the end, each character is also alonethan at the beginning of the book. The Setting Heart is a Lonely Hunter takes place during the Great Depression in the South. Readers are never informed of the exact town the novel is based on. Knowing that it takes place during the Great Depression helps readers better understand each character and their struggles, whether economically, physically, or mentally. It follows lower/middle class characters in the South, where there is a lot of racism and poverty, relating to one of the themes of the book: oppression and racism. This is also a major factor that mentally influences the characters, especially Doctor Copeland, as he is constantly angry because of all the racism and injustices surrounding people of color. The setting also gives readers insight into the religious beliefs of that time, with Christianity being the strongest religion. But during the Great Depression, many people turned their backs on religion, blaming God for all the difficulties in their lives, thinking that was the only explanation for it all. McCullers alludes to this through the deaths of Singer and Antonapoulos who have been compared to Christ and God, and through the deaths of these two characters she ends the existence and dependence associated with Christianity or any religious ideal. The title The Heart is a Lonely Hunter has a lot of relationship and meaning to the themes of the novel. The meaning is that each character is a "hunter", each chasing or wanting something different in life, thus sending them into this spiral of loneliness and isolation from others and the outside world. The title has also been linked to a poem by William Sharp. The specific line of the poem is “But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill.” The poem also includes similar themes mentioned in McCullers' book. Themes like the importance of music, isolation, and death. Point of View The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is told in the third person. The Unknown Narrator follows approximately five main characters, switching between them in each chapter, giving readers greater insight into their individual thoughts and feelings. This helps create a closer connection between readers and characters, allowing readers to identify with different aspects of certain characters. The fact that the narrator is unknown makes readers wonder who the narrator is and whether or not he is a reliable source. But because of the narrator's knowledge and understanding of each character's thoughts and feelings, we are led to believe that what is being read comes from a reliable narrator. But the question of who the narrator is still remains unanswered and up to the reader's speculation.ThemesThere is a constant feeling of loneliness, as if there is a missing piece in their lives, as the characters have unintentionally isolated themselves from the world and others. Each character in Heart is a Lonely Hunter struggles to escape some sort of isolation or loneliness. By their own means, they have all managed to isolate themselves from the world and those around them. This isolation is a combination of environmental and internal conflicts. For example, Dr. Copeland has the opportunity to form closer relationships with his children, but something internally pulls him away from them. The narrator describes this by saying, “Doctor Copeland gritted his teeth hard. He had thought so much about Hamilton, about Karl Marx, about William and Portia, about his true purpose for them, that the sight of their faces caused a dark, swelling sensation in him.” This clearly shows Copeland's internal conflict, how he can't seem to let go of these past visions of his children, no matter how much they haveaged and how much they have changed, thus sending themselves into isolation, unable to create romantic relationships. with anyone since he pushes everyone out. Another example of a character who isolates himself is Biff Brannon. After the death of his wife, Brannon completely transforms and really has no one to rely on, but he never makes an effort to change that. When people talk to him, he sort of brushes them off, never really giving anyone a personal insight into him. At the very end of Chapter Two, the narrator says this about Brannon: "And he was none other than - Bartholomew - old Biff with two fists and a quick tongue - Mister Brannon - all by himself." In the first two chapters of the book, Brannon is described as "lonely", but this fact never really changes. He ends each day alone, with no one to go home to. He's one of the characters who doesn't really seem to have a problem being alone, as he simply shows no interest or effort to change that. There is no internal or environmental conflict, just him and his thoughts that lead to his loneliness. Religion is used as a sense of false hope or fantasy, as each character feels the need for guidance in their lives. Throughout the book we see very few characters who are actually very religious and rely on Christianity in their daily lives. Apart from Portia, she tries to spread her religious life to others, like Mick for example. Whenever Mick talked to Portia about something in her life, Portia would tell him that she should try going to church or praying. At one point, while Mick was talking to her, Portia said this to him: "Fools like you and my father who don't go to church can never have peace at all" (McCullers 50). This put the idea in Mick's head that she needed some sort of authority or power in her life to depend on, how Portia depends on God, and that's where Singer comes into life from Mick. Mick sees him as her God, and she begins to depend on him and confide in him in most of her decision-making, using him as a guide. The narrator describes Mick's feelings toward Singer by saying, "She talked to him more than she had ever talked to anyone before... It was as if he was some kind of great teacher, only because he was mute and did not teach. » . This is why many associate Singer with God, as he was the anchor and great authority in many readers' lives. But, in reality, he was just creating this false hope for them, filling in the gaps in their loneliness, thinking he actually cared about them. But he never even considered them his friends. He was only their means of expressing themselves, because in reality, he provided them with nothing, since he could not even speak. Oppression and racism is a common problem in society that causes characters to become angry and on the verge of mental instability. The main character who is pushed to his breaking point by anger because of racism and oppression is Doctor Copeland. He has very specific views on the injustices of the world and is easily triggered when people do not understand or disagree with his views, thus pushing him into a mentally unstable state. The first time he really expresses his opinions is at a party where he stands in front of the crowd and says everything he has to say. At this point he was very controlled and said important things like, “The injustice of want must bring us all together, not tear us apart.” He was simply preaching to the people, just like Marx or MLK. But, later in the book, he is pushed by Jake Blount, until he explodes because they have twocompletely different points of view. When he argues, Dr. Copeland is pushed to his breaking point: “His eyes were bloodshot and his hands clutched the blanket… They looked at each other and waited. As the silence continued, the tension between them became more tense.” Both of them have been pushed so hard by each other that they just sit there fuming. It is clear that the oppression and racism plaguing society has caused them both to descend into this state. This fight scene is very important because it is somewhat of a realization for Blount and Copeland that people are allowed to have different opinions, and it is clear that a white man's opinion will not be the even as that of a colored man, as they did. do not have the same societal experiences. Several characters are very curious about the world around them, but especially about Biff Brannon. McCuller showcases this curious tone through Biff's fascination with Singer throughout the novel. When Singer first arrives at his café, he immediately arouses Brannon's interest: "From time to time his gaze would turn towards the mute who was sitting alone at one of the middle tables, or towards other customers in front of the counter.” This is the very first description readers receive of Brannon, quickly learning that he is very curious. This is seen through his eyes, looking at everyone in his cafe, observing what everyone is doing. Later in the book, he experiences a fascination similar to Singer's, but this time directed towards Mick Kelly. He talks to his employee Harry, asking him about Mick, to which the narrator responds: "Mick Kelly – He felt like his ears had caught fire." He knew he was an idiot. He wanted to turn around and walk away but he stayed there. Smiling and mashing his nose with his thumb.” He has this almost creepy interest in her, to the point where he asks his friends for information about her, letting his curiosity get the best of him. McCullers uses this frustrated tone primarily when writing about Copeland, because he has a lot of frustration with the world around him. One of his biggest frustrations is feeling like no one ever really understands him. After having a conversation with him, he often wonders whether he is understood or not. He wonders: “To what extent was what he said today understood? He remembered the words he had used, and they seemed to fade and lose their force.” The fact that he often feels misunderstood causes him a lot of frustration and also sends him into isolation. He feels like he can never talk to anyone, because no one really understands. This frustration was born from his past, when his children always took their mother's side, never fully understanding the lessons he was trying to teach them. Most of the time he is precise in what he says, but it is this inner struggle within him that makes you believe he will never be understood. He also becomes frustrated when people don't have the same beliefs as him, he thinks: "Dr. Copeland felt the old evil anger within him." The words rose to his throat incoherently and he could not pronounce them.” The frustrated tone used also makes readers almost as angry as Copeland, almost wishing that people understood him and that he just wanted justice for people of color, and that his views were quite similar to modern times. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Throughout the novel, many characters undergo changes. One of..
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