John is the protagonist of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. He is an engraver who works at a jewelry store and is one of the only men who is deaf in his community. John spends his free time with his best friend Spiros until Spiros is committed to a psychiatric hospital and John finds himself alone in a community that is obsessed with their own hopes and fears. John is unique as a protagonist because he does not act as much as he is acted upon by other characters. In his search for companionship, he allows others to use him as their sounding board and does not do anything to set personal boundaries or assert his views, which he could do through writing or speaking: He is deaf from birth, and though he can speak, he often chooses not to, which further complicates his character as someone who yearns to be understood but does not take advantage of the abilities he has to communicate.

Because John is passive, people project contrasting ideas onto him: He is judged for his deafness but also celebrated as a wise man. Because he nods along to whatever anyone says, his interlocutors assume he is like them.