How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
The love she felt was so hard that she had to squeeze him to her until her arms were tired. In her mind she thought about Bubber and music together. It was like she could never do anything good enough for them. (2.5.155)
Love, music, Bubber. It's all the same to Mick, and it's all just a little bit beyond her reach. For Mick, love seems painful, like she is always reaching for something, but she can never have it.
Quote #8
The faces of his suffering people moved in a swelling mass before his eyes. And as he steered the automobile slowly down the street his heart turned with this angry, restless love. (2.6.10)
Take that, First Corinthians! So much for "love is patient, love is kind." Here, love is mad, messy and painful.
Quote #9
That was all he wanted for himself – to give to her. Biff's mouth hardened. He had done nothing wrong but in him he felt a strange guilt. Why? The dark guilt in all men, unreckoned and without a name. (2.8.68)
Biff's mouth says it all here, and we're not talking about his words. The fact that his mouth hardens shows his guilt and anxiety. It's as if he is steeling himself against his feelings. This isn't the first time The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter has relied on physical details to show a character's feelings, and it won't be the last, so make sure you look for other moments like this one as well.