The Heart is a Lonely Hunter: Part 2, Chapter 14 Summary & Analysis

Mick has recently found herself disconnected from her “inside room”—she feels the need to be busy and around people all the time to avoid the fear that comes over her when she’s alone. Mick takes to following Singer throughout town whenever he goes out—but keeps as much of a distance from him as she can so that he doesn’t know she’s behind him. She also tries to keep her visits with Singer in his room to twice a week, to make sure he doesn’t get tired of her.

Things in the Kelly house are unstable and uncertain—the family is strapped for cash due to their arrangement with Lucile Wilson, and on top of it all, the sickly Etta isn’t able to work. Mr. Kelly tries advertising his watch repair skills by putting signs up around town, but the extra publicity doesn’t do a thing for business. Mick does her best to forget about Harry. When he writes her a postcard, as he promised he would, she responds with a simple “O.K.”

One of the boarders moves out, and Bill takes the man’s room. Mick, who has been sleeping on the couch, moves into George’s room, but still has trouble sleeping. She lies awake half the night most nights, full of terrible fears about calamity befalling her family. Because of her nighttime fears, Mick tries to keep George awake with her by talking to him and playing games with him. After George falls asleep, she tries to distract herself by doing math in her head. She wonders if Singer has ever felt the same fears she has, and she wishes she could talk with him about her frightening new feelings.

One night in June, Hazel announces that she’s heard about a job opportunity at Woolworth’s. Hazel asks Mick if she’s interested. Mr. Kelly answers for her, explaining that Mick is too young to work—she needs to stay in school and finish growing. Hazel agrees that the question was impractical—Mick shouldn’t go to work. Mick, however, asks how much the job pays a week. When Hazel tells her it pays ten dollars, Mick becomes determined to take the job. In spite of her father’s initial hesitation, as soon as Mick says she wants the job, her parents both explode in happy laughter. That night, Mick waits on the porch for Singer to come home so that she can talk to him about the job, but after waiting several hours, she gives up and goes inside.

The next day, Hazel and Etta loan Mick some nice clothes and get her all made up for the interview at Woolworth’s. They pluck her eyebrows and rouge her cheeks, and by the time they’re done, Mick thinks she looks at least 16. As Mick waits for Hazel to take her down to the store, she wanders upstairs to Singer’s room. She doesn’t want to take the job anymore, but has come to realize how much her parents are counting on her to do so. She hurriedly explains the opportunity to Singer and asks him if she should take the job. He doesn’t answer her right away, but after a second, he nods. Mick and Hazel go to Woolworth’s, and, after a brief interview, Mick is hired.