Key Facts
title ·
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
author · Carson McCullers
type of work · Novel
genre · Southern realism; coming-of-age novel
language · English
time and place written · 1937–1940; New York City and Charlotte
date of first publication · 1940
publisher · Houghton Mifflin Co.
narrator · An anonymous third person narrator
point of view · Third person omniscient
tone · Varies depending on which character is the focus of that part of the narrative (Singer is calm, Mick is childish and excitable, Jake is ranting; Dr. Copeland is precise yet angry; Biff is thoughtful and somewhat jumbled
tense · Immediate past
setting (time) · Spring 1938–August 1939
setting (place) · An unnamed town in the middle of the Deep South
protagonists · John Singer, Mick Kelly, Biff Brannon, Dr. Copeland, and Jake Blount
major conflict · The characters' hopes and ambitions are stymied by life's circumstances and each character's individual flaws
climax · John Singer's suicide
falling action · Dr. Copeland's move to Grandpapa's house; Jake's departure; Mick's thoughts about Mr. Singer at the New York Café; Biff's thoughts about Mr. Singer at the café late at night
themes · Man's struggle against isolation; religion as self-delusion; heroism; man's search for connection and redemption; society's repression of the individual
motifs · Dreams
symbols · John Singer; Mick's violin
foreshadowing · Violence is foreshadowed at several points in the narrative
