The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

“These cotton mills were big and flourishing and most of the workers in the town were poor. Often in the faces along the streets there was the desperate look of hunger and loneliness.”

This quote characterizes the setting of the novel as a typical Southern town in which cotton mills draw in workers who ultimately remain impoverished. The hunger and loneliness in the streets described here are due to the destructive nature of capitalism, in which people can work hard and receive very little in return. It also establishes that the town itself is lonely, as are McCullers’s characters.

“He was like a man who had served a term in prison or had been to Harvard College or had lived for a long time with foreigners in South America. He was like a person who had been somewhere that other people are not likely to go or had done something that others are not apt to do.”

In this quote, Jake is characterized by his unknowability: There is a mystery about Jake that intrigues other people. He is both crass and intellectual, intelligent and irresponsible. It’s hard to put Jake’s character in a box as so many other characters in this novel are characterized by their society. Jake’s characterization is that of an outsider, which makes him a loner in town. This passage foreshadows revelations of Jake’s past and sets him up to be at odds with the people around him.

“She spread out her arms like wings. This was the place where everybody wanted to stand. The very top. But not many kids could do it. Most of them were scared, for if you lost your grip and rolled off the edge it would kill you.”

In this quote, McCullers characterizes Mick as courageous and ambitious. Mick takes risks that other children will not, thus demonstrating her courage. The symbolism of her wishing to be on top of her town shows her ambition.