The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Publication Details
Type:
Book
Publisher:
Houghton Mifflin
Published:
1940
Reading Details
Pages:
308
Reading History
1st read
May 5, 2026
Lawrence, Kansas, (US)
Highlights
First Paragraph:
Notes/Quotes
In the town there were two mutes, and they were always together. Early every morning they would come out from the house where they lived and walk arm in arm down the street to work. The two friends were very different. The one who always steered the way was an obese and dreamy Greek. In the summer he would come out wearing a yellow or green polo shirt stuffed sloppily into his trousers in front and hanging loose behind. When it was colder he wore over this a shapeless gray sweater. His face was round and oily, with half-closed eyelids and lips that curved in a gentle, stupid smile. The other mute was tall. His eyes had a quick, intelligent expression. He was always immaculate and very soberly dressed.
Main themes:
- Longing
- Mis-perception of the other
- The size of human emotion vs our ability to process it