5。 Conclusion 15

References 16

1。 Introduction

In this part, Carson McCullers’ life and her book The Heart is a Lonely Hunter will be discussed; the literature at home and abroad and the structure of this thesis will also be included。

1。1 An Introduction to Carson McCullersFrom优T尔K论M文L网wWw.YouERw.com 加QQ75201^8766

Carson McCullers, one of the most significant American female writers of the 20th century, was notable for her exploration of themes involving the solitary human being, and the living state of the Southern American woman。 The latter has a much more applicable significance, and the publication of her first novel The Heart is a Lonely Hunter also refers to it。

McCullers was born in 1917 on the 17th of February in Columbia, and grew up in a middle-class family that owned a clock shop。 Since her early years, she was smart and very ambitious to improve her financial and social state。 At the age of five, she declared to one of her friends, whose family was richer than hers, that she would be very rich and famous someday。 When she was nine years old, she began to study the piano and practiced around 9 hours each day; this lasted for eight years。 However, several years later, she gave up her dream of becoming a musician because her piano teacher had moved away。 In a time of serious rheumatic fever, she later received a typewriter, which she used to write and act out screenplays for her friends and relatives。 Around the same time, she wrote her first short novel The Idiot, but failed to sell it。

In 1935, she left her hometown for New York and began her literary career there。 The atmosphere of New York, a place filled with countless ideas and values, inspired her to realize that her whole life’s mission was not music, but writing。 She wanted to share her ideas with the world。 So, she began to study philosophy, psychology and novel writing。 She took part in a writing class in New York University and was encouraged by the teacher to submit her stories for publication。 In 1936, McCullers began to block out a novel named The Mute, and later published it in the name of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter; this became one of her most famous masterpieces。 Her other important works, by the names of Reflections in A Golden Eye in 1941, The Ballad of the Sad Café in 1943, and The Member of the Wedding in 1964, were also highly appreciated by both critics and readers。 

In the early 1950s, McCullers and her husband Reeves spent their final days in Europe。 However, their relationship gradually worsened and Reeves killed himself in 1953。 McCullers became sick for a long period of time after his death and had slowed down her production of literary works。 Under her hard condition, she finished her last novel Clock without Hands in 1961。 Several years later, in 1967, America lost this lonely hunter forever, with the unfinished autobiography Illumination and Night Glare。

1。2 An Introduction to The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is McCullers’ greatest work and established her literary reputation。 It ranked the 17th on the list of "The 100 Best English-Language Novels of the 20th Century" by the Modern Library in 1998。 

The novel is set in a small Southern town in the 1930s and closely follows the relationships between a deaf man named John Singer and other four main characters: Mick Kelly, a tomboy adolescent, Jake Blount, a union agitator, Doctor Benedict Mady Copeland, a black doctor, and Biff Brannon, the owner of a local Café。 

Parallels in the characteristics of these four main characters are seen through their insulated lifestyle and inability to communicate。 They all experience a hidden passion and will to live, but are driven to sorrow by their experiences and forget these passions。 Mick Kelly has great passion for music。 Music is all around her and she can hear the sound coming from the radio, nature or just her mind。 However, poverty and a series of disastrous events turn her into a numb woman who forgets her dream。 Jake is a passion worker, who takes on the mission of broadcasting Marxism。 Unfortunately, his words are regarded as crazy speech, which leads him to drink daily and eventually leave the town in desperation。 Mady is a black doctor who hopes to save his compatriot through his own endeavors。 However, as the reality becomes worse and worse and Mady’s situation cannot be understood by others, it ends in failure。 Biff cannot communicate with his wife。 When she dies he does not feel sorrow, but instead, some kind of relaxation and deep loneliness。 In this time, he realizes that there is a feminine tendency to his mind。 This abnormal psychology leads him to be a spectator in life。 These characters are brought together in their relationship with Singer as their confidant。 He is almost regarded as their spiritual sustenance, though he cannot understand them and only cares about his partner Anthony Paros。 Singer’s presence in their lives marginally helps each character, and Singer’s suicide at the end of the novel gives a shock to each character。论文网