The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Lesson Plan

Before he leaves town, Harry tells Mick to wait and then send him a message that just says "O.K." What is this note about? Why does Harry need Mick to tell him she's "O.K."?

McCullers does not make it explicit, though it's clearly implied that Mick and Harry have sex after their picnic in the woods. Neither party seemed to anticipate this encounter, and both are a bit shaken afterward. Harry requests this note as a confirmation from Mick that she did not get pregnant. This experience represents one more layer of adult responsibility Mick takes on in the final chapters of the novel, which further remove her from her childhood identity.

Is Singer's suicide a...