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Chapter 12
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Miss Lonelyhearts, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Religion and Morality in Modern Society
The Illusion of the American Dream
The Limitations of Love
Isolation and Madness
Summary
Analysis
For three days, Miss Lonelyhearts sleeps, having vivid dreams that his bed is taking him elsewhere. One day, he manages to get out of bed, goes to the train station naked, and runs into Shrike, who tells him to put on pants because they’re going to a party at Shrike’s apartment. At the party, Shrike introduces a game he’s invented, giving everyone a letter written to Miss Lonelyhearts. So calm that he feels like a rock, Miss Lonelyhearts sees Betty at the party and follows her when she leaves. With Miss Lonelyhearts gone, Shrike reads aloud the letter that he left behind: an angered Mr. Doyle promises Miss Lonelyhearts that he’ll avenge the injured Mrs. Doyle, who said that Miss Lonelyhearts tried to rape her.
Following his three days of sleep, Miss Lonelyhearts undergoes yet another transformation in which he transitions from being overly burdened by the emotions of those around him to feeling as calm as a rock. This three-day period may allude to the three days that passed between Jesus’s death and resurrection in the Bible, drawing a comparison between Miss Lonelyhearts and Jesus Christ. However, unlike Jesus, who comes back to life after his three days, Mr. Doyle’s letter suggests that a far more sinister outcome awaits Miss Lonelyhearts.
Themes
