On The Theme Of Loneliness In The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter

Carson McCullers is an American woman writer in the 1940s. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter is one of her most representative novels. The characters in this novel share a common feature: loneliness. In China, few works have studied this novel. This thesis analyzes the theme of loneliness in this novel by employing Erich Fromm’s Neo-Psychoanalytic theory.First, this thesis analyzes the manifestation of loneliness through the pyramid structure. By narrating the mute Singer’s dream, it educes the pyramid structure of loneliness, and clarifies every character’s status in this pyramid; then it discusses the characteristics of the core character Singer and explains how he becomes the“God”in the hearts of the other four people; finally it chooses Mick and Copeland as representatives to present the loneliness of the captive crowd in the low layer of the pyramid, pointing out each of them has his dream, but each is lonely.Next, this thesis probes into the causes of loneliness. On the one hand, McCullers’s personal experience of loneliness influences the creation of this novel. The strict family education, the chronic diseases and the painful love keep McCullers in the mood of loneliness,which in turn becomes the source of the loneliness of the novel; on the other hand, the social environment and individual behavior in that period affect the psychology of characters. The death of god, the breakdown in communication, the loss of identity and the inability of love result in the characters’deep loneliness.At last, it explores the ways to escape from loneliness, including alcoholism, sadism and masochism, and music. However, alcoholism can only temporarily paralyze the feeling of loneliness, sadism and masochism lead to disorientation, making people feel lonelier; music can merely relieve the loneliness on the surface. It demonstrates that in the 20th century, the social mentality of loneliness in America is inevitable, and all the efforts to avoid loneliness are in vain.