Isolation In Carson Mcculler's The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter

In her debut novel, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers perfectly captures the sense of human isolation. Throughout her book, McCullers masterfully maintains the unrelenting motif of loneliness by providing intimate details of the lives of five different characters. However, despite being stuck in the stifling, soul crushing South, Mick Kelly rises above the recurring theme of disillusionment and burns bright with ambition and emotion. With her passion for music, her sensitivity towards others, and her growing relationship with her family, Mick Kelly gives readers confidence that she will have a hopeful future. Mick Kelly’s devotion to music sets her apart from everyone else in the novel. Mick does not just admire music, music is something that consumes her soul. When she listens to Beethoven for the first time, Mick responds by “hitting her thigh with her fist. She pounded the same muscle with all her strength until the tears came down her face. But she could not feel this hard enough,” (119). Her reaction is full of raw, unadulterated emotion. However, when the book starts to reach an end, Mick Kelly is forced to put her music on hold when she decides to take up a job to help her family, but she refuses to let this mundane job control her dreams. She makes plans to buy a piano, and convinces herself that “she would
Mick does not just sacrifice school, but she is also forced to put her music on hold. It is clear to readers that accepting this job is Mick’s own choice when she says, “I want to take the job. I can hold it down. I know I can,” (317). This is one of the most selfless acts done by anyone in the novel. Mick shows her love for her family, by putting their needs before hers. Mick’s heroic actions convince readers that she still has her family to help her overcome the ever present motif of loneliness in the