Heart is a Lonely Hunter Response

"She looked around and saw she was near this house where she had gone so many times in the summer. Her feet had just taken her here without knowing. When she came to the house she waited to be sure no person could see. Then went through the side yard. The radio was on as usual." (McCullers, 117)

This quote is an example of how Mick is drawn to music. The idea that you can be drawn to something or someone inexplicably is seen throughout the novel, for Mick it was music, but for many of the characters it was Mr. Singer. This quote is also loaded with imagery that allows the reader to feel how Mick feels as she finds herself in an unexpected, but safe place where she experiences her relationship with music. I feel like these themes of music, being drawn to safe places, and also having secret places to think or go to, are seen throughout the novel for many different characters. Also, these themes are very reflective of American society, music has been a major part of American life from the fifes being played on battlefields during the American Revolution, to the rock'n'roll era of the 1960s, to the current styles of music. Mick is an example of how McCullers brought this theme from the larger society, and from her own passion for piano, into the novel and brought to life one of its central characters. This quote also relates to secret places, such as, Mick's inside and outside rooms, and how these places we all have are there when a place for comfort, and introspection is needed.

Samantha Smiley