“The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” by Carson McCullers

I first read this book in my teens after finding it in the local library and I was absolutely enamoured with it. I fell in love with the book almost immediately and there was something incredibly inspiring about it. Carson McCullers is an incredible writer and her style of prose has always been so emotionally driven that she is possibly one of my favourite writers of all time. My first reading experience of this book was sublime. I didn’t need anyone to tell me to read it or recommend it to me, I found it and it was well worth the find. I felt like I’d stumbled across a goldmine. It totally changed my opinion of American Literature, I realised that there was a whole world out there I hadn’t read yet and that Carson McCullers was one of the authors who started the process for me. You would not believe how happy I was.

My favourite character in the book is John Singer, the mute. It is known that he was able to talk once but in the book he’s known primarily for being a mute. He’s also a deaf man who is friends with a guy called Spiros. They aren’t really that lonely because there’s other characters, but they seem to rely extensively on each other - it’s like a strange brotherhood which wasn’t meant to be but is and now we just have to see where it goes. The thing that makes John Singer great is his strangeness and the way he stands out from other characters. When he’s being described, you kind of know that yes, this is the main character - you don’t think he’s supplementary because he wouldn’t be so unusual in the way he carries himself. He seems mostly unable to overly express anything - his emotional skills lack and the way he is described always has this undertone of sadness and tragedy. It’s just incredible. His greatest fault though is that his inability makes it almost impossible for the reader to know everything about him - this adds to the mystery. No matter what the reader wants, the character cannot give too much away and so, we don’t really know exactly who John Singer is. I think John Singer represents the need for quiet contemplation in changing circumstances. He’s deaf and a mute - so his quiet contemplation will be unblemished by the opinions of others. He’s a man that represents a need in a changing state, but he also represents the requirement to not overly emote everything. As emotional as the story may be, John Singer must reserve himself somewhat.

A key theme in the book is separation. When Singer and his friend, Spiros, are separated and Spiros is placed in an asylum it shows you just how strange and different things are for Singer who was almost exclusively spending time with Spiros. It becomes almost unbearable to watch this man as he attempts to make a life for himself in a new room whilst his best friend is sitting in an asylum having mental breakdowns. The theme entails a ton of things about brotherhood, friendship and the way in which we treat each other and the characters play out the theme as a general part of their lives as if they knew someday that it was going to happen. I believe that this theme is used to show how Singer requires that quiet contemplation in the time of change. When he moves to his new room after Spiros is taken away, he becomes quiet physically as well - almost invisible. It’s like watching someone disappear. It really does impact the way you read the book because it is the first of the major changes that the characters encounter. It is a beautifully written tragic section of an amazing book.

This book means a lot to me not only because it widened my scope on American Literature but also because I’ve read it a few times over the years and even re-read it in the last year or so. It’s always been a go-to if I want to read something that is particularly difficult to understand as I can’t really relate to the main character that much. As distant as I feel in character from John Singer, I can still feel his emotions with him and it just lets you connect with someone that you can’t normally connect with. Through my re-readings of the book I have come to realise that John Singer can be a problematic character but he is also someone with a lot of will, it’s like reading into his soul and not being able to find the origin of his friendship with Spiros. It’s a brotherhood that is forged on the essential thing they have in common and that is the best thing about the book.

I think far more people should give this book a chance. In fact, I don’t know enough people who read Carson McCullers in the first place. Her books are incredible including “Ballad of the Sad Cafe” and one of my favourites, “Member of the Wedding”. But I think that people still read “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” not just because of the movie, but because it is emotionally heart-wrenching and yet, it is quite short. When I re-read this book, I’m going to be investigating the way in which Carson McCullers displays Spiros as a man to be both pitied and feared.