The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Carson McCullers' first novel, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, was published in 1940, the year McCullers reached the ripe old age of twenty-three. Her talent was obvious right from the outset and was perhaps at its absolute height in Hunter. Her readers are thankful for this because her short, unhealthy and eventful personal life ended at the age of fifty.
Sadly, any current reading of Hunter probably comes about in one of two ways: 1) being included on the reading list of an American Lit. course, or 2) being a selection for a reading club (sadder still if it happens to be Oprah's). My reading came as the result of a reading club selection. Its effect on individuals was mixed, but on the group was remarkable; it led to the longest, most sustained discussion we have ever had covering setting, characters, themes and artistry.
Consider the setting. For McCullers, it is real time, her time; for today's reader, it is real time, her time, the time between two world wars with nascent ideologies of communism and fascism; for both author and reader a time full of dread and promise. Add to the era, the locale: the southern United States where rich and poor, black and white inhabited the same world but with a forced tolerance which bred resentment. All of these issues are addressed in Hunter, and handled with the care and concern of a much older woman, with an ideology certainly, but one tempered and shaped by the heart. They are explored through the struggles and the dreams of the novel's major characters.
Biff, the bar owner, cares deeply for his customers, seems to know more about them than they do themselves, but try as he may cannot connect with them. Jake, the drunk, cares for his fellow man, but seems more interested in leading him against his oppressors than in bettering his cause. That's why he and Dr. Copeland cannot get past their differences to work together in the cause of justice for the common man. While the former is out for revenge, the latter only seeks fairness for those of his race. Mick, a girl in early adolescence, facing the ordinary but difficult challenges of the typical teenager is further tested by the demands of her artistic interests. All these people, lacking in self understanding think they have found approval for their thoughts and feelings in their conversations with the novel's deaf mute who is unwittingly the foil, the sounding board for them all. His reassuring smile, his perfect hospitality and his silent (therefore unnoticed) confusion when presented with their problems and questions are always interpreted as his affirmation of their intentions. A lonely heart in search of a soul mate sometimes settles for a less than perfect match.
The themes, the essential loneliness of individuals, the pitting of capitalism against communism, the value of artistic expression and appreciation are given thoughtful treatment in this novel.
And lest readers think that the novel is nothing more than a political treatise (given the serious themes listed above), it is much more than this. It is a powerful novel that draws the reader into caring about the problems the characters face and into feeling their frustration. I have never shared an experience nor the emotions of a character to the same degree as I did when Mick listened to a radio broadcast of a Beethoven concert outside the window of a neighbour's house. And I shared the rage felt by Jake and Dr. Copeland. Only good writing captures a reader in this way.
Good book? Worth reading? No question. Buy it; read it; it's an experience not to be missed.