Thursday, September 29, 2011

_Heart is a Lonely Hunter_ Day Five

Please post your (possibly) character-based questions and comments below. In the spirit of Thursday's close reading exercises, I encourage you to isolate a passage for deeper analysis by the class.

14 comments:

  1. By talking about Willie's sudden tragedy, is it hinting at the author's cruelty? And what is the purpose of creating such mishap to a character? is it to help readers understand other characters by seeing how they reponse to the tragedy?

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  2. Biff is becoming more and more pensive. He wonders why he would start to use Alice's hair treatment. He ponders the meaning of life. He wonders why Blount is the way he is and tries to get some answers out of him. He thinks about Singer's past with the Greek. Why does Biff ask himself such questions, and why now?

    -Fanny Du

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  3. Singer's dream (217) depicts Copeland, Blount, Biff, and Mick kneeling before Singer, who is in turn kneeling before Antonapoulos. Does this make Singer a kind of god and Antonapoulos an even higher deity? What is the significance of the crowd of people in the darkness?

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  4. Why is it that only the rich own radios? Why are the poor prohibited from hearing the music? Why does Mick have to essentially "steal" music until Singer gets a radio?

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  5. Singer is a paradoxical man, he uses neither his tongue nor his hands to talk to anyone other than Antonapoulos, yet he readily uses his hands to write notes to others or engraves calligraphy. How does this relate to his personality in terms of what he reveals or hides?

    -Jesse Chang

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  6. ^a particular passage in which this can be applied is p206, where his hands are discussed.

    -Jesse Chang

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  7. "Why, for instance, did Singer go away on the train and, when he was asked where he had been, pretend that he did not understand the question? And why did everyone persist in thinking the mute was exactly as they wanted him to be —when most likely it was all a very queer mistake?" Biff ponders about why everyone pictures Singer as whoever they would like to. What do you think is the answer to the questions Biff poses?

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  8. Singer has become everyone's blank page - "the rich thought that he was rich and the poor considered him a poor man like themselves - Singer becomes "something" that people want to believe in. But Singer lets his silence speak to each person differently, while with Antonapoulus he talks with "frantic haste" (222). Is Antonapoulus Singer's blank page? Is he someone that he believes in, or does he find the same meaningful understanding in Antonapoulus' silence as others find in him? If so, why is there such a contrast between Singer and Antonapoulus when they represent the same thing?

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  9. Could it be that since Singer does not have a physical voice, that other characters project their own imagined voice for Singer while they interact with him? Is Singer a blank slate that people fill with their own problems?

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  10. On page 206 where Singer mentions that he already knows what the people will say before they say it, and when he stops taking care of his hands, does this symbolize Singer giving up on communication?

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  11. On page 200, McCullers describes the how everyone wants Singer to be related to themselves, the Jews, Turk and country man. What is the significance in these different people being able to identify with one thing, one man? These people do not necessarily interact with Singer, yet they identify so closely with him, why is this so?

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  12. What is McCullers' message in the story relating to alcohol? We see that Jake Blount relies on alcohol to articulate his thoughts, and that Antonapoulos' love for alcohol is the cause of his problems. And yet we see that Singer, the Christ-like figure, finds it very difficult to "give up cigarettes, beer, and meat for one month" (175)...

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  13. There are many religious references throughout the book. How does religion play a role in each character?

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  14. When singer converses with others and is told stories, does he share relate to experiences with Antonapoulos or does he daydream alone?

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