The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
The Heart is a Lonely HunterThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is set in a small Southern town in the late 1950’s about characters who are lonely and rejected. Their lives intertwine in a search for friendship and understanding. These characters all encounter a deaf-mute man, and all in good time, call him a dummy and treat him with prejudice. However, once they get to know him, they all find solace in his company. Many of the characters have a need to be understood, however; none of them ever truly are.
Prejudice was an ongoing problem in the late 1950s, so most of he people were intolerant and discriminatory to people who were unalike themselves; included in this group are the characters who turn to Singer for help. When they first encounter Mr. Singer, they blatantly display their feelings of prejudice. When Jake Blount first realized he was deaf-mute, he stated, “I didn’t know you was a dummy, and all this time I though you were a good listener. Wow, I must have really been drunk.” Prejudice also comes from a well-educated doctor, who says to him, “I’m glad you can’t talk”, and other prejudiced comments.
One of the characters in the novel, Jake Blount, searches for a sympathetic ear. He appears in a cafe drunk and rowdy talking to everyone and no one. He constantly talks to everyone hoping someone will take the time to really listen and understand. His words come out as though a dam inside him had broken. Ironically, the one he thinks understands him is a deaf-mute named John Singer. Singer, ignorant to what is going on, is the only one who treats Jake with respect and dignity.
Racial discrimination was also a large problem during this time period. The unfair situation of a black man in the 1950’s is exemplified in this book by a character named Dr. Copeland. Dr. Copeland endured the racism and injustice that was widespread practices across the United States, especially in the South. Although this black physician did not hold a great deal of respect for the whites much, he saw something good and decent in John Singer. Realizing that both society and government had turned their backs on his people, Dr. Copeland looked to a...
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