The Heart is a Lonely Hunter: Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

In an unnamed mill town in the Deep South live two men—both of them are deaf and mute, and they are constant companions. One of the men is a large, stout Greek man named Spiros Antonapoulos. The other is a tall, reserved, well-dressed man named John Singer. Every day, Singer and Antonapoulos walk arm-in-arm to Main Street, where their jobs are.  Antonapoulos works for his cousin, who owns a fruit and candy store, while Singer works across the street as a silverware engraver.

Though Singer talks expressively and frequently to Antonapoulos using sign language, Antonapoulos rarely uses his hands to speak at all—and when he does, he uses “vague, fumbling signs” and communicates only his most basic needs. The two of them share a small upstairs apartment in town. Antonapoulos sleeps in a large, plush bed while Singer sleeps in a plain narrow cot; the two of them share a bedroom. Antonapoulos does the cooking and Singer does the cleaning, and some nights, the two men play chess together, though Singer enjoys the game much more than Antonapoulos does. Antonapoulos sometimes steals candy from his cousin’s store, which makes Singer uncomfortable.

After 10 years spent together living in the mill town in this way, Singer and Antonapoulos are in their early 30s. Though many of the mill workers in town are poor, desperate, and hungry, Singer and Antonapoulos are doing well for themselves. One day, Antonapoulos falls suddenly ill. His doctor orders him to stop drinking, and though Singer urges Antonapoulos to follow the doctor’s orders, Antonapoulos becomes “sulky” and distant. Even after the illness passes, Antonapoulos is a changed man—he is irritable and restless and begins disrupting his and Singer’s carefully-planned schedule by going out drinking each night. He often steals from bars and restaurants, and Singer pays for the things Antonapoulos takes.

Antonapoulos’s state worsens and he begins getting in trouble with the law. Singer tries to remain patient, but finds himself under a lot of stress as he spends his savings constantly bailing Antonapoulos out of jail. Antonapoulos’s cousin, who has changed his name from his original Greek name to Charlie Parker, is unhelpful. Soon, all of Singer’s savings are depleted, yet Antonapoulos continues acting out.

One afternoon, Charlie Parker hands Singer a letter informing Singer that Parker is placing Antonapoulos in the state asylum 200 miles from town. Singer is distressed. He writes a note on the pad he keeps in his pocket for communicating with others, explaining that he wants Antonapoulos to stay. Parker insists, however, that Antonapoulos must go away. Singer knows there is nothing he can do, and, over the course of the week, prepares for Antonapoulos’s departure. He talks to his companion with his hands nonstop, hoping to express “all the thoughts that [have] ever been in his mind and heart.”  On the day of Antonapoulos’s departure, Singer brings him to the bus station to meet Parker. Antonapoulos hardly pays attention as Singer bids him goodbye.

The next few weeks pass in a blur. Singer, painfully lonely, tries to comfort himself with memories of his life before Antonapoulos. He recalls his youth in Chicago, reflecting on his struggles to speak due to self-consciousness about his voice. Singer begins sleeping more and more, and soon finds his life full of vivid “half-dreams” about Antonapoulos.

As winter turns to spring, Singer tries to change his routine. He begins taking long walks in the evenings and sleeping only a few hours each night. He starts eating his meals at the New York Café, a bar and restaurant two blocks from his home. On his first visit to the café, he hands the proprietor, Biff Brannon, a piece of paper describing the kinds of things he likes to eat for each meal and the prices he’s able to pay. Brannon nods in agreement, and from then on, Singer eats at the café three times each day. As spring warms and turns to summer, Singer’s agitation gives way to a kind of calm—but he continues his long, lonely walks through town each evening.