The Heart is a Lonely Hunter Dissatisfaction Quotes

Poverty is a huge source of dissatisfaction and regret in the novel. Here, Mick's dad feels frustrated with himself, not because he is poor, but because he never manages to lift himself and his family out of that poverty.

She may sound like a bratty kid here, but she wants more than a mere lollipop or stuffed toy. Mick desires. And desire is something that runs much deeper than want. What she desires is a better life. So when Mick's sister's accuse her of being selfish earlier in this chapter, we realize that that selfishness might not be such a bad thing. It motivates her to make bolder choices. At least it does for a while.

This scene highlights the huge gap between the rich and the poor in this town, and it's a gap Mick doesn't seem able to close. All she wants is a radio, but she's forced to listen to the radios of others in secret – a cruel reminder of her own frustrating poverty.

One of the huge dissatisfactions of Biff's life is his lack of children, which might partially explain why he is so drawn to Mick. In Biff we have a character grappling with loss and regret. How can he come to terms with a dream that will never come true?

In her music lessons, Mick is getting something she wants, but it isn't quite enough for her. This girl needs Julliard, not Delores.

Copeland has placed himself between a rock and a hard place here, ensuring that he'll never be content. He desperately wants to speak, but he's so convinced that they won't listen that he can't bring himself to speak, or won't bring himself to speak. It's no mistake that the man has tuberculosis, a disease of the lungs. The words he keeps locked up inside him just might feel like an illness. He can't find the power in his chest to speak out.

This town is seriously down on its luck, so it's no wonder that people are lonely, restless, and ready for change. But that change won't come if they keep being idle. So one way they cope with their new, frustrating situation is by turning to new beliefs. Perhaps they can find satisfaction in changing the way they see the world.

It's rather fitting that Jake finds peace with Singer on Sunday, the day of rest. It's as if Singer is some sort of holy figure for Jake, and his times with Singer provide some of the few times when Jake can relax. But we can't help thinking that he is not experiencing true satisfaction in this friendship. After all, he can never truly know Singer. He has only his idea of the man.

What we've got here is a failure to communicate. The falling out between Copeland and Jake really highlights the novel's idea that people can never truly fulfill each other – that comes from within. Copeland and Jake seek solace in each other, and common ground. But they can never find it because they don't actually listen to each other.

Mick's life is a long series of disappointments, and her job at the store is most disappointing of all. That job can never fulfill a musicmaker like Mick, but she takes it to lift herself and her family out of poverty, which has been a source of frustration for them for the whole novel. Here, she is caught between satisfying her need for money and satisfying her need for fulfillment.