Weather
Since The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter is set in the deep South, you're probably thinking there can't be much going on with this symbol aside from the fact that it's hot. And humid. All the time. But t...
Marxism
Jake and Copeland express their dreams for the future through Marxist ideas, highlighting two disenfranchised groups: the nation's poor laborers (like Jake) and individuals in racial minority group...
Music
The Music in MickMusic is absolutely central to Mick's story and it is the strongest symbol of hope, beauty, and love in the novel. How's that for clear cut?Mick's quest for music functions on two...
Mick's Inner Room
Mick's inner room is a metaphor that Mick uses to describe, well, herself. Or her true, inner self at any rate. Mick has basically partitioned off her mind into two sections – there's her outer s...
Shorts
Shorts act as a symbol of Mick's lingering childhood and burgeoning womanhood and sexuality. Who'd have guessed? But Mick herself even seems to realize the important symbolic nature of her choice o...
Alice's Perfume
Biff begins wearing his wife's perfume after her death, and he experiences a rush of sensory memory when he first puts it on:But often he would uncork the bottle of Agua Florida and touch the stopp...
Biff's Newspapers
Biff has one heck of a newspaper collection:Biff shut himself in his room downstairs. This was the place where he kept his files. [...] Huge stacks of newspapers rose up to the ceiling. A homemade...
Merry-Go-Round
Let's face it, Jake's workplace is super creepy: The motionless wooden horses were fantastic in the late afternoon sun. They pranced up statically, pierced by their dull gilt bars. The horse neares...
Singer's Hands
Singer's hands are pretty stinkin' impressive: they produce art, words, and deep human connection:His hands shaped the words in a swift series of designs. His face was eager and his gray-green eyes...