![]() ![]() ![]() The loss of Antonapoulous forces Singer to associate with a world he doesn’t understand and does not wish to understand. As such, John Singer is introduced to us in sadness and tragedy. Singer holds these memories close, often mentioning minute details such as clothing or jewellery in his recounting. He is also shown to be a tragic character, losing his only friend early on in the novel, and staying in the same apartment, haunted by memories of his Greek friend. Through this, Singer is quickly shown to be a kind man, desperate to have human contact of some kind that he can communicate with. The Greek is taken away to a mental asylum, despite Singer’s efforts to keep Antonapoulous with him. ![]() However, Antonapoulous becomes mentally ill, and Singer desperately tries to keep hold of his friend, to no avail. Singer begins the novel with only one friend – another deaf/mute named Spiros Antonapoulous, with whom he lives. McCullers courageous use of a character unable to verbally express emotion, or even thoughts, is perhaps the best feature of this debut novel. ![]() Yet one feature of this novel is the main character: John Singer, a deaf man who is also mute. The stylish building of a world, the language that paints a picture so simply and yet so beautifully, and the almost incarnate characters. Carson McCullers’ tale of life in the deprived Deep South, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, published in 1940, is deserving of praise for many reasons. ![]()
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