Music is a constant motif in this book. Before Carson McCullers became a novelist, she was a gifted pianist who only missed out on attending Juilliard School of Music because she could not come up with the tuition money. Evidence of McCullers love for music, and her knowledge of music terminology, can be located in several stories: most obvious is "Wunderkind”. Beyond "Wunderkind," there are several other instances of music coloring the narrative.