The Heart is a Lonely Hunter-Loneliness

            In The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, it is shown that loneliness is more than just a physical pain. It can be felt by one who is in a room with several people, or by one who has many friends. Sometimes it can even lead to extreme depression and can cause one to want to end their life. For example, Mick is living with her family in a house full people. She is surrounded by people every day. She has friends and a family and several boarders to keep her company, yet she still has no one to confide in. She feels like there is something inside of her trying to escape and she wants to tell someone but has no one, except for Mr. Singer who we find out later has some of these feelings of his own. She has no one to love and just when she thinks she has Harry to care about, he leaves her. This is similar to Biff's situation. Biff loved his wife. He cared for her very much. When she died, he was upset but didn't really show it. He redecorated his bedroom the way he had wanted it. He did things his way and just when you would think that he was over her, he'd spray himself with her perfume. He misses her but hides it so well. Mr. Singer also hides his loneliness well but not on purpose. Mr. Singer is a deaf man who cannot let anyone know how he feels. He hides behind his silent smile as everyone around him confides in him, asking his advice and not even realizing that he is fighting a mental battle of his own. After Antonopolis leaves, Mr. Singer feels he has no one to care for. He moves into the boarding house and although he is bombarded with "friends" every day, he still has no one that he really cares for. He is alone and no one seems to realize it. Finally, the pain becomes too much and he ends his life. His case was an extreme one in this emotion.