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Style
Definition of Tone
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical, and so on. For instance... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical... read full definition
Section 2
Explanation and Analysis:
The narrative tone of Ceremony is pensive, reflective, and often critical. The narrator often uses this reflective tone to criticize the American government—both its wartime practices and its treatment of Indian Americans. This evolves into a broader structural critique of cyclical violence, exploring the extent to which an individual can take responsibility for such a large-scale atrocity.
Note the following passage from Section 2, in which the narrator makes an observation about Tayo's fellow Indian American veterans:
Here they were, trying to bring back that old feeling, that feeling they belonged to America the way they felt during the war. They blamed themselves for losing the new feeling; they never talked about it, but they blamed themselves just like they blamed themselves for losing the land the white people took. They never thought to blame white people for any of it; they wanted white people for their friends. They never saw that it was the white people who gave them that feeling and it was white people who took it away again when the war was over.
In this excerpt, the narrator's voice merges with Tayo's somewhat, extending the protagonist's critique of his peers beyond dialogue. Despite this critical, analytical tone, the narrator rarely leaves Tayo's more limited perspective, sticking to vocalizing criticisms Tayo himself holds. The narrator rarely pushes beyond the boundaries of Tayo's understanding or self-perception, instead permitting the reader to grow in knowledge organically alongside the novel's protagonist.
Related Themes:
