The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

Carson McCullers is one of the most prominent authors of the Southern Gothic genre; other practitioners include Flannery O’Connor and William Faulkner. The Southern Gothic—a genre that evolved from 19th century Gothic literature—typically features emotional and psychological disturbances, which are reflected in uncomfortable scenarios and settings: “Characteristics of Southern Gothic include the presence of irrational, horrific, and transgressive thoughts, desires, and impulses; grotesque characters; dark humor, and an overall angst-ridden sense of alienation” (Bjerre, Thomas Aervold. “Southern Gothic Literature.” Oxford Research Encyclopedias, 28 June 2017). 

McCullers found success as a writer at an early age, publishing her first short story, “Wunderkind,” at the age of 17 and her first novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, in her early twenties. Drawing on her own experiences of alienation, McCullers made loneliness, particularly in love, a central theme in her writing. In the collection The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories, many characters grapple with feeling alone, even when in a romantic relationship. From the love triangle in “The Ballad of the Sad Café” to the married couple in “A Domestic Dilemma,” characters struggle to connect with each other. As a result, McCullers’s characters contend with angst over their isolation.

A key trope of Southern Gothic literature is the manifestation of identity and emotions in a person’s physical form. This relationship between the body and emotional identity is particularly apparent in “The Ballad of the Sad Café.” Miss Amelia’s strength and stature reflect her confidence in her independence. Meanwhile, McCullers often describes Marvin Macy, a morally corrupt individual, as slimy and physically unsettling because he never sweats, even in the Southern heat. Finally, Cousin Lymon depends on others for entertainment, just as the disability created by his spine curvature requires physical support from Miss Amelia, who carries and cares for him.

Another Southern Gothic genre feature is the strange and uncanny. McCullers embraces the destabilizing and possibly off-putting effect of this atmosphere, creating characters and relationships that feature eccentricity, incompatibility, and disturbance. Even though characters may be in love and share close physical space, there is a sense of disconnection and unknowability between them. For many, feelings are not reciprocated, while others feel competing emotions that make love challenging.

The Southern Gothic often includes elements of the supernatural, fantastical, or otherwise irrational. In this collection, McCullers plays into this trope by transforming small, mundane moments into hugely transformative phenomena. In “The Sojourner,” an afternoon with his ex-wife prompts the protagonist to change the trajectory of his life, scared by the process of aging without love. At the same time, unusual situations build to unexpected and over-the-top scenes of the grotesque. In “The Ballad of the Sad Café,” a love triangle results in a desperate but also slapstick fistfight that plays out like a dark comedy. Losing the fight drives Miss Amelia into isolation. In turn, without her café, the small, rural town loses the sense of purpose that the café instilled in the townspeople.