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Heart Is A Lonely Hunter Essay

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The battle between an individual and their inner self is widely depicted throughout different genres and distinct times in history. In The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, a novel written by Carson McCullers, the battle proves to be a major issue which multiple characters deal with. The main character, a deaf-mute named John Singer, comes into a town where the story takes place and ends up becoming a counselor-like figure who the residents confided in frequently, but all of the residents decided to reveal parts of their lives separately. An underlying theme is that despite Singer helping those around him dealing with their problems, he never discloses the fact that he is also dealing with his own issues, meaning that he projects a different person to others than …show more content…

This begins to take a toll on Singer, and after visiting the town where he and Anastopoulos lived, Singer thought of Anastopoulos stuck in the asylum, but despite trying to remember of the room that Anastopoulos was in tonight, “that room would not become clear in his mind. The emptiness was very deep inside of him” (McCullers 208) The diction in this quote indicates how by coming back to the town where he and Anastopoulos lived, and by reliving their memories there, it intensifies Singer’s battle with his inner self. Words such as “The emptiness was very deep inside of him” reveal how Singer has been affected negatively by coming back to his old town. McCullers references that the emptiness is deep inside of him to convey that his inner self realizes that Anastopoulos has done more harm than good, but Singer refuses to accept it and continues to fight his inner self. After the fight between Singer and his inner self worsens, he decides to return back to the town so he can further help the residents, and further conform to social expectations by trying his best to think about and focus on the issues that the townspeople are

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